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I use a good quality paper, either Neenah Solar white 120 lb or the Gina K white which is similar. Unfortunately I have mixed them together so I don't know which is which. Ive noticed lately that when I make my card bases some of them are cracking at the top and I don't like how it looks. Any ideas what I am doing wrong? I don't have the expensive bone folder that I hear people talk about though I can imagine that would make that much difference. I use the Martha Stewart score board. Am I pressing to hard when I score maybe? Any ideas I would appreciate.
a very long time ago people used to use light boxes with brass stencils to emboss ( before folders were made) and at that time you used a piece of wax paper to rub across the paper first and then used a ball tipped stylus type tool to make the lines where you wanted the paper to curve around the template...
so, one thing I have noticed about that MS board is the little tool that comes with it has a sharper point then my old bone folder ( that is too wide to fit into those grooves)
I have seen video's where the person scoring used a stylus with the score boards.
that would be the first thing I would try.
another thought is, ( I live in a high dessert climate) and for me all the heaviest weight papers are the only ones I have that problem with, the lesser weights I never see that, so, I tend to make my bases out of colored bazzill after I have built the card front and then I just line the inside with a piece of white or cream neenah on the inside to write on.
(bazzill papers contain a little plastic and they fold a little easier, plus if you stick something down crooked you have a short window to pick it up and move it before its perm. stuck there)
I find that if my paper is not square in the score board, it will tend to crack when I score it. Paper does have a grain so when you cut it try to cut along the grain lines, that is, square it up along the measurements from top to bottom.
Try folding it the other way (valley of the fold vs mountain of the fold) and see if that makes a difference.
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
The following 2 users liked this post by jeaniebean55:
If you are folding against the grain of the paper that could make a difference - it could be that they cut some in the opposite direction of the grain. Take two sheets, and fold one vertically and one horizontally - it will be easy to see which one folds easily and which one fights you. Then you'll know whether to use top or side folding cards with what you have.
Thanks for the ideas...I'm not sure I understand the grain of the paper thing though. I mean I know what it is but I don't see any difference in the paper or any grain...is this something I could see easily? I wish I hadn't put the Neenah and the Gina K together...it would be nice to know if it was one or the other of them. Either way I cant afford to waste them and only folding one way wont work either so I guess Ill deal with it and try some of the suggestions. Could a Teflon bone folder make a difference? hate the spend the money but if it helped I will.
Rnruns60, you can't see any grain only feel it by test folding the way Lydia described.Just bend it between your hands.
Another thing- creasing card to fold for a card base- the indented part of the crease should be on the outside when you fold, not the inside. I've been making cards for about 15 years now, and have never bothered to but a bone folder. I've always used an embossing stylus tool to score with. For flattening the card after folding, I have a triangular shaped plastic piece, that came from a set of tools for working with clay. I also know people who use the back of a teaspoon.
Stacys tip about the waxed paper is a good one- I have a small block of quilters beeswax on my table I rub the tool on, what also works is to rub it across your skin. The oils from your skin help the tool glide better.
A teflon bone will not keep your cards from cracking at the fold line. It prevents shine marks that sometimes occur when using plastic or other types of bone folders. I have one and don't use it to score with; I just use it to burnish the fold.
What are you using to score your folding line? I would venture a guess and say that you might not be scoring deep enough. Scoring breaks the fibers in the paper so that you can get a flat fold whether you're folding with the grain or not. The tool that comes with the MS scoring board is too thin IMHO to get a good score line. If you're using a stylus to score, make sure the tip isn't too fine. You're working with some heavy paper so what you're using to score with makes all the difference in the end.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Gina K told me to repeat back and forth, several times to avoid the cracking when scoring your paper. I had gotten the heavy cardstock from her and going back and forth more than once or twice really did help the look so that it did not crack.
I use a stylus rather than the tool that come with the score boards. I also flip it over and score the other side as well. Then I pick it up and start to fold, but I don't completely fold. I flip it the other way then. This flip flopping bends the fibers better, in my opinion. But definitely score on both sides with a stylus.
Thanks again will try those things. Glad to know I don't have to invest in another tool. I am using the tool that came with the MS scoreboard,not sure if its a good one or not or could be causing the problem.
I had a problem with Stampin Up paper cracking at the fold a few years ago. This occurred during the winter when the heat was on and it turned out that it was low humidity in the house causing the cracking.
I dont think you have to spend 25 dollars on a bone folder. They come in all sizes and prices..I paid 10 for mine at the LSS but you can find them at target, etc. They might call them paper creasers.
Here is a vid with ways to determine grain direction:
I have found that after you score, fold it 'up' first then back the proper way. Hard to explain. Let's say that the paper is yellow on one side and white on the other. Score on the yellow side (to have it as the outside color) and fold yellow to yellow first - then fold white to white. Well... that's clear as mud. I've found that this works for me and hope it helps you.
For the Gina K 120 lb, I find that if I score too hard, the cardstock cracks, if I have a lighter touch, it does not crack. So maybe you are pushing too hard?
