Once you have selected your overlap and clicked continue, the calibration is complete and you can use your Knife Blade! Heat N Bond and Wonder Under are popular stabilizers, and Cricut has a line of fusible bonded fabric (12 x 21) that allows you to skip that bonding step. Throw the dull blade away safely. Im considering to buy only one if the two. The Cricut blades can be used on both Explore and Maker machines, no problem. We are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. These materials have been tested and re-tested by Cricut and they feel good putting their stamp of approval on them. You can see the examples in the screenshot below. Align the rib of the new blade with the groove in the housing. This is the same for changing the deep point blade, and you can also use the following method to clean your blade as well. It was previously called the Premium German Carbide blade, but is now just referred to as Fine-Point.. Generally youll be using the blue LightGrip mat or the green StandardGrip mat. Another way your blade could be getting dull is due to using it on the wrong materials. These three blades do not not need to be calibrated. In this post, Ill go over all of the different blades you may use with your Explore or Maker, including their different uses, how to tell them apart, and how to change the blades themselves! If you start having difficulty weeding your vinyl, it might just be time to change your blade. Some does some does not. If youve been accustomed to using more pressure and now youve put in a fresh blade, you may have to hold off using more pressure for the first few weeks. judy, Hi Judy, Basically the pink Bonded Fabric Blade is your fabric scissors. Reserving fabric tools for fabric cutting prolongs their fabric-cutting life! This is also only for use with the Maker. Felt is so linty so I dont love using my FabricGrip mats and I find an old green mat with some stick left is a better option. I started my passion for sewing and craft when I was a little girl and it developed into a degree in Historical and Performance costume. The Cricut Perforation Blade (Maker-Only). Hope this helps! This is just a basic overview. Check this out>>> How to Replace Your Rotary Blade in Your Cricut Maker. While thats HIGHLY unlikely, it could be part of the issue. They can help you troubleshoot. The last way to ensure the life of your Cricut blade is long and fruitful is to change your blade for specific materials. If you use your machine once a week, you could go 6 months or longer without needing to change your blade. This means, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Once the sleeve is removed, turn the housing over and the old blade will drop out. Also put a piece of white printer paper on a cutting mat, aligning it with the top left corner. Your email address will not be published. These materials or the more intricate designs need a nice sharp blade if you want to get flawless results. This is intensely frustrating and as far as I can tell, nothing has been done to rectify it for people who have the wrong blades. There is no rule to this at all. Thin plastic sheet like over head projector If you are using 2 or 3 main materials for your projects look at having a blade specific to each one. Step 1: Open the B (B for blade) accessory clamp in your Cricut machine. There is a similarly labeled deep-cut blade housing that is blue, but that is for the older Cricut Expression machinesdont buy it for your Explore or Maker. Remove your Rotary Blade housing from your Cricut Maker. This means you can cut unbonded fabric. I would personally swap after a year even if to just solely use it for paper or card. There is. Brother CS6000i Review [Personal Experience] Too basic or just right? By having a separate housing and blade color, you know to keep them separate. Then place back in the housing. Insert the shaft of the new blade into the housing. Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links provided for your convenience. I havent had a problem with the pressure mentioned above harming my green mat. Unfortunately, you need the knife blade and housing. We have found that sometimes people change out their blades for a brand new one and then decide to hold onto the old one just in case. This means you may need to clean out the blade several times during the same project. The Cricut Rotary Blade comes with the Cricut Maker and is Cricut Maker-specific (it cannot be used in the Cricut Explore). Bonded fabric is a regular fabric, often cotton, that has a stabilizer ironed onto the back. Help! You will need to buy this blade and housing separately. Once you unload your mat, you want to find the cut lines that overlap the most. This process is also the