Ratchet Blade Problem

I appear to have wrecked 2 ratchet blades when getting rid of collected debris. After re-assembling I am unable to adjust the blade depth, no matter what I do I cannot release it to adjust. Obviously I've done something wrong when exposing the blade but I've no idea what. These blades are not cheap and I'm reluctant to replace them when I believe the blades themselves to be undamaged. Has anyone else had this problem or am I the only ham fisted one? Be grateful for any suggestions to help solve my problem.
Shirley

Hi Shirley. Sorry to hear your blade woes, I did a bit of a search and if you go to the Finding Time to Create blog Kelly Wayment addresses cleaning and adjusting the blades in a post from January 28th 2017. I can't put a link to it but it is under the heading "How to Adjust and Clean Silhouette Blades" and there is a little video where she shows you. It might not be what you are looking for, but it might just help you to see what you have done wrong.

Andi

Thank you Andi, I'll take a look.
Shirley

Hi Andi, I looked at the site you suggested but I appear to have been doing things correctly however I must have put too much pressure on at some point which pushed the two sections together somehow. I asked my local handyman to have a look at them for me and he managed to release them so that they now rotate ok but I haven't checked whether or not the blades have been damaged yet. I have new ones on order but hope to salvage the ones I have as this is becoming a very expensive hobby, been putting off the moment when I find out but today's the day!
Shirley

Hope your blade trial went well Shirley. Glad I was able to be of some help even if only to confirm that you hadn't done anything wrong! You're right that this is an expensive hobby. I promised myself a while ago that I wouldn't buy anything new unless I really needed it, and I would make use of the room full of things that I already have (sound familiar?), some of which I had totally forgotten I had. I've done reasonably well with it but I still have enough to last me the rest of my crafting days. I'm now into making felt figures and animals for a Christmas project. It makes a change from card and paper.

Andi

I've only tried one of the blades so far. Did it go well? Yes and no. The blade will cut but only paper and only if I set it to 10!! I guess that with all the shenanigans it's no longer sync'd and I've no idea what to do about it. Frustrating!
As for not buying more crafting goodies I've finally managed to reduce my spend this year but I still succumbed to the Foil Quill. In fact I have enough stuff to start a shop, the problem is that I am (or was) both a shopaholic and a hoarder so crafting is one of the worst hobbies. My spend over 10 years averaged about £1,000 a year. I try to console my guilty conscience by reminding myself that I no longer go on holiday and I don't drink or smoke. My dog, crafting and eating out with friends are my only indulgencies. I used to be a clothes-a-holic but old age and life style put paid to that. if only I could stir myself to sell all my surpluses I could raise funds and clear space but whenever I think about it I'm filled with inertia. Manana prevails.
Shirley

Ha, you could be writing my biography Shirley! We could start that shop together:lol: and I bought the foil quill too but had already bought the Foilpress because I didn't know about the quill at that point... and now I am thinking about getting the Freestyle foil pens so I don't always have to have a machine taking up room on my craft table.. what am I like? I am in a bit of a bind because I have the magnetic foiling mat but I only have the Cameo2 so the headspace under the rollers and the cutting head is insufficient to clear the mat when I am foiling. The trouble is I'm not sure I really want a Cam4 even though I have grouched for years that the cutting pressure on the Cam2 (and the earlier machines) is too weak; I think the 4 has too many compromises in what it has done away with to give that extra pressure, plus it goes way beyond what a lot of home crafters need. Two motors is a bit of an issue for me too: that's two motors to go wrong, or what to do if just one goes wrong because that effectively puts the machine out of use... I know how timid I was when I got my little Craft Robo back in 2005 and that almost seems as innocent as a pair of scissors compared to the new machines out there. I bet this site will be red hot just after Christmas as those crafters who have never owned a cutting machine before try to work out what to do with their beasts. If I get a new one it will be a 3 I think, I said I didn't need it because I have a Curio but I think I misjudged things a bit. Trouble is my Cam2 is still like new and works so well, it is a shame to pension it off. Anyway, I'm rambling on. Hope you get all your blades sorted.

Andi.

