Vol-046-4 Die Cutting Techniques PcT Tutorial (Intro)
Video #248: “Cindy, do you have the Sizzix BIGkick Machine (Vintaj Special Edition)?” ~Cheryl-H
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** This post is an introduction to one of our paid tutorials.
In last week’s Combing Technique Video, I showed some examples of jewelry components made from die cut polymer clay. This week, I will demonstrate how to make these unique shapes for your own jewelry making projects.
“What were those “die” cuts and how do you go about finding shapes to do them?” ~Teresa-D
“Please tell us what you used to cut your clay out with Cindy, to create such intricate designs.” ~DixieAnn-S
“Hmmmm, I too have been wondering about die-cutting for quite some time. I’ve never been able to find a tute for it.” ~Lesley-S
Die cutting machines have been around for quite a while… mostly used by scrapbookers to cut paper, cardstock, chipboard, felt, fabric, metal foil, leather, and plastic… for their scrapbook and card making projects.
These versatile tools can also be used to emboss thicker materials. Vintaj has even come up with dies and folders that will work with up to 24 gauge metal.
As with most mixed media tools and techniques, polymer clay is perfectly suited to work itself into the picture. So naturally, with all that die cutting brings to the table for the mixed media jewelry artist, I could no longer resist the urge to purchase a die cutter, dies and embossing folders for my studio. This means, of course, once I started playing with my new toy, I just had to show you all how to use it!
“Looking forward to it since I just purchased Vintaj BigKicks Machine.” ~Lupe-M
“I’m extremely interested in learning to use my die cutters with polymer clay!” ~Lisa-W
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Well done Cindy. You always have lots of ideas for other ways to get these effects for those who don’t have the exact tool. You hit a lot of craft idea home runs!
Monique U
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I like that you are innovative and forward-thinking because you help me see things in a different light. Growing is always a good thing and you definitely help me to grow in my polyclay endeavors. Now that I've watched this tute, I've told all my children I want a die-cutter for Christmas.
Angela M
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I am very impressed with your site, I enjoy each lesson so much it inspires me on to creative play. I did not think die cutting would interest me... until I watched this video. Now I'm getting a die cutting machine, lol. I'm enjoying this so much. Thanks Cindy. Keep up the good work.
Patty J
Transcript coming soon...
Transcript coming soon...
Our goal is to translate these videos into as many languages as possible. If you are interested in helping with this initiative, then please do contact us and we will figure out a way to make it worth your while :)
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Hi Patty…the machine is called the Evolution Advanced and there are several videos on YouTube showing it. It has some great features including the option to add a motor to it instead of hand cranking. You can do either one. Personally if I was going to get a motor for something I would get one for the pasta roller..that can get hard t o crank sometimes..ha. I have watched videos on a lot of the die cutting machines and all those mats are confusing so I like the idea of just adjusting the dial and using the same limited amount of mats that go with the Evolution. I would love to get Cindy’s opinion on it since she has experience with several machines. The machine is really not priced too expensively. The actual maichine is around $80 so if a person already had some dies it wouldn’t be too bad. I have never had one before so I would need to invest in all the dies too. I really would like to experiment with cutting clay but also the earring display cards that Cindy makes with a die cutter are awesome. She did a great tutorial on that and it hooked me to wanting a machine but that was the only thing I would use it for so talked myself down from my excitement and then saw where you could cut polymer clay with it too and now my excitement is back and I want to run out and spend hundreds of dollars on a machine and dies..lol. I am terribly impulsive so trying to stop myself from running right right out and getting it is quite the struggle. I WANT IT…LOL
The thing I really like about the non-electronic die cutters is their simplicity. Once you get a die you can use it over and over and the ‘technology’ doesn’t get outdated. You can get dies for making labels, do letterpress cards and make boxes too, so in addition to all the cool paper crafting things you can make with them, you can make some very useful items for a jewelry business as well.
The number of dies that are coming out now is staggering. The options really are endless. I too love the idea of just being able to adjust the pressure on the rollers, rather than all the complicated ‘sandwiches’ that you need to remember for all the different techniques and materials you can cut.
