Uncurling a metal cutting die

Just a quick "How to care for your dies" post, prompted by the fact that one of mine was beginning to curl whilst cutting for a class.

Summary of cutting-plate care:

• use the edges and corners of the plates when placing your dies
• use both sides of the plates - flip the plate over after you have used it to cut from the opposite side next time
• unless you are keeping one plate clear and one scarred, then move the top plate to the bottom after every second cut

if you look closely at the image above you will see that the centre of the die is now 3mm off the flat surface that the die is resting on.



In theory we all know not to put the cutting die in the centre of our plates each time, as this creates soft spots if we cut in the same place every time.


In theory we know to make sure we also use the outsides of our cutting plates, and we regularly flip the plates to cut from both sides.












If we have really done our homework we know to NOT put our long thin dies in the north-south alignment every time. Instead we remember to put them in the east-west position sometimes and in the diagonal position sometimes so that the dies don't begin to curl.

All this said, sometimes you might lend your die to someone who does not know all of the above, or despite doing all this you need to use the die a few dozen times and it does begin to curl, as pictured above.

If it has not yet curled, it is also important to use the die "upside down" on a regular basis to prevent curling. This becomes more difficult when you want the die in a specific position on your card panel.




There IS an easy way to fix a curl (or to flip your die to cut upside down), as long as your die is not too curled. If the die has curled to match the north-south placement (UNLIKE the one shown here - picture taken in diagonal placement, sorry), lay it in this position on your cutting plate with cutting blades facing down, place the top plate over it, grip the two plates firmly together and flip the whole sandwich (so the blades of the die are now facing upwards) and run it through the die-cutting machine.

Apologies for my very well used plates. You may like to note that despite heavy use they are not curled - this shows the benefits of making sure you use every bit of the plate when die-cutting and that you turn them over regularly. These plates are at least 4 yrs old and are used for class prep. Lots of use!!

If keeping everything together whilst you flip the sandwich is difficult you may like to use Washi tape to adhere the die and card layer in place on the lower cutting mat.








You may need to repeat this step a couple of times to fully uncurl the die.



My die was beginning to curl north-south so that is the position I have placed and flipped it into:

I love a challenge - especially a "How do I make this card work better?" challenge ...

A friend phoned me this week with a request for help. She had been making the Pop-Up Easel Card as shown on this YouTube tutorial but was not happy with the options of either the Velcro closure or a magnets. Both were too thick.

I offered to have a play with the design, envisaging being able to cut a flap in the base layer to tuck the edge of lowest circular die-cut into it. I soon realised that the catching flap would have to be slightly raised, and came up with the idea of using a die-cut panel to lock the opened base in place.

Having decided what I wanted to do, the design of a template for this part took less than an hour. That included picking all the teeny tiny little bits out of the die after I had used it. I had intended to leave it at that - problem sorted, sample template done and dusted...

... but I have now spent the better part of the next two days finishing the card to a point I am happy with! And I still want to play with the design of the base - it is a bulky layer that does not fold particularly well.

This is the card as you begin to open it out - the die-cut piece in the lower left is what will hold the base down.

It is slightly less than a quarter of the base plate shape and is raised on skinny mounting foam. (Porta Craft brand.)

I put a matching piece to the right of the base purely to balance the design.

Note - When adding embellishments such as the butterflies check that they will not catch the central die-cut as the card opens and closes.

Here the card has been opened out further - you can see the left edge of the base panel just overlaps the locking die-cut.















Below shows the card opened and fully assembled with the base tucked under the locking flap.

Here is my final shot to show the fiddly heat-embossed trail of glitter beneath the right-hand butterflies ... If you peer closely you might see a glittery heart shape!

Do as I say not as I did. The video clearly states that one should adhere the back panels in place BEFORE assembling the card. With good reason! Of course I completed the central structure first, then put the paper panels in, then glued the die-cuts on, then the butterflies, THEN I did the stamping and heat embossing. Not clever!

Products used:
Couture Creations die - Ornamental Lace Set (With later addition of Couture Creations Embossing Foam to the die so that it pops out all the teeny tiny bits by itself.)
Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles SM and LG
Butterflies - most likely Memory Box set of 5 small butterflies
Happy Birthday is a Cheery Lynne die cut (The die-cut words have been adhered to a narrow strip of card and mounted to make them stand out from the die-cut frame.)
With Love comes from Stamp-It SISET 014 and is heat embossed with Seafoam White powder
(Apologies - Stamp-It stamps are no longer available - they were located in Victoria Park, WA and are not to be confused with Stampin'Up)
The papers are from Kaisercraft - the front is from the Studio Scrap series and the inside from the Greenhouse Collection (Yucca)
The paper panels have been edged with Distress Ink - victorian velvet
The butterflies wings are held open with small bits of Kool Tak clear foam