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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Quick Tip Tuesday

I have some exciting news!

Next week our sponsor is SVGcuts.com, and in addition to a $50 gift card, the lucky winner will also receive a brand new Big Shot Die Cutting Machine! Join us next week for more information-you can make a project with SVG's, but there has to be a Cricut cut on your project. If the information is not listed in your description, you won't be eligible for the prize!


Hello! Today's tip is from over at Scrappin' Queen about Cricut blades-

"Cricut blades wear out quickly, particularly if you are cutting a lot of Bazzill paper. Bazzill has polyester fibers in it that cause blades to dull rapidly. Good blades cost more, but they last a very long time. I prefer the blades for the Pazzles Inspiration. They fit the Cricut just fine, and last a lot longer. The Gazelle blades are also excellent, particularly the ones for medium to heavy cutting projects, and they fit the Cricut as well. I reserve my Cricut blades for cutting vinyl, vellum, and thin scrapbook paper.

You may need to adjust the blade depth a bit if you use the blades for the other machines. Do some test cuts to determine the best setting for you. Even if I have a good quality blade, I would still use a new blade for  intricate designs. They take a long time to cut out, especially if i am cutting them 11.5″x11.5″ and I don’t want to waste time and paper should the blade wear out halfway through cutting one of these designs. I always keep extra blades on hand, because I never know when my blade will go bad, and it is never convenient to get a new blade in the middle of a cutting project. They can go bad very suddenly – good for one cut, and bad for the next. If a tiny tip of the blade gets broken off, you may not be able to see a difference, but you will get more tearing than cutting when this happens."

Another thing about blades, not all are created equal. Since I stopped buying cheap Cricut blades at the craft store but good Carbide steel, my blades last forever. The Cricut and a few other cutters take Roland style blades. eBay has a few sellers but I prefer Elkins Creek. Here is a link for blades that will fit the Cricut machines – http://elkinscreek.com/RolandCutterBlades.html . 45 degree is the regular blade and 60 degree is for the deep cut holder. There is also a discussion here to purchasing better quality blades – http://forum.make-the-cut.com/discussion/16452/roland-blades/ Glitter paper will also dull your blade faster than saying, well, glitter!



I hope you found these tips useful!
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2 comments:

  1. Great tip Michelle I am going to get some of the other blades and try them.
    Have a Blessed day, DIANA L.
    http://dianamlarson.blogspot.com http://dianamlarson.ctmh.com




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  2. wow! awesome tips I did not know I could purchase blades from other manufacturers! I am going shopping! thank you thank you!

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