Could my cutting mats make my blades dull? I have a blue June Tailor and a green Olfa. It doesn't seem to matter which one I use. I have to make 3 passes to cut even with a new blade.

what kind of blades are you using? Also make sure you didnt put 2 blades in by mistake. This happened to me once

If your mats are very used, especially in one spot, that tends to dull blades.

The surface under your mats has a big impact too.

Mats have only been used on 2 projects. I have an Olfa and a Fiskar with the big blade. I only have 1 blade in each. Its a puzzle. My mats are on my granite counter top.

I find that if I cut with the blade at an angle it doesn't cut as well. It needs to the pretty straight up.
Sue

Where did you buy your Olfa mat?

Does it need to be cleaned?

Jan in VA

Olfa came from JoAnns. I do not know how to clean other than with a damp cloth. Is there a better way?

Check to make sure that your blades are correctly installed in your cutter and that when you cut, your cutter is really perpendicular to your mat and not slanted. the fact that it is happening on both mats makes me wonderit the problem is with your blades or cutting method.

You can lay them in the bath in warm water and a little gentle detergent then scrub gently with a soft brush. Dry flat on a towel. I can't imagine why your blades aren't working if they're a quality brand and little used. A new blade should cut through several layers of fabric no trouble. I do a lot of stack n whack and cut 8 layers easily. Check the blade is in right and that you are holding it as vertically as possible. Granite is a hard surface - my mats are on a wooden table, but I can't imagine that the surface would dull the blades through a mat that quickly. :shock: Sorry, not much help am I? :roll: :-D

if your mat is a self healing one you can soak them in the bath tub and use something soft like a mushroom brush. Self healing boards love water. I have a shower, no room to soak in tub. I instead put a towel underneath my mat and using the brush and squirt of detergent put it all over my mat. Let it sit for about 20 min, then did the same thing with clean water. Left it laid out to dry, then used cutting mat sander and believe you me, Mat is beautiful, just like new and rotary cutter is working great!!

I think that sometimes we just get a bad batch of blades. I thought the same thing when I was having trouble. I would not even be able to cut fabric for 1/2 of my project before I started having trouble. I continuously had to switch blades. The one I have been using now has lasted forever.

I appreciate all of these answers. Never heard of a mushroom brush (?). My new Fiskar was skipping 3-4 times each pass through the fabric the very first time I used it. I am not slanting the blade. I have tried new blades and am careful to put everything back together properly. It a darn mystery. I looked at the June Tailor mat closely and there are cut marks in the pad. I have hardly used it. JT mats are plastic and not self healing. It is the blue one. Maybe I just need to invest in a new bigger self healing Olfa mat and ditch the JT one. I have decided that it must be the JT mat that is dulling my blades with those scratches in the hard plastic. I think they affect the blade the same as if I had tried to cut over a pin (which I have never done.)

mushroom brushes are used to clean mushrooms. Similar to those brushes for dishes (round and you can put soap into the top of them). I have one of those which I use