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Really loved the look of these new dies and our group got all 4 and we cant seem to get the dies to cut all the way through. We tried every which way, rotating it and again and AGAIN and still will not cut. They seem to go through on the edges but not in the middle of the pattern.
I sometimes have to turn mine a few different directions when cutting. Also cutting near the edge of your machine helps. Adding a shim like Nanette suggests is also a great idea. If the shim doesn't' do the trick, you can trim the shim down, so that it just covers the portion of the die template that still needs to cut. That will create extra pressure on that specific area.
If you are like me, I imagined it would cut a framed design with cut out elements...and was very disappointed. Spellbinders didn't even have the courtesy to include directions specific to the dies inside the packaging. Because it is 'expandable' (who wants that, really?), the outer edges of the design will not cut. If you want a framed image, as I did, you have to use a razor along a ruler after cutting the die to cut out the negative pieces. (Mark them first with pencil, as it's really tricky to pick out the positive from the negative pieces of the design.)
As with so many of the really intricate dies on the market, sometimes extra steps have to be taken to get a clean cut. If you decide to try shimming, place the shim just under the portion that is not cutting. If you shim the entire die, you are defeating the purpose of using a shim. You need to raise just the area that is giving you problems.
As far as these dies, they are exactly what they say they are...expandable patterns. You can cut them with a frame around them if you wish, but that takes extra steps. That fact gives you options. They were never marketed as background dies. If that is what you are looking for and don't want to take the extra steps, you should probably not buy them.
We tried shims on the middle section where it wasn't cutting right though but they didn't really make much difference, using thicker and thicker one each time but it was getting to the stage that there was so much resistance when trying to turn the handle that we stopped for fear of wrecking the machine. Between us we have a whole heap of dies and shims have always worked previously with other dies including spellbinders when they wouldn't cut first time but not with these it seems.
It isn't so much that the dies are intricate, it feels more that they're not deep enough. We got out other spellbinder dies to compare and there would appear to be a very slight difference in depth with these ones appearing to be slightly shallower, maybe that's the problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CathyC
. They were never marketed as background dies. If that is what you are looking for and don't want to take the extra steps, you should probably not buy them.
Cathy
Cathy, in the promo video of these dies, the owner of spellbinders herself calls them background patterns.
CathyC, just don't agree! This is a picture of the Botanical Swirls die on the Spellbinders web site. WYSIWYG, supposedly. A perfect rectangle is what you expect to get when you cut this die. It takes a closer look to see that elements of the design are just hanging off there in space. It certainly doesn't show you what the cut actually leaves you with: a perimeter of the design which is not cut but still has the negative (white) spaces attached along the circumference.
When cutting intricate designs like these, I use a thin layer of paper, like wax paper or baking parchment paper, as a shim between the die and cardstock. I haven't fond a die that I can't cut with this method and I own a lot of dies! I hope that helps.
__________________ ~Nina (product designer for Penny Black, Spellbinders and Want2Scrap)
"O taste and see that the LORD is good..." ~Psalm 34:8 Etsy * Facebook * My Blog
It took me a few minutes to get it, but these are "expandable" meaning they don't cut out with a neat frame around them. If you cut out multiple copies they can sit side by side for a perfect match (kind of like hanging wallpaper) - that's what makes them "expandable" beyond the size of the die. It's cool if you want something really wide like a 12" scrapbook page or a small banner.
For somebody fortunate enough to own a larger die cutter such as a big shot pro or accucut it would be feasable. Depending out how badly you want wide coverage, and how willing you are to tackle a possibly PITA project, you could still make multiple strips in a smaller machine and then carefully piece them together.
I used the fancy lattice to make a card, cut it with my Grand Calibur and it turned out just right. Little pieces fell out of the paper so I did not have to monkey with them. Was very pleased. Made a white on white card and it had a small border on the edge all around the card. I did have to trim a little with my paper cutter.
__________________ Mary Jo
prairiepapercrafter.blogspot.com
Hi! I haven't tried my new die yet (i.e. this one) - but you may need to use the metal shim as is suggested with the Cheery Lynn Designs and some of the other more intricate designs. I haven't found an intricate die that hasn't worked when I use the metal shim. Cheery Lynn has them on their site and they also have several videos on how to cut intricate dies - they may offer some other suggestions. Spellbinders also has a "HOW TO" video on their site on how to use the expandable dies - it might be worth checking out.
I also use baker's tissue (a little lighter than waxed paper or parchment) in between the die and my paper to aid in releasing them once they are cut.
HTH!
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spellbinder expandable pattern dies