same for the fine point blade, premium fine point blade, deep point and deep cut blade. Try using the purple StrongGrip mat for the heavier materials cut by the Deep-Cut Blade. What Is The Difference Between Fabric Scissors And Pinking Shears? Now lets take a look at each of the individual blades. It may be hard to see on your printer paper, so hold it up to the light and bend your mat just a but. So I decided to put together my own research to find out a few things and break it fown for you to help you make your blades last longer and have enough time to save to buy a new one. The following process is thesame for both the Cricut Maker and the Explore Air 2 machines. This way the blades dont get dull or pick up any glue or fibers from the other materials which will help to keep them sharper for longer. There is no definitive answer unfortunately as it all depends on two things; A how often you are using your machine, daily, weekly or every so often. B What range of materials you are using, if you are using the same blade for vinyl, paper, cardstock and more then it may dull your blade faster. If that doesnt work you can try different cut settings including more pressure or choosing a setting for a thicker material such as cardstock. Crystal, HLMS Community Manager, Hi, I f I have a knife blade, do I still need the deep cut blade? If you feel your blade cannot be cleaned and reused, replace it. If it leaves tiny rips in your material. Step 5: Place the new blade inside the housing with the sharp end sticking out of the housing. I wouldnt put bargain basement blades in my machine (youre going to end up changing them more often than is probably worth it), but I have used blades from other companies with no problems, including these Cricut blades. These are the main reasons we are going to cover below. Place the white changing cap completely over the old blade and sleeve on the Knife Blade housing. Ive written extensively about the Cricut Rotary Blade, but here is a basic overview. What can I cut plastic type materials with on my cricut maker You really only need to calibrate your Rotary Blade once, when you first use it. That being said, I have used old green mats in the past to cut felt using the Rotary Blade. In the Calibration screen, there are three options: Calibrate your Rotary Blade, calibrate your Knife Blade and calibrate your printer for Print Then Cut. This will make sure its actually cutting at the depth its supposed to. Before we go into the actual blades, lets tackle a few frequently asked questions about Cricut blades. Pull off the protective cap that now has the old blade and discard. Different materials require a different level or sharpness to cut. Please leave any questions or comments down below. Some materials are particularly messy and may shed. Also, when I Google replacement blades for the Maker, the aforementioned blades are really all that come up. The last way your Cricut blade is getting dull is due to the tension. Sometimes even new blades wear very quickly. How Do You Know When to Replace Your Cricut Blade? Confused by the different blades that can go with your Cricut Maker or Explore? Ahhh, thats a question that gets asked a lot. If you havent already, insert your Rotary Blade into Clamp B of your Cricut Maker. Theyre not expensive and it is really worth it when it comes to getting the best cuts and not wasting material. It uses a 12mm rotary blade (sort of like a tiny pizza cutter) to slice its way through materials without dragging. Like the Rotary blade, you should only need to calibrate your Knife Blade the first time you use it. Are Ironing Mats Worth Using In A Sewing Room. Its designed to be stronger than the Fine-Point Blade and uses a different angle and depth-of-cut to cut thicker materials. I went out to Cricut headquarters in March 2018 to learn about the Knife Blade before the launchstart here if you really want to do a deep dive on the Knife Blade. Learn how your comment data is processed. In that case, youll want to reach out to Cricut Support. Are you wondering when you should replace your Cricut blade? ], 23 Cricut Christmas Ideas for 2022 Iron On & Adhesive, The Ultimate Seasonal Heat Press and Cricut Craft Calendar, You Should Use HTV on Wood! I hope you found this guide to changing your Cricut blades a helpful starting point. Crystal, HLMS Community Manager, I have the Explore Air and would like to cut thin cork and balsa or bass wood. We have started putting in new blades a lot more often because we want to make sure were getting those really great cuts. 2. And this video shows step by step how to change the Cricut Rotary Blade. Or laminate thickness plastic How to Replace Your Rotary Blade in Your Cricut Maker. Thanks. You