Silver Bullet Cutters Forum

I’m having a very difficult time cutting ultrasuede. I have the thinnest one, 0.6mm and I’m using the click holder and 60 plus blade. I’ve been adhering it to the mat using sticky label paper which covers the entire fabric and a thick border around it so it's anchored quite well. The blade needs to cut through both label paper (normal copy type weight) and fabric. I’ve cut thicker things like leather using this exact technique, but the ultrasuede is not cutting through completely in most parts. It seems to be skip cutting for some reason. It cuts some parts and does not cut in others. Where it does cut, the cuts are not clean because the paper also appears torn and ripped in places. After the “cut”, I need to take a scissor to it and do about 60 percent of the cutting myself.

Somehow, I'm reminded of the post regarding 'loss of pressure" in the machine and am hoping it's not that. It's behaving in a similar manner though.

The shapes are simple ones, from the default library. In some cases I've intersected shapes or combined those. Nothing is very complicated.

Help and suggestions would be welcome.

As I recall - the post you are referring to - "loss of pressure" in the machine - was not that - the machine was not losing pressure.

Usually when you have a medium not being cut through completely or parts being skipped - the media its self is not being well adhered down and sticking to the mat. I am not clear from your description how you are putting it down on the mat. You say you are using a sticky able paper but are you putting the paper over the ultra suede material and then putting the paper side down on the mat or are you putting the suede side down on the mat. Plus, if you are using a thin ultra suede, then its possible that it is still "stretching" lifting as the blade is trying to drag through it which would cause the issues you are seeing. If the blade is having to cut through "sticky" paper, that can cause you to get "sticky" on the blade and cause problems as well. This method may have worked for you before with a thicker leather because it was thicker. Thinner does not always mean easier to cut - especially something in a soft suede that tends to be a very stretchy type material. I would think that you might want to forgo the sticky paper and try to use a very sticky mat and make sure it is well adhered to the mat its self and try some test cuts with the test button its self to find settings that might work. Finally, not every media, material is going to be able to be cut with this machine - this may be one of them, I don't know. I don't recall anyone every reporting attempting to cut a thin, soft, suede before.

I am not sure you should be using the longer blade to cut the ultrasuede - seems like too much to me, but I have not cut it. In searching through past posts Dawn said she has cut ultrasuede with no issues -that it cuts beautifully. Thyme - Dawn can you please add any insights to help her get better cuts? Thanks!

First of all for leathers and suedes I use the extra sticky mat to hold them in place - otherwise I find there is too much movement and it sounds like that may be happening with you.
I would use the 60plus blade, but cut the media face down.
I use a speed of 200 or less.
Is your design very intricate? If it has lots of very small areas (2mm or less) then I use a multipass with the overcut set at 0 to avoid any little cuts extending past the shape. The multicut ensures that the shape still joins.
Hope that helps

MeFlick - I peel off the backing paper from the label paper, thus exposing the sticky side. I then adhere the ultrasuede to it, turn the whole thing over and brayer it down to the mat. As the ultrasuede is smaller than the label paper, there is a generous amount of label paper on all sides. Think of the ultrasuede as the burger patty in this case . The label paper being what comes in contact with the blade first.

@Dawn - I'm going to try what you suggest and use my ultra sticky mat. Now that you mention too much movement, it could be the what is causing the problem. The designs are not very intricate, simple geometrical like circles and such. No scrolls or anything like that. You mentioned cutting the media face down. I don't quite follow what you mean here. Can you please explain.

@Gigi - I'm loving the idea of trying a different blade. For me my 60 plus is like "my precioussss" and I'm concerned if I overuse it, I'll dull it completely. Perhaps I'll try using a regular 60. What do you think Dawn, will that work?

Thank you all so much!

I have another question for you girls but will open a separate topic to keep things nicely organized.

Blades wear down over time. Plastic will wear a blade quicker than anything because of the heat generated - some apparently dull them quicker than others. Metal (like glittered card stock that we don't recommend cutting but people do! ) will also wear a blade down - and that should be cut face down.

And oh - Dawn meant put the material side down on the mat and but it from the back side - that is often a good way to cut a tricky material. And thanks Dawn for your insight on the ultrasuede - that was super helpful to me too.

You can try the 60 degree blade but I personally would stick with the 60 plus

I tried to cut the ultrasuede again by using an extra sticky mat. I also used the extra long 60 plus blade. Speed was about 200 and pressure 110. I carefully measured the amount of blade extension required by using a guide.

It appeared to cut nicely, but when I checked by lifting off a corner of the fabric, I saw it had not cut through. I re-adhered it and hit the repeat button. It cut a second time, and though it did a slightly better job, I still had to cut out many parts using scissors.

I'm really at a loss. I'm beginning to think this may be due to a dull blade. I have two 60 plus blades that have been used to cut a variety of materials. I have a brand new regular 60 though. Perhaps I could try that to rule out the blade issue.

What I fail to understand, is why it's cutting some parts and not others.

Any thoughts on my problem would be welcome.

Is your mat at all warped? That would be one reason for the cutting to "skip". Another reason could be how the material is on the mat. Are you firmly brayering it onto the mat? Just placing it down firmly could leave air pockets where it is not completely adhered and could cause cuts that are not going through - or off. Are you using tables to keep the mat level?

If you have used the blade to cut other media it won't do as well with the ultrasuede, best to use a new blade.

Gigi - No Gigi, the mat is not warped. This is because I'm using the budget mat (almost new) with the extra sticky renew. I've saved my better (blue) mats to be used with regular renew and other materials. I have been brayering it down very well plus I have the tables. I fathom what the problem is. Perhaps the blade as Dawn suggests.

@Dawn - Thanks Dawn, I'll try a new blade. Hopefully that will work.

Hi Esther -

I will tell you from experience, and a lot of hair pulling out - that I was having trouble years ago with getting a good cut and I remember Dawn working with me. We could NOT figure it out. Then she asked me about that mat. I was using an old "you know the brand name" mat and once I switched out the mat the cut issue was resolved. It probably is the blade, but just keep that in the back of your head for the future - I was floored. Hoping the new blade creates great results for you.