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I seem to have trouble with the dies that are a whole card front size. The middle does not cut well. PTI hexagon die, Taylored Expressions chevron die- I have trouble with them. I use a Big Shot Pro, and almost all other dies cut great. Smaller wafer thin dies cut great.
Do you think a metal shim would make a big difference? I have never tried one. Do you use it in place of one of the cutting pads, or in addition to it? What brand of metal shim is really good? Thanks!
Yes, it really does help. I think they are about the same and some people bought flashing at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and they said it's cheaper and works the same. I have one generic one and one from Cherry Lynn and they are look exactly alike.
You use the metal shim in addition to your regular sandwich. I was originally taught to put the metal shim under the non-cutting side of the die but this summer I took a class and the instructor put the shim under the paper so the die cut's into the shim. It works much better but be warned that you will have indents (outlines of the cuts) in your metal shim. It doesn't hurt the metal shim but it's not pretty.
My metal shim is a lifesaver! I got mine from Cat's Pajamas. I'm pretty sure they're the same everywhere.
__________________ Paula "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa the bad things don’t always spoil the good things, or make them unimportant. - The Eleventh Doctor
Yes, it really does help. I think they are about the same and some people bought flashing at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and they said it's cheaper and works the same. I have one generic one and one from Cherry Lynn and they are look exactly alike.
You use the metal shim in addition to your regular sandwich. I was originally taught to put the metal shim under the non-cutting side of the die but this summer I took a class and the instructor put the shim under the paper so the die cut's into the shim. It works much better but be warned that you will have indents (outlines of the cuts) in your metal shim. It doesn't hurt the metal shim but it's not pretty.
I don't want to be a Debby Downer, but I don't think this is wise to do, for this reason. I am certain that cutting into the metal shim does not hurt the shim, but it has a high probability to do damage to the fine cutting edge of the wafer thin dies. The metal shims that I purchased both came with explicit warnings to NOT allow the cutting edge of the dies to strike the metal shim. They warned it could ruin the dies, not the shim. I would value the advice from the manufacturer of a product above that of an instructor at a class, they have a lot more hands on knowledge of the product limitations. Just my thoughts on the subject, I'm sure others will weigh in on this.
I don't want to be a Debby Downer, but I don't think this is wise to do, for this reason. I am certain that cutting into the metal shim does not hurt the shim, but it has a high probability to do damage to the fine cutting edge of the wafer thin dies. The metal shims that I purchased both came with explicit warnings to NOT allow the cutting edge of the dies to strike the metal shim. They warned it could ruin the dies, not the shim. I would value the advice from the manufacturer of a product above that of an instructor at a class, they have a lot more hands on knowledge of the product limitations. Just my thoughts on the subject, I'm sure others will weigh in on this.
You have a good point but for me the intricate dies that do not cut through the cardstock are worthless for me if I have to sit and manually fussy cut. Like most things, people will choose the option that works best for them.
Thank you for adding this information as it allows a person to choose what will work best.
You make a good CON point, Boss, which takes us to an important take away here and that is that we need to know BOTH pros and cons in order to be able to make an INFORMED decision.
That way folks are aware of possible negative outcomes (risks) when they make their decision.
Another caveat concerning metal shim use: I will not use a metal shim in my Vagabond. It's not worth risking my machine IMO. Tim Holtz recommends that only Sizzix accessories are used with the Vagabond because they're calibrated to work with the Vagabond.
Now everyone go forth and conquer and have fun die cutting There are so many incredibly awesome dies on the market!
P.S. And if you have any doubts, I second the idea of checking with the manufacturer before you decide to do something.
__________________ "May your mind whirl joyful cartwheels of creativity." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie.
Last edited by QueenOfInkland; 11-20-2013 at 03:21 AM..
I was having problems cutting one of the Spellbinders Resplendent Rectangles dies. I tried using my metal shim and it still wouldn't cut the edges. I tried spot shimming with the metal shim, running it through more than once and even turning it 90 degrees.
What I found worked for me was this sandwich:
Sizzix Solo Thin Die Adapter
Magnetic Platform
Cutting plate
Die
Cardstock
Olfa self-healing cutting mat
It cut through the entire die (the largest one) and all the pieces either popped out or were stuck on the Olfa mat. I did have to pop out a few pieces from the die afterwards.
The sandwich was a bit tight but it does go through. The Solo Thin Die adapter and the Olfa mat are just slightly thicker than a cutting plate. Using the two instead of the cutting plate seems to tighten the sandwich just enough for the dies to cut through ALL the cardstock. Plus the Olfa mat doesn't warp as much as using a regular cutting mat.
I am happy I finally found a solution that works for me. I do agree that having the dies and finding they don't cut properly is a waste. I also found that I didn't want to have to mark each die with where I would need a spot shim or special instructions on how many times to pass it through the machine. My new sandwich does the trick with one pass through. The Spellbinders dies are the only ones that gave me any problems so I haven't tested it on any other dies that I have.
In my Cuttlebug, here's the order I use with wafer thin dies & shim, from the bottom up:
A Plate
B plate (for totally awesome cuts, use a new B Plate ;) )
Card stock
Wafer die, with cutting edge facing down, toward the card stock
Metal Shim
C Plate
Then I run the sandwich through the Bug, forward and then back again. Most times this is all it takes to get a clean cut.
If for some reason a portion of the die does not cut all the way through I will lay a small scrap of card stock on the back of the die in the area that didn't cut (to create a bit more pressure in that area). Then I run it through the Bug, forward and back another time.
The ONLY die that I have that has given me fits and requires more fiddling than this is a Spellbinders delight die, an oriental tree shape. It is wicked to cut, and takes about 8 passes through the Bug and multiple pieces of strategically placed card stock scraps to get a satisfactory die cut.
Metal shim for cutting with wafer thin dies?