can use code MAKESTUFF2020 to save 10% on most materials and supplies at cricut.com. You can also use the dropdown menu on the left and click on the Calibration tool. Find out more here. The Knife Blade replacement comes with your new blade and a white safety changing cap. Colour code them so you dont end up using the wrong one! This guide shows which blades go with which machines, their different uses, how to tell them apart, and how to change them! Then click continue. Changing the Knife Blade is actually pretty easy. You can also use this blade to do Cricut Joy Matless Cutting. The Cricut Fine-Point Blade6. If it doesnt cut all the way through. Cricuts thinking with making the same blade in two colors is that you dont use your fabric scissors on paper (anyone else have a mom who would shoot you the look if you used her fabric scissors on construction paper? Place the changing cap (with the sleeve inside) over the new blade. Do this repeatedly for around 30-50 times. Hi Donna, Hi, I got my Cricut at Christmas and have been trying to cut out letters on cardstock and it leaves my paper in shreds although it did a small design just fine. It may be hard to see on your printer paper, so hold it up to the light and bend your mat just a bit. The premium Fine-Point Blade is a little stronger and more durable than the silver housing and blade, though I cut for years with the silver version and it worked great. The Cricut Wavy Blade (Maker-Only)12. Much like fabric scissors, Cricut blades can be sensitive to cutting certain materials and can become dull quickly. The process is actually exactly the same for the Cricut Explore Air 2. It is smaller than the housings for other Cricut machine blades, and they are not interchangeable. Take your blade out of your housing here is a tutorial by Cricut on how to do this. Thanks! I started this blog as a way to share what I new and learnt about sewing, machines and everything in between. This actually solved a problem I was having with my Cricut Makerit wasnt cutting through cardstock even after I replaced the blade, so I swapped out the housing and that solved the problem. Its easy, but be careful not to cut yourself. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I'm Cori and I'm so glad you've decided to stop by and make stuff with me! If the paper shifts at all during cutting, it could tear it. Tropical themed party pennants, cut on the Read More, Learn how to make a personalized ice cooler Read More, Who's lovin' summer? Using the included screwdriver, remove the screw from the Rotary Blade housing and set aside. Its likely time to change that blade. The Bonded Fabric blade is color coordinated with the pink FabricGrip mat to help remind you that pink is for fabric. We hold NOTHING back for our yearly members and want you to have the best experience possible. That being said, if you find that your cuts are not cutting cleanly, re-calibrating your Knife Blade may help. 1. Heres a link to purchase the knife blade on Cricutswebsite:https://cricut.com/en_us/knife-blade-drive-housing.html. A Cricut blade can go full for a number of reasons, some are easy to fix and some are a little more tricky. Removing the housing from your Cricut machine. That way you dont get your other mats covered in threads. This allows for a more stable material, which makes it easier to cut. Depending on when you bought your machine/blade, the housing for your Fine-Point Blade may be silver or gold. I would also be sure to test a small piece first before jumping into your project. These questions apply to all of the different Cricut blades. The biggest sign you will notice is that your blade will start to miss cuts, ruin designs and generally make a mess. Just me?). You may notice that its not cutting through all the way and youre not getting those perfect cut lines, so weeding just gets trickier. It depends on the materials youre cutting, the intricacy of your cuts, and the phase of the moon (just kiddingbut you know what I mean). Step 6: Place the housing back into the B clamp in your Cricut machine. If like me you use your Cricut to make a variety of projects from vinyl to cardstock then your blade might be fine cutting one but not the other. The housing on the Deep-Cut Blade is black. But as a general rule of thumb go for anything from 3 6 months up to 1 year. If that doesnt work try altering the tension through the main management systems area of your Cricut dashboard. My blog is full of things to help you create a life you love: easy crafts, fun printables, SVG files for cutting on your Cricut, DIY home and decor ideas, and so much more. So off to Walk-Mart I go to purchase a pack of two that I thought were correct based on Googling the information, but