I can relate to both you and Shirley Andi re craft accumulation. I still have my original Cameo so wont be buying the new machine. I haven't used my Curio for over year. I bought the machine shown regularly on C&C (wont mention the name. It was for the newer version of that machine) and I bought the Foil Quill to use with it without knowing it wasn't for that other machine I have because it wouldn't go under the rollers with the magnetic tape supplied so I bought a pack of 0.4mm black magnetic sheet's for storing dies and cut one into strips and I can use the FQ now/. I bought the Freestyle Foil Pen but returned because I didn't like it as much as I like the FQ maybe one of those magnetic sheets would work with your FQ on your Cameo

Andi I am surprised that the magnetic mat will not go under the Cameo 2. I thought it was just the original Cameo.

I am the same as you, Shirley and Doreen with way too much crafting stuff. They keep bringing out so called new or better craft gadgets I believe I need. This year in the January sales in a moment of madness I bought the same machine Doreen mention because it came with the embossing kit at a great price and on 4 flexi payments. I also added the matching foiling kit. I should have sent it back especially as a few months later along comes the Foil Quill which I do love. The said machine does not cut any better than my Cameo 3 and I have yet to get my head around to using it. A project for a 'roundtuit' when I have loads of time.

I have so much when I try and tidy up and do find something I could not find months before. But by then don't need it. Missing at the moment are cut down magnetic strips like Doreen made. I wanted them as extras to hold the foil down and to use with the 'other' machine.

Neries, I wasn't aware that the mat wouldn't work with my Cam2 until I went to use it.. I think it is more the magnetic strips which hold the foil in place that cause the problem, they are just too thick to go under and, to be honest, some of the sites selling them did include the Cam2 as compatible which was a bit naughty. I had a look on Silhouette school blog and found this: >Please Note: Unfortunately due to the thickness of the mat and magnets and lower clearance of the Silhouette CAMEO 1 and 2 the Foil Quill Magnetic Mat will not work with the other CAMEO machines.< I haven't tried using just the metal mat and sticking the foil down with washi to see if it will go under without the magnetic strips but there again I'm not sure if it isn't just as easy to use a normal mat with the foil and washi, although the metal mat may give a better foiled design as it will be firmer. Hmm, decisions decisions:blink: With winter just around the corner I shall have a bit more time to go into all this. I have another cutting machine - sounds like puzzles - but it's all boxed up and I haven't even looked to see if it is compatible with the FQ or the mat... more to check out this winter. Sometimes it is really tough being a crafter, I have felt figures and animals to make for a Christmas project so paper and card is on the back burner (oh dear, call the fire brigade!).

Andi

Andi I have read online that cut down magnetic sheets will go under the Cameo and Cameo 2. The one I cut down is 0.73mm. The magnetic strips with the mat 1.48mm, double the thickness. Even with my Cameo 3 and the WRMK magnets I can't have the magnetic strips less than 1in away from the side of the mat on the left. The little black rollers got in the way and sent the cutting mat went skewiff. I was watching so stopped and no damage done.

I don't use washi tape as I found when removing it can take off the top surface of my card. Even with the magnetic mat I use Scotch low tack tape to tape my card down first.

Been too busy with a month of voluntary work to come on here but now normal life can resume until my next stint in January. Very happy to report that one of my 2 locked blades is now working normally (doesn't have to be on 10 in order to cut). Not sure how it happened but very pleased and worth paying my handyman. Haven't tried the second one yet but am assuming that it too will be ok.

Given that some of the above posts are about the FQ I'd like to ask a question. Has anyone done any cutting with the magnetic mat? I know it will invalidate the guarantee but it's out of date anyway and life would be so much easier if I could foil and cut without having to reload. 'M' on S.S.B. cuts on hers but admits that it does mark the surface which could of course cause foiling problems in the future. I've wasted quite a lot of time, energy and materials when needing very specific placing by having to remove the project from the mat and reload, somehow it's often fractions of a mm out.
Shirley

Shirley I have not tried cutting on my magnetic mat. I did read on a Facebook group that it blunts the blade and another said she stuck the magnetic mat to the underside of the cutting mat, but I am not brave enough to try it.

I have a different cutting machine (you know the one Margaret) that I use a magnetic mat on (not the WRMK one) but I wouldn't cut on it because I think it might blunt the blade too. I have it permanently stuck to an old mat

I bought the FQ and used it on a normal mat with with the Cameo 1 with everything stuck down with wash tape. Worked a treat. Have since bought the magnetic mat but not used it yet on the 3.