I am not sure if I have asked this in the past or if there is another topic on this. So if I am repeating I'm sorry.
How often do you change your rotary blades? I know right know we have a topic going about where to buy them. Maybe I should have asked this question there.

I change mine whenever it gets a nick or otherwise no longer cuts well.

Only when I have to and then wonder why I waited so long.

I agree, when I notice it not cutting well it's time to replace it, I don't think you can give a time frame, it just depends how much cutting you have done.

Yep...only when I have to, I am such a cheapskate sometimes!

when needed.

When I remember where I put them.

When I have to press harder with each cut. I then flip the blade and add a drop of oil to it. This seems to bring life back to it for awhile longer. I can do this when I don't drop an open cutter onto the ceramic tile floor..... :thumbdown:

I'm right along with everyone else. I change blades when I no longer get a good cut.

When I have to go over the fabric more then once :wink:

not often enough, when I realize I'm really pressing to go thru 4 layers or if it skips. and ALWAYS when I change I saw WOW! that's so nice. You know the "professionals" say to change needles and rotary cutter blades at the beginning of each new project. that would be nice but us regular folks don't have sponsors to furnish them!

I cut alot of fabric and have found that I change mine every other day.
If I wait longer then it gives me fits!

Have any of you used the sharpeners that are out there for the blades? Do they work?

I keep useing mine untill it doesn't cut well if there are a lot of missed threads say I will replace it or just turn it around. use that side for a while then change to a new blade.
It all depend on how often you use your cutter and how many differnt ones you have.

when my table knives are sharper than my rotary blades :?

Most of my quilts are lap size and I change blades about every other quilt. I do keep the old ones and resharpen them to use for fleece, trimming and other craft projects.

I have not gotten the sharpener and wonder too if that works well or not?

I change mine when it starts skipping and I get frustrated.

I resharpen mine but they don't get a really good edge on them. I see a new style in Nancy's Notions that you don't evern need to take the blade out of the handle to sharpen. Has anyone tried it out?

I have one of those sharpeners. It helps some but it it never as sharp as a new blade. I think I gave around $32.00 for it.

I have a sharpener. It works okay once, but I found it doesn't bring them back to original sharpness. Replacing is the best thing.

Not often enough!

I use titanium blades and they last a very long time.

I have a sharpener for my blades and try to sharpen them a couple times. When they no longer cut well through several layers of fabric I change it. There is no set time, I hate when it starts skipping and doesn't give me a nice cut.

I replace mine when it is "skipping" and I need to go over it more than once. Of course, when you run over a pin that is hiding on your cutting board ( :thumbdown: :thumbdown: ) that does not help.

I did purchase one of those sharpeners at JoAnns - the small rotary one - in hopes of when I AM a dummy and manage to run over a pin I could reclaim the blade a bit. It doesn not work badly but never as well as a new blade.

I just bought a stack of new blades from

http://jhittlesewing.funoverload.com...new_items.html

They work great and a lot less expensive than retail. I will change them more frequently now!!

I agree. I always try changing the blade over to the other side. That seems to work for a small amount of time. Have never tried adding a drop of oil, but, will the next time.

I'm glad to hear that they last for a very long time. I have a titanium replacement in my knee and 3 titanium anchors in my shoulder and want them to last the rest of my life. :thumbup: :lol: :lol: :lol:

In a class I took last year, I learned a tip about making the blades less likely to develop nicks. After making a cut, I (and many other folks too) use the rotary cutter with blade exposed to push or slide the just cut piece away from the ruler. By sliding the blade along the surface of the cutting mat, this apparently causes the blade to nick. The class instructor advised that we never use the cutter to push a piece of fabric. Hope this makes sense. As far as changing blades, I usually wait until it's just not cutting smoothly or I end up with a spot or two where the blad did not cut thru both (or all) layers of the fabric.

The sharpener I had didn't seem to work real well.

I purchased a sharpener for the rotary blades and I cant say that I am too pleased with it. Either I am not using it right or the darn thing is no good. There are two kind. Mine is a twelve inch channel with emory or some such material in between two channels....My friend had a circular one that she likes.

When I put in a new blade and then run over a pin and nick it. Oh yes, I have done this. I save the old blades and put them into an old cutter and use on paper.
Seriously, when I can't cut through 4 layers comfortably, that is when I replace. I've noticed since I now use the Martelli Ergo, I do not replace blades nearly as often, I think it has to do with the angle I use when cutting. With the straight cutters, I always seem to catch the blade on the ruler edge. I know I am weird. grin

LOL....I do the same thing!!!!

I resharpen mine too. I usually change them when start skipping. I seem to go thru quickly with paperpiecing, it dulls them a little quicker. When I purchase them it is usually when they are 40 or 50% off. But am so happy and Thanks you to the person that recommended the carpet Rotary blades. Mine came yesterday and they fit the Olfa Wonderfully.
Judy

Two things that are hard on rotary cutters, paper and polyester fleece and other synthetics. I try to remember to replace the blade if I have been cutting fleece. I use fleece for some of my quilt backings and find when I cut the cotton it makes a mess; skips, rolls the fabric along. Change often in that case.

When my blade becomes dull I sharpen it with a rotary sharpener. Love my sharpener. I have not purchased blades in at least 4 years, in fact it's probably longer then that since I am still using the ones that came with the cutter. I do a lot of cutting of batting and trimming quilts and have cut maybe 6 full to queen size tops out. The trick to using the sharpener is to always turn the sharpener clockwise as I'm sharpening the blade. (Trick my father always used when sharpening his knives, axes, etc.)

The little blue sharpener I bought did not work very well. My son even sharpened a few blades for me, then said this thing is a waste of money. Now I go to Harbpr Freight Tools and buy 100 in a box for 15.00. They are called "carpet cutter" replacement blades and fit my 45mm rotary cutter. (They do not fit the 65mm). Now I change blades more often and end up with less frustration over skips!

When my blade starts getting dull, I turn it over and add a drop of oil. A tip I read on this board. Also I clean the built up of lint brushed out. I had a sharpner and was not pleased with it. Even had DH sharpen the blades and was still not please. Has anyone ever set them out to be sharpen? I used to see ads for that service it the quilting mags.

Just watch Harbor Freight for quality. My husband used to buy a lot of his tools, etc. from them and found sometimes they weren't first quality. He got a bunch of screws and half of them weren't usable do to bad threading. I guess you get what you pay for.

My husband use to purchase tools from them too and the 2 he bought were sub-standard. However, these blades are not actually made by them, they just sell them. They can also be purchased at a local hardware store here in our town. Same blades. I have never had any trouble with them at all and I am about half way through the box!

I ordered one from Nancy's Notions and I haven't had any luck sharpening blades.