I just came across an article that stated that you should Oil your rotary blades. Something I have never done. I have noticed that they are oily when I replace for a new one. What are they talking about, and do you use machine oil?
Thanks
Barb in Wi where the sun is shining, temp around 30 (heat wave for us) and we are all waiting for the snow to hit come this weekend. Right now mostly all our grass is showing, as snowfall this winter has been only 8 inchs. Wonderful for us summer gals

wow...I've never oiled mine either! Something I've never even thought about! Hope somebody that knows posts about it!

I'm hoping this weather misses us again.....every time they have predicted snow for us (NW WI) so far they've only been right once!! It has gone south of us every time! And up til now that upset me as I enjoy winters but now that I got a taste of spring the last few days, I don't want it anymore!!! LOL

well I've never thought about that either but come to think of it, things that move need to be oiled (most things) like bobbins and such so I guess with all that lint it probably would make it roll smoother if we oiled them once in a while with a light oil like machine oil just be sure to wipe it off carefully before you use it again.

hmmmm ... i had a cutter i hadn't used for a looooooong time and noticed the blade had little rust spots. i'll bet the oil prevents that, too.
i vote for either machine oil or a light spritz of the ever-popular WD-40
carefully wiped, of course, as kathy says

Before giving the heave-ho to the blade, try taking apart the rotary cutter and carefully flipping the blade to reverse it. Oil the blade with a small drop of sewing machine oil, and after re-assembling the cutter roll it through some scrap fabric to clean it. I've extended the life of a few blades this way. Of course, if the blade's badly knicked it may need replacing... :roll: But worth a try!

I am in agreement with oiling the Rotary Cutter blades. Why? When I sliced 2 fingers trying to remove the blade from the cutter, I found that spraying WD40 on it make it loosen and come off easily. (thanks to someone who sent me that tip.) Now, when I notice a lot of lint and gunk on my blade, I take the assembly apart and wipe the blade to remover the lint that seens to collect at the post. This also inhibits the movement of the blade. Spray that blade and keep it rolling.

No more cut fingers from struggling to get that blade off the post. And while we are talking about blades, here is a good place to stock up on new ones.

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

Having 10 blades on hand is a real Treat...or should I say, Luxury

And why would you throw those blades away? They can be recycled just like a lot of other things. See above link.

I save my old blades to use for cutting paper...I have an older cutter for this purpose.

June, thanks for the website for the new blades. I'm going to gather up all of mine and send them in. I go thru alot of blades and it seems like they get more expensive every time I go to the store to get one.

Has anyone tried using the blade sharpener on their blades? I've been wanting to purchase one but not sure how well they would work.

Tricia

i use them. the sharpened edges don't last as long as the first edge does but it only takes a few minutes each time and i'm pretty sure the sharpeners have paid for themselves already. (the price will scare the beejeebers out of you unless you remind yourself how expensive the new blades are. LOL)

you do eventually get to a point at which you just can't get back a sharp enough edge to cut anything but paper. which is why i'm so glad June found the recycle place.
i find that by the time it needs sharpening, the blade and holder both need cleaning so it all gets done at once.

they're like most of the gizmos we can get. some of us love 'em. some will give you 72 reasons to avoid them like the plague. i plan to sharpen my blades myself several times before sending them to the recycle site to get new ones.

Thanks, Patrice,
Yea, the price has kind of kept me from buying one, so just keep buying blades. But I guess I should just break down and get one anyway and do like you-sharpen and then recycle. It would probably be worth it. I've got a gazillion blades laying around!!!!! I always feel like its such a waste, but I'm so glad I didn't throw any out.