Is there a way to rejuvenate an Olfa self-healing rotary cutting mat instead
of having to buy a new one?

Tami

One project, I let my rotary blade get dull and had material fuzz in my beautiful mat. I remembered that duct tape will fix almost anything.

I slightly bent the mat as I used strips of duct tape to lift out the fuzz, by pressing with my finger right along the 'cut marks' from the top the tape. I peeled the tape off (like removing lint off clothing) and after about 20 minutes of work, it looked almost brand new all over. It can't heal itself if there is something stuck in the blade marks. Packing tape works well too. Hope this helps.

Once again, we need to write to the manufacturer of products we use, when they don't live up to our expectations.

Fiskars sent me infomation on the same subject. Rolling the mat was one of the things they suggested. You can use an assortment of brushes, and nylon net scrubbers. Best of all, they said the mat is reversible, so you get twice as much cutting surface for your money. They are not cheap.

1gem said she let her blade get dull, and dull blades mean we push harder to get the fabric cut, and put more cuts into the mat. Blades can be bought on line at a much lower price. . One place does a replacement at a fair price. It is:

http://www.houseofhanson.com/lpsharp.html

I have purchased blades here and am ready for a 2nd round of blades. What they sent were NOT resharpened blades, but packaged OLFA blades, brand new.

I keep 3 cutters handy so when one starts skipping, I have a new blade in another cutter ready to "roll."

I have been informed that the green Olfa mats are best because they do not dull your blade. Has any one else heard this? I do seem to have trouble with rotary cutter blades dulling frequently.

The first mat I bought was one of the whiteplastic appearing ones and I was of the opinon that it was hard on the blades. Perhaps we should also consider that we are cutting layers of fabric, and the fabrics can vary in texture and even quality. I htink most mats are made of a self-healing product, and if we were able to find out what it is, we might find they all use the same materials. For some people, the measure of quality is tied to the price of the item. That is not always true.

The amount of cutting, thickness of layers of fabrics, blends (with polyester) could all play a role in dulling the blade. After all, it is a fine, thin blade. (compared to a razor blade and a course beard, I would think the rotary cutter blade gets lots of usage and does a good job.) When I made boutique items I used my serger to sew nylon swim suit cover-ups. The nylon lace would quickly dull the surface of the knife in my serger. I believe there are many factors involved in deciding what dulls the blades, and for me, I like a sharp blade. I now have 3 cutters, I use one after the other until they are all dull, then I get out the WD40 and spray the posts, remove the dull blades and put in new ones. I am happy with my system and after one severe injury, I know that oiling that post is important. There is no need to struggle with removing the blades.

I just got thru washing my 7 year old Olfa mat. I followed their instruction. Use warm water, 1/4 cup white vinegar and a squirt or 2 of mild dishwashing liquid. Used a soft brush (they suggested a mushroom brush) and then lay flat, out of the sun, to dry. It looks cleaner and brighter! The water is supposed to add moisture to it also. I hope it helps...it was getting knicked up and dry. I love Olfa.
sandy

I had read that self healing mats, (Olfa) love water, some folks here have been soaking them in a tub. I put mine on my table and put a wet bath towel on top and let it soak and did it again. It looks great. I also have a mat disc that I go over the board, which I did after this wetting session and it is like new.