Will not cut thru .007 stencil material

Will not cut thru .007 stencil material

Postby sweetstuffshoppe » December 1st, 2017, 3:22 pm

IMG_2363-2.JPG


I am beyond frustrated. I have a machine that collects dust.!! Can not seem to get it to cut a stencil from .007 material. It barely makes an imprint! What am I doing wrong???

I need to utilize this machine for business and it now has an inch of dust. :(
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by sweetstuffshoppe on December 1st, 2017, 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sweetstuffshoppe
 
Posts: 3
Joined: October 8th, 2017, 4:02 pm
Cutter: Silver Bullet

Re: Will not cut thru .007 stencil material

Postby Gigi » December 1st, 2017, 3:34 pm

Hi Donna -

You are a relatively new user so you are till learning and you didn't share a lot of information for us to help you problem solve.

Have you cut any materials with success? Which blade are you using? What are your settings. Showing what you did really gives little information other than the design of your project. Is your material plastic? acetate? something else? Are you using the setting tool? Have you thoroughly been through the learning center classroom? Sorry for all of the questions, but need to know what you have done or tried so we can figure out how best to help.

Will wait to hear more. Thank you.
Silver Bullet Admin/Tech Support


Happily using an 24" Silver Bullet Platinum

Gigi
User avatar
Gigi
 
Posts: 10432
Images: 190
Joined: May 14th, 2011, 9:53 pm
Location: Southern California
Cutter: 18" Silver Bullet Pro, Foilmaster

Re: Will not cut thru .007 stencil material

Postby sweetstuffshoppe » December 1st, 2017, 3:43 pm

I have been thru the online classes. I am using the 60 degree blade with the regular blade holder. I did cut some of the .007 Dura-Lar Acetate with the machine set on HIGH PRESSURE. Was told that it was WAY to high and should be set under 100 for the Force. I have it set on 175, and it will not go thru the material. I am using the setting tool to adjust the blade to the material.
sweetstuffshoppe
 
Posts: 3
Joined: October 8th, 2017, 4:02 pm
Cutter: Silver Bullet

Re: Will not cut thru .007 stencil material

Postby Gigi » December 1st, 2017, 6:34 pm

I asked if you had cut other materials to try to determine if you have had some success cutting or if this is the first thing you have tried to cut. If you have not cut regular card stock with success, I highly recommend you do that first to get a better feel for the pressure needed for basic things. When you start cutting plastics/acetate, it's a different animal. The plastic in the acetate will wear down your blade quicker than cutting regular materials. Just something you need to be aware of.

I just test cut (with the test button) a piece of .007 acetate. I cut it almost completely with the 45 degree blade at 80 - perfectly at 90. So you could be in that range and should be able to cut it just fine.

Are you sure your blade is not chipped - that often happens to new users. Again - have you cut other materials with that blade successfully? Is the acetate firmly adhered to the mat (brayered down)? Is your mat flat? I would assume it is flat since you are new, but just want to be sure as a warped mat will affect cutting.

A force of 175 is double what it should be. If the blade was good and set properly, you would be cutting into the mat with that force. Is the clamp tight around the blade holder so it is firmly set in the carriage. Again, check your blade under a magnifying glass to be sure it is not chipped. If they hit the mat they can easily chip. Most of us have chipped a blade or two in the early stages - and even now - it happens. Be sure when you use the setting tool that you are barely lifting the blade above the tool to clear it. If it is up too high it won't cut the material.

Please check all of those things and always do a test cut to be sure you have the correct force. Even if I think I am pretty sure about the force needed, if I am cutting a new material to me, I still do a test cut to be sure I am not using more force than I need to (I dont want to ruin the blade or mat) or too little force.

Once you are sure you have a good blade in place and in the right place, please test cut some medium weight card stock until you have success before you go back to the acetate. If you have other questions, let us know.
Silver Bullet Admin/Tech Support


Happily using an 24" Silver Bullet Platinum

Gigi
User avatar
Gigi
 
Posts: 10432
Images: 190
Joined: May 14th, 2011, 9:53 pm
Location: Southern California
Cutter: 18" Silver Bullet Pro, Foilmaster

Re: Will not cut thru .007 stencil material

Postby sweetstuffshoppe » December 3rd, 2017, 9:57 am

I have been using the Cricut with no issues. I purchased the Silver Bullet for quality stencils. I have done all you said. Checked the blade (no chips) Watched so many videos that my eyes are bleeding. I use the guide to set the blade just barely above the material. I have tightened the blade housing down securely. I watched a video on the Silver Bullet for Acetate Film and they cut it at 110 Force 2 times and it cut. I tried exactly that and it still will not cut thru. The blade is brand new. I am using all of the rollers on the back to hold the mat. I have the table to keep it flat. The rollers seem to hold the mat down so tight that it kind of buckles between the rollers. I am not sure if this has anything to do with the cutting, but just so you know where I am at with this. I did a measurement of how far the blade should be out of the housing. It is just where it should be. I also tried to cut into heavy card stock at about 60 Force and it would NOT cut thru. I am beyond lost. As you said above, a warped mat would affect the cutting. As I stated above, the rollers seem to have a very firm hold on the mat and it does buckle a little in between them. How else can you keep your mat firmly in place if you do not use the roller???
sweetstuffshoppe
 
Posts: 3
Joined: October 8th, 2017, 4:02 pm
Cutter: Silver Bullet

Re: Will not cut thru .007 stencil material

Postby Gigi » December 3rd, 2017, 1:19 pm

You do not need to use all of the pinch rollers - just use the outside ones. They should not be on the material you are cutting unless it is a very thick material - which this is not.

It may be that your mat is buckled and/or that your blade is not quite right. Heavy card stock is not going to cut at 60. I cut heavy card stock (there are varying degrees of "heavy" -that is why I keep a list of what to use on what and always test cut. Heavy card stock can cut from 90-130 depending on the thickness and density and you often need the 60 degree blade. With the .007 material, you do not need to do multiple passes. I told you how I was cutting it and it was a clean cut - one pass. I use multiple passes on the heavier thicker acetate (like .020) which I DO cut on 4-5 passes at lower pressure to get clean cuts. But .007 is very thin. You mentioned watching a video on cutting acetate at 110 and two passes. there are many different weights of acetate, that is why I used the same material you did - or at least comparable (brands can vary a little) to give you the best advice I could. You may need to extend your blade a little more.

If your mat is buckling, you will not get even cuts because it is imperative that you have a flat mat. And are you brayering the acetate onto the mat:? That is also important for good cuts.

See what happens if you just use the outside pinch wheels and see if the mat will flatten. If not there are several topics here that have discussed how to flatten a mat to be able to use it again. If you have a fresh mat in the meantime, try that. It should make a difference. Acetate is easy to cut. And it will cut beautifully once you get your settings optimal and the set up as it should be.

First get a flat mat and try cutting again with just outside pinch wheels down. If you still don't get a good cut, extend your blade a bit more. If that doesn't work I would use a new blade just in case you are missing something. But guessing at this point it is the mat and/or the blade. Be sure your acetate is FIRMLY attached to the mat by brayering it down - pushing it down with your hands is not enough even though it may feel like it.
Silver Bullet Admin/Tech Support


Happily using an 24" Silver Bullet Platinum

Gigi
User avatar
Gigi
 
Posts: 10432
Images: 190
Joined: May 14th, 2011, 9:53 pm
Location: Southern California
Cutter: 18" Silver Bullet Pro, Foilmaster


Return to General

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 21 guests