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I got a Spellbinders Platinum 6 about 3 weeks ago and have used it almost non stop since then, save for a few days when I was out of town.
I have noticed that one of my cutting plates is warping, and I know this is normal. What I am wondering is, how do you know when you should replace the cutting plates on a die cutting machine?
I am a total newbie to the world of die cutting, so please forgive me if I have asked a totally stupid question.
I don't have that particular die cutting machine, however I do have a Cuttlebug which also uses plates.
My plates are currently scarred, cut into, and slightly warped, and I still use them. I think when you can tell that your die cuts aren't cutting through cleanly that you might consider replacing your plates.
It the die cuts look good, and the dies are cutting through the paper, I'd keep using the plates. How they look doesn't matter much, if they still work.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I think Lydia said she was still using her original plates from years ago! I hate the warping when I use the magnetic plate because it doesn't lay flat to use the magnets. Other than that I use mine a long time!
Thanks for your response Bugga! I will be on the lookout for those signs. No need to spend money I don't have to right now.
I forgot to add that it helps to flip the plates over from time to time when using them to help with the warping. I reserve one of the plates to be the "cutting" side, so that the other one doesn't have cuts in it. Then when I replace, that one can be used for the cutting side, and the newer one goes on the top.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
However, to get the best results die cutting, do the following:
Brand new, never used plate directly on the platform. Die, with blade side UP - tape if you need to. Paper, then grungy plate with the curved side looking like a mountain not a valley.
This works because the die is on a flat surface and doesn't have to flex. If you sandwich a die between two grungy plates, it will flex and make imperfect contact with all surfaces, resulting in a poorer cut.
This makes perfect sense since my warped plate scooches all over the place! But won't the bottom plate eventually warp too? I hope not because this sounds like a way to keep my dies flat!
Lydia, I do what you said, but a little in reverse. I put my grungy plate on the bottom, then my paper, then my die blade side down, with my nice plate on top. I like to be able to see what I'm cutting, and to center my image or sentiment inside the die cut.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Me too Bugga!! If I'm cutting a piece that will be stamped, I stamp first, then cut.. I'm much better at centering my die over a stamped image than I am centering a stamp onto a cut piece of paper. Gosh, that sounds clear as mud! haha :P
I forgot to add that it helps to flip the plates over from time to time when using them to help with the warping. I reserve one of the plates to be the "cutting" side, so that the other one doesn't have cuts in it. Then when I replace, that one can be used for the cutting side, and the newer one goes on the top.
Bugga, this is exactly what I do. As well after seeing a video on where to place your dies to reduce warping it has made a big difference.
Basically stop putting all your dies in the centre. If you have small dies put them near the edge. I saw this either on a Sizzix or SU site.
This makes perfect sense since my warped plate scooches all over the place! But won't the bottom plate eventually warp too? I hope not because this sounds like a way to keep my dies flat!
Nope. Straight as a rail!
Bugga - that makes sense, but the rollers will still flex the top plate and die down to meet the warped plate, so I'm not sure it keeps the die straight like the flipped one does - but I say do what works!
I know that I have heard about ways to flatten warped plates, in the oven, in the microwave, by storing them in the Big Shot under pressure. I don't remember how to use the oven or microwave for this. Anyone out there know how?
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I have had my cuttlebug for about nine years and still have the original plates! Maybe i just don't stamp enough! Seems like plates should last a couple years at least.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
I went through 11sets of plates since last Christmas. I finally bought a new machine and I am cutting with cutting edge up,only. It seems better. I think using the precision plate and cutting down ruined plates and knocked my mavhine out of whack. Just a thought.
I am still using my original Big shot plates from 2008. They are so scratched I can't see through them , but they cut just fine. I always turn them over after every cut and I turn them 180 degrees too. I rotate which plate is on top or bottom after each cut. I vary where I place the die on the plate so the plates get even wear. They never bowed. I also have a magnetic platform and they lay perfectly flat on that.
Unlike many people I cut into the bottom plate.
I frequently wash them by laying them in the kitchen sink with very hot tap water and use a stiff vegetable brush to remove the paper chads that get stuck in the cut groves. The water is only as hot as my hands can take. Maybe the hot water and the pressure on the plates from the vegetable brush helps keep them flat, I don't know.
If I have a a die cut that may pick up the scratch marks from the cutting plate I lay a piece of thin white tissue paper ( dollar store cheap stuff) between the card stock and the scratched plate.
I have several sets of spare plates, but I only intend to replace mine when they crack. I thought I would use more of them so I bought them when I saw them on sale .
My current cutting plates and spare plates are the original clear Sizzix plates, not the new colored ones.
If your plates are badly bowed you may need a new set and then rotate those with every cut to keep them flat
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
When I first got my Cuttlebug I took a class at our LSS........the first thing she told us was to rotate the cutting plate and turn it after almost every cut to help keep it flat and to NEVER cut right in the middle of the plate.....keep changing the positions of the dies too. I watched several videos on straightening cutting plates and I agree with Lydia, don't put plastic in the oven. I put mine in the sink in hot, hot water and then "bend" them over the divider in the middle of the sink. You won't get them completely flat but they will get much better.......and clean too!
Me too Bugga!! If I'm cutting a piece that will be stamped, I stamp first, then cut.. I'm much better at centering my die over a stamped image than I am centering a stamp onto a cut piece of paper. Gosh, that sounds clear as mud! haha :P
I use to stamp first, then cut down. Ruined tons of plates. Now with the misti, I cut with my die up --better cut and saves plates then I stamp with the misti. Placing things perfectly. The misti has made me a stamper. Before I just bought them and then got frustrated using stamps and they sat.
I cut blade- side down about 99% of the time. In fact, I think it's 100%. I've been die-cutting that way with all my machines (original Sizzix, Big Kick, and Big Shot) since 2003, and I've never ruined any plates. My cuts are clean, except for a few very intricate dies. (I bought the Precision Base Plate Bitly for those.) I rotate each time I cut, and I move the dies around so that I'm not cutting in the same place every time. I also don't force anything through my machine. If it feels like the fit is too tight, I adjust the platform and/or plates.
I know that I have heard about ways to flatten warped plates, in the oven, in the microwave, by storing them in the Big Shot under pressure. I don't remember how to use the oven or microwave for this. Anyone out there know how?
Thanks! I got lots of good ideas for using and flattening my plates. My first plates lasted years. My most recent pair are badly warped after about 4 months. Granted, I use them more than I did at first, but not that much more. I purchased the most recent pair at one of the big craft stores. Maybe they are not as good quality. ???
How to know when to replace cutting plates?
