Stencils

[Gigi]

Thanks Dawn!

[zgriffiths]

I am only using only 2 wheels. My speed is set to 350. Force is still at 250 because if I go any lower, I still can't cut through the stencil material after 4 passes .

John
One Off Concepts

[Gigi]

John -

I think what Dawn is saying is that it looks like your mat or media is skewing . So try either using additional pinch wheels (be sure the two you ARE using are holding well and not covered with adhesive and/or be sure they are positioned well over the grit shaft) and slow down your speed to reduce potential skewing. I have had smaller things cut fine (like your letters) but then when I need to do a large shape around the items, my mat may shift for either of those reasons.

Alternatively, you could try, in case the media is shifting, tape it down to ensure it won't move and see if that helps. I almost always do that with thicker materials just to be sure nothing moves.

[Thyme]

Are you using the 60plus blade? If not then you should be.
I very seldom ever use a cutting force of more than 180, I find it is better to do extra passes then to increase the cutting force above that.
Bear in mind that in your photo each pass is in a slightly different place so you are effectively still trying to cut in one pass.

[Gigi]

Good catch, Dawn. I just went back and read all of the posts and he was using the click blade - that was before we had a picture of the material and weren't sure exactly what was being cut. Thank you!

Using the "right" blade should definitely enable you to reduce the force and hopefully get better cuts.

[zgriffiths]

I am using a 60 blade and have it placed into the blue plunger looking thing. I tried pressure at 180 and it will not go through the material after 5 passes. I will try to use all four wheels and slow down the speed to see if that makes a difference. I've been taping down my material so it doesn't shift on the mat.Thank you all very much for the AWESOME help.

John
One Off Concepts

[Gigi]

John -

If you are not using the 60 degree plus blade, that is what you need to use. I think that will make a huge difference in the ability to cut through the material at a lower force and in the overall appearance of the project.

[zgriffiths]

is there a difference between the 60 degree blade and a 60 degree plus blade?

[Gigi]

Yes - substantially. The 60 degree plus blade is made for cutting thicker materials - like chipboard, acrylic etc. It has a longer shaft. You can see it here.

http://thatsscrapinc.com/60degreepluslongblade.aspx

[zgriffiths]

Do you get a 60 plus blade with the "got to have it" package?

John & Zoe
One Off Concepts

[MeFlick]

Do you get a 60 plus blade with the "got to have it" package?

John & Zoe
One Off Concepts

You can see the full list of what comes in the "Gotta Have it All Package" from the US distributor (Sherri, That's Scrap, Inc.) here: http://thatsscrapinc.com/gottohaveitall.aspx - in regards to the blades it notes the following are included:

"30 degree fabric blade for click or standard holder, 60 degree plus long shaft for click or standard holder, Detail blade holder, 45 degree blade for detail blade holder, 60 degree blade for detail blade holder"

[zgriffiths]

Ok great. Thank you

[tamihowse]

John, I just saw this. I cut stencils all the time since it's what makes my Etsy shop tick. I cut pretty thick plastic and I never have to do more than 2 passes. Force- 170, Speed- 500-525, 60-plus blade. Make sure you clean up your nodes so you're not cutting more than you have to. And, after I put the plastic sheet on my mat, I not only brayer it down, but I "scrape" the entire top with the edge of something sturdy and plastic (I use a closed ink pad). Then I tape it down. I do sometimes have some shifting on the outer edge, but since I'm doing only two passes, I can just peel off the little edge. Rarely is it important that the edge is perfectly straight. I hope that makes sense. Fondly, Tami