Die cut edges
 

I often get little “hairy” threads of paper on the edges of my die cuts. Is there a way to easily remove them?

I usually use a brush - a stiffish paint brush or an old toothbrush would probably both do the trick. I sort of swipe the brush at right angles to the edge, if you see what I mean.

HTH!

I’ll give it a try. Thank you very much.

I should have said - brush off the edge rather than towards it (so start with the brush on the die cut shape and sweep off the edge) less chance of bending any bits that way.

I use a hand held sandpaper block (Tim Holtz sells one) which I buy at a hardware store, big box hardware store, or a paint store. Under $2 as I remember. I just cut 84 pieces of red cardstock with a stitch design for inside and outside 42 cards. The only way I had was to use my sandpaper block. Joanne is correct for sure about the direction in which you brush!

Good tip about direction to brush. Thank you. And I have a sanding block/buffer for fingernails. I’ll try that too. This was my first question on here and I’m so impressed with with the response from this community.

I use a very stiff toothbrush I got off Amazon. It's labled "Not for teeth" as it is VERY stiff. I turn the die over while the paper is still in it, and brush over it. Helps with the release of the die cut as well. If the paper die cut is already out, turn it over, and carefully hold it down with your fingers, and brush it off. Don't try to do the whole die cut at once, but small areas at a time or you risk bending it. I like the tooth brush way better than some of the "rolling brush, mat sets" you can buy to removing die cut little pieces. Good luck!

I just run my fingernail around the edge. :)

I use the rubber square that removes glue; comes off very easily. I'm going to try the paintbrush recommendations, altho I think I'm going to use a stiff short hair brush.

I have found that I have this problem more when :


I run what I'm making thru my machine more than once


and/or I need new plates





... just something to keep in mind

I have the problem and I use my dies with the cutting side against a metal plate, so I don't think it's a plate issue... I think it's just the way the dies cut by pressure of the 'blade' against a surface, and the blade takes up that hair's width of space.

Some times I use a lint roller over it. The kind that has sticky paper and you peel it off to get new sticky paper....hope that makes sense.

Is this one of those things that hasn’t happened to my die cuts but after reading about it it will? Like when my husband asked if I bent my foot like “this” did it cause a foot cramp, and it never had, but my foot heard him and after that it did?!

Maybe? You mean you've never has those annoying "paper hairs" on die cut pieces? Lucky you.

Reminds me if the lady who goes to the doctor and says doctor doctor it hurts when I do this. And the doctor says then don't do that!

I kept thinking about it and maybe it did occasionally with the Cuttlebug but not the Gemini Junior? Or maybe it does and I’m day dreaming about what to glue/adhere/blend/stamp next and am on auto-pilot when I brush them off? :-?

I’ll pay more attention.

I like to do small scale creations- doll house miniatures, scale models, etc... This is a tip from the scale modelers. Get some clean nail files. Cut them down to small sizes. Scale Model artists use these to file down parts for their models.

The little files knock those little hair right off our die cuts like butter. I don't really go through the hair nightmare with my manual die cuts but it happens all the time on my die cuts from my Cricut, ScannCut.

I lurk at modeling scale forum that a couple of the guys wives are stampers. Their husbands are always stealing their tools. I am thinking "Hmmm, I bet those ladies are over at SCS!" :) Go dig in your husbands toolbox and steal some of those modified nail files, lol.

I use a tooth brush, too. A quick brush around the edges and they’re gone.

Before I reach for an emery board or a sanding block, I run the edge of the card stock across the leg of my jeans. Most frequently that works well and it seems I'm always wearing jeans these days.

I use a sticky pad! It’s gentle enough for delicate dies too

are you talking about hairs stuck on the paper or hairs stuck on the die edges??

Paper. Die cuts = paper that’s been cut by the die. :)

If it's just loose stuff I brush it off, if attached or rough for some other reason I use a nail buffer board.

I hate those rough edges and I have always just used the scissors to trim them off

I use the emery block/nail buffer that I got from Sally’s Beauty Supply. They cone in different degrees of coarseness. It was recommended by The Cow Whisperer and by Connie Stewart. Before seeing those videos I was using the soft side of an emery board.

Dina, I never heard of using the metal plate against the cutting side of a die - does it eventually dull the die edges? Do you have to replace the metal plate every now and then?

I use a long nosed bead reamer. This will fit into those intricate openings of the die cut. Here's a link to look at

Bead Landing™ Bead Reamer Tool

Me too!

I thought maybe it happened when paper sat around for awhile, I don't notice it as much on new paper. I just use painters tape and dab it off like lint.

Ooooh, I love this idea. Thank you for sharing.

I also use a very fine grit sandpaper & just swipe the die cuts over it...works well! Mostly it's Spellbinder dies that create this issue for me....

I don't think it's the dies, but the papers used. Some of the papers are more fibrous than others and this causes the feathering. The bead reamer is for getting into the intricate spaces.

I wrap a fine grade piece of sand paper around a small piece of firm foam and secure with 2 straight pins. Never had to replace the sandpaper yet and have been using it for years. Great for manual die cuts or punch-out die cuts.

I have been using an awl but that looks better and not expensive :D