the pack specifically says they are for the Cricut Explore machine, On the Cricut website it says they are compatible with the Maker, but when you look them up on other sites (Amazon, Michaels) it doesnt state that in the specifications. If your Cricut machine is no longer cutting well, or you are having trouble weeding your designs, then its probably time to change the blade. Theres no magic number for how many cuts you can do with a blade. Design Space will prompt you to calibrate the first time you use your Rotary Blade. How to Apply HTV on. This is also such a big help when it comes to the weeding process and especially with those intricate die-cutting craft projects. This will help scrape off any remaning fibers and glue and will sharpen the blade as it goes. A craft and sewing blog owned by Helen Harrison. This pushes out the blade. Remove the protective cover from the new blade (the rubbery plastic piece). Its not always easy to know how often to change Cricut blades! If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission, but it doesn't cost you anything. There are a few signs you probably are already away of and one of them has probably happened leading you to search for a solution. And the answer isa while. Again we used the cleaning methods above to see if it was a build up of glue from the vinyl or just age. Then click the Go button on your Maker and it will cut some test lines. How Do You Know When to Replace Your Cricut Blade?3. The silver housing is the older version, which has been recently replaced with the premium gold housing. The blade holder design is the same on both machines. So, be careful with that when you change blades and hold off on increasing the pressure for a while. Step 2: Remove the entire blade housing from the clamp. The Cricut Perforation Blade (Maker-Only), Ive written extensively about the Cricut Rotary Blade, start here if you really want to do a deep dive on the Knife Blade, Personalized Ice Cooler with Your Cricut + Ice Cooler SVG Files. You can also play around with Custom Material Settings to use the blade to experiment with all sorts of materials. Choose Knife Blade here. February 6, 2020 by Cori George 13 Comments. I sure hope so. Adding more pressure shouldnt be necessary and in fact, might cause more problems. The Cricut Knife Blade (Maker-Only)11. Basically, its similar to a super precise X-ACTO knife for your Cricut Maker. It does not have a number engraved on it like some of the other Cricut Maker tools. However, you can adjust settings (and be sure to use a deep cut mat) to try and cut through those materials with your deep cut blade. Often that will work and you wont need to replace your blade quite yet. If youre having issues cutting a larger designs vs a smaller design on the same settings, it may be something technical. You can see the examples in the screenshot below. We have had it a couple of times where it just hasnt liked what we were trying to do. Small nicks and scratches of damage on the blade wouldnt quite disrupt a cut on paper but might be noticeable on vinyl. I hope so. I am wondering if I could swap the blades and use the knife blade in the rotary housing? When asked, How long do Cricut blades last?, we think for a guideline you could start with, that at a minimum, you should change your blade every two months with average use of your Cricut machine. The first way of prolonging the life of your circut blade is cutting tin foil on your machine. Can I Use Non-Cricut Blades in My Cricut? Insert the screw back through the blade and use the screwdriver to tighten. DIY Olympic Shirts SVGs, Materials, and Tips! Place the new protective cap and blade onto the Rotary Blade housing. The Knife Blade is designed to be used with the purple StrongGrip mat. The Cricut Fine-Point Blade is the standard blade that comes in both the Cricut Explore and the Cricut Maker. Here is a tutorial from Cricut themselves on how to change the tension of your machine, here is a tutorial by Cricut on how to do this. Of course, it makes sense that the more often you use your Cricut die-cutting machine, the more you will need to change your blade. As the materials are different and they have a different effect on the blade this could be the cuase of the problem. Replacing Basic Cricut Blades9. The Cricut Deep-Cut Blade 7. If you want to cut un-bonded fabric (most fabric youd buy off the bolt in a store), youll want to upgrade to the Cricut Maker and use the Rotary Blade, as seen below. 6 Best Sewing Weights For Every Sewing Project. Remove your Knife Blade housing from your Cricut Maker. Another way to know if you blade needs replacing is if it struggles on certain materials.
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