In the most basic of definitions, blade offset is the distance from the tip of the blade to the center of its shaft. It’s also a measurement of the blade’s effective cutting width. The blade offset value is used in calculating the distance the blade must travel past a corner in order for the tip of the blade to reach the same point when its direction changes. This is most visible when cutting squares. If blade offset is set too low, corners will be rounded. If blade offset is set too high, your corners will bulge outwards. For most applications, there is sufficient …
SCAL Surprise
A couple of days ago, I purchased Sure Cuts a Lot to learn how to use it and better support other KNK Force users. After a bit of procrastination, I finally installed it. My first task was to setup a 15×15 custom mat preset. My next few mouse clicks would reveal a nice surprise. No spoilers, just watch the video! If you’re not already a Sure Cuts a Lot owner, purchasing it through this link puts a little change in the CutterPunk tip jar at no cost to you. Thanks and happy cutting!
Coloring Page To Cut File
A user in the KNK Force Facebook group had uploaded a jpg of a coloring page and wondered how to turn it into something that would cut correctly on their machine. I recorded a screencast of one way of doing that using Make the Cut. Rather than getting too fussy with details, I tried to keep it simple and straightforward. We’ll do a basic pixel trace, create a couple of shadow layers, and do some minimal tweaks to get a decent two-layer SVG cut file.
Embossing Folder Addiction
Hi, I’m Darrel and I’m addicted to embossing folders. Since obtaining a We R Memory Keepers Evolution Advanced, I’ve been nurturing my growing addition to embossing folders. This all began at Crop To It, when Melissa Platt, my crafty soul sister, showed me how to use her Cuttlebug and then pulled out several binders of folders. I was instantly hooked! Ken and George of Crafts By Two told me they have over 1,000 embossing folders and setup an AirTable database to manage them. After buying my first duplicate, I decided to do the same. Now, I can scan a bar code on …
New Goodies from Ranger Finally On Shelves!
For us crafty folks, Valentine’s Day really happens in March when all the new products and collections we hear about at CHA finally make their way to store shelves. It’s a very exciting time of year and no coincidence that March also happens to be National Craft Month. During the recent CHA Mega Show, I was glued to Periscope to see all the awesomeness through the eyes of attendees. The greatest part wasn’t just finding out about new products, but seeing them demonstrated by the designers themselves. Ranger Ink The Ranger booth was constantly mobbed and for good reason. They have …
Engraving with the KNK Force – Cutting Depth
Today, we’re going to explore the wonderful world of engraving aluminum stamping blanks with the KNK Force. Aluminum is a very soft metal, so this is more of a test of engraving settings rather than the Force’s ability to engrave. Supplies – KNK Force – KNK Force Engraving Tool – RMP Stamping Blanks, 1″ Round with Hole, Aluminum .040″ (18 Ga.) – Scotch Double Sided Tape, 1/2 x 250 Inches, 3-Pack Caddy (3136) – Scotch Sure Start Shipping Packaging Tape, 2 Inches x 800 Inches (145) Method I used Make the Cut to create the SVG file used in testing. Each aluminum blank has been cut using slightly different settings …
Painless Photo Transfers
There have been hundreds of articles posted across many years about how to transfer photos to wood and other surface substrates. It’s a somewhat time consuming, labor intensive process, particularly when it comes time to rub the paper off. Even when using thin copier paper, it takes me around 40 minutes of rubbing to get all the paper fibers removed. Attempting anything larger than 8.5×11 would be torturous. I decided to do some experimentation and discovered (maybe?) a new method that cuts the drying time to about 2.5 hours and makes removal of the paper a breeze. What is this miracle solution to all …
Matboard Cut with the KNK Force
Inspired by Marianne’s comments on my previous post, I set out to find whether or not the KNK Force can cut photo matboard. Well, guess what? It can! Check out the video below to see the awesomeness! Just so we’re clear with what we’re working with, here’s the product label: My caliper measures the material at 1.3mm in thickness. Here are some photos of the finished products. I didn’t file or sand the edges, beyond rubbing my finger on them to get some paper dust off. It does shed a bit while cutting. In my testing, I used the fabric, …
Embossing Aluminum on the KNK Force
The KNK Force can exert a maximum pressure of 8.8lbs (the Silhouette Cameo only does 210 grams), so it can easily handle embossing a fleur-de-lis on 36gauge aluminum. Here’s a link to the original file and the rhinestone converted image I generated in Make the Cut so you can try at home! Materials Used KNK Embossing Tool Shelf Liner: Contact Luxury Shelf Liner or Duck Brand Smooth Top 36ga Aluminum: http://amzn.to/1PEezRg note: you can also buy this locally at Dick Blick/Utrecht Settings Passes: 1 Cutting Depth: 130 Cutting Speed: 40 Up Speed: 40 Down Speed: 40 Lift Speed: 20