The best way to score almost any card stock but especially the heavier weights is with the larger ball end of a stylus, like the one that comes with the Stampin' Up Scoreboard or that you can buy for just a few dollars. The MS scoring tool is only good for light weight cards, not thinner or thicker papers as it tends to cut the fibers. The trick is to not press too hard when you score the thick cards or when going against the grain, but using less pressure then repeat the score multiple times. This slowly bends the paper fibers without cracking them. Humidity does play a role, drier times means the fibers will crack more easily so be careful. Be sure your creased line is on the outside fold of the card, not inside. You've carefully stretched out the fibers so that they can go around that fold. I've found I can score and get perfect folds without cracking on any weight card stock, even heavy watercolor paper, if I carefully score repeatedly with a larger ball stylus.
I had the same problem with my paper on the m.s. Score board till I changed to a stylus with a ball end.It seemed like the tool they pack with it was too sharp and even cut the paper when I used it.Anna
I have the MS scoreboard, too. When I first started using it (with the included bone folder) I made the mistake of actually cutting right thru the card a couple of times when attempting to score. I now do the whole light-pressure, back-and-forth thing, and that works out very well - no tearing or cracking.
__________________
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar... (-Wordsworth)
I get cracking sometimes from different thicker white bases, Gina K, and now occasionally the SU! thick white. I score it and fold it the proper way, but I've taken to gently pushing along the fold from the inside while slowly folding it. That has seemed to be helpful.
I guess it's pretty dry here most of the time, I never thought of that as a possibility. Maybe that's why it doesn't always do it.
I've even had batches where I folded the "wrong" way because the right way was splitting so bad. Maybe had to do with the grain but when the grain is horizontal and I want vertical - well, I do vertical.
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
I have the MS score board too. I've never liked the tool that came with it. I used to be an SU demo so I have a couple of their bone folders, plus I have the ball tipped stylus they use to sell way back when. Any of these work better than the MS tool.
My advice to avoid the cracking is to score with less pressure, but do it two or three times.
The score indentation is the "valley", the backside would be the "mountain". Always fold after scoring with the "mountain" to the inside.
With the heavier paper, even after scoring, I fold slowly. Line up corners on one side and burnish that part of the fold. Then do the other corner. Then most of the middle and finally one last burnish all the way across. Hope this helps.
I always had the "cracking" problem with the GK 120# paper, even when I scored it the way Gina said to do it. Never have a problem with 110# Recollections paper. I always use the ball tipped stylus and crease with a bone folder to get a good sharp folded edge. It's Recollections for me.
I used to work for a company that supplied blank card stock to stamp stores. Once in a while Richard would accidentally cut the paper wrong by not paying attention to the GRAIN. He would try to be very careful because if the grain was wrong it would fray at the fold. Then he would have to salvage the paper by cutting quarter sheets.
Of course they would make more money on the card size rather than quarter sheets so they lost money.
I use the Score Pal and the plastic scoring tool that comes with it and haven't had a problem. I do score it two or three times and as was said above, I put the scored side to the outside of the card. The only time I've had a problem is when I make a card at our local stamp shop or at a convention and they don't provide a scoring tool. Must have!
It's funny how differently we each understand things. I never could connect with the mountain and valley analogy. What I remember is to place the outside of your card down on the scoreboard facing UP. So, when you score, you are looking at the outside of your card. Hope this helps someone!
Lightly spray a mist of water 12 inches above the card stock and quickly flit the center of your card through the mist. That helps the fibers to relax so that the score is more "gentle."
This thread came back up today and I read all the way through it to see that I commented back in 2016 what I wanted to say today, lol. Plus, since 2016, I have been using Recollections Heavyweight 110# card stock which is too thick for my printer but perfect for card bases. I score it on my Scor Pal and the card never ever cracks. Same for SU card. Only time I have a crack is when I am using Bazzill card and try to fold it on my own and I accidentally cut it wrong grain-wise. Re-reading this made me feel good that I use the Scor Pal board. Pretty much all my card stocks score okay with it.
I recently moved to a small town in Texas where there is no Michael's (after having lived in So. Cal where we had THREE) but I found that if I drive East for half an hour, there is a Hobby Lobby. They sell 110 lb. paper that I buy for card bases, and have no issues with cracking, and they also sell a "Very Heavy Weight" (no weight on the package) in a couple of colors. The VHW is too heavy to make a decent card, but again, still no cracking.
I also find that if I rub the paper before scoring with some Waxed Paper, there is even fewer incidents of cracking! I started doing this because it makes the stylus glide across the paper more smoothly.
The following 3 users liked this post by mmhanson:
I recently moved to a small town in Texas where there is no Michael's (after having lived in So. Cal where we had THREE) but I found that if I drive East for half an hour, there is a Hobby Lobby. They sell 110 lb. paper that I buy for card bases, and have no issues with cracking, and they also sell a "Very Heavy Weight" (no weight on the package) in a couple of colors. The VHW is too heavy to make a decent card, but again, still no cracking.
I also find that if I rub the paper before scoring with some Waxed Paper, there is even fewer incidents of cracking! I started doing this because it makes the stylus glide across the paper more smoothly.
why does my paper crack at the top fold?