I would just love to get my hands on one to feel the quality and put it through it’s paces to know whether it would be a better machine to have than a big shot. I think that good product demos, not only help the companies that make products, but they really help the customer get the products they really want for their purposes and to help them avoid buying something that won’t work for them. And the demos coming from third party are even more important since you know that it isn’t all hype.
Anyway, I would love to test the Evolution Advanced Die Cutting Machine and share it with you all. Let’s hope your efforts come to fruition!
On Die cutting machines., Im not sure which one that has a dial that determines roller pressure but that sounds neat. But I would like durability too. So whatever machine that is. I would like to see a tutorial from Cindy Leitz and if a demos could be provided Im sure it will help. She is very thorough in her instructions and comparisons. so I hope she can be provided one so we all can see what is being discussed here. Its an investment.
thanks for everyone mentionhg this. Thanks. I kmnow the are other brands out there from Cricut to accue dies to a staples provided die cutter cuttlebug and everyone is jumping on the paper cutting deal with lots of different automatic cutters as well thanks Patty Jorgenson Spokane Washington a devout follower or Cindy’s she is the beet instructor and I refer her to many people.
Thank you so much for your endorsement Patty!
Thanks Cindy – I value your opinion – hadn’t thought about the fact that more moving parts could be something more to break. I don’t know how it works with companies and their products as far as sending them out to people like you but I emailed them and asked them to send you one to demo on your site – never know – maybe they will. :)
Thank you Vickie for doing that! You never know… they may just do that. Won’t know unless you ask.
Hi Cindy – I’m so addicted to your videos and being a newbie I’m going through a bunch of your old ones and saw that you used a Big Shot Die Cutting Machine to cut baked clay. I was just wondering if you have had any experience with the Evolution Die Cutting Machine. It appears to be just like the Big Shot only instead of using a variety of mats it has a dial to adjust the height of the top and you can use the crank handle or purchase an attachment motor. I’m thinking of purchasing that one instead of the Big Shot but thought I’d ask if you had any experience with it or if you recommend the Big Shot over anything else. Has anyone had any experience with cutting clay on the Evolution or any other die cutting machine. I’d appreciate any input before I make the purchase. Thanks!
Hi Vickie, although I do know of the machine that you are referring to (it looks awesome!) I have never seen one in person and don’t know anything about the durability of the machine. I really like the concept of being able to adjust the thickness of the rollers with a simple dial, but that also means there would be more moving parts that could break or malfunction. It is brand new to the market so I don’t know how many long term reviews you would find out there. It is a wonderful design though. The folding sides… the suction bottom… the storage compartments… the adjustable thicknesses… all really cool features. If it is really made well, then it would be a better machine than the Big shot… but if it is not, then it wouldn’t be. I would love to have one to test… but I can’t recommend which one will be best for you. We R Memory Keepers does make wonderful products though… so it might be a safe bet.
Hi everyone, since we don’t have a corner where we can share stuff other than the blog, I have 5 Sizzix dies I will sell for $5.00 each plus shipping to anyone who would like them. These cost me anywhere between $12 and $18 each but I have switched to a digital system and want to find someone who can use them. I believe Cindy demoed these some time ago and they are the Rachael Bright Series. They are still in excellent condition. If interested ask Cindy for my email so you can contact me. Dixie ann
Hi Cindy,
With your ‘Die Cutting Technique’, I was wondering;
What do you do with the baked scrap clay after you’ve done with the cuts??
Thanks!
:D
Sorry, wait.. I found a previous person’s question on this…
Should have looked first, asked later. XD
Sorry Cindy :D
Hi all:
I have a problem with thick texture plate (usually rubber) an’ getting them pressed into the clay thoroughly. I was wondering if anyone has used the Big Kick to press a texture plate (not a cutting die) into raw clay?
Thanks for any assistance. Also if I posted this in the wrong spot let me know — I’m doing my best to figure out this posting system :)
Diana
Hi Diana, thank you so much for posting your question here! You will get used to this posting system quickly, so don’t worry about it.
The problem with using a Big Kick for pressing a texture plate into polymer is that it is just has too much pressure and the clay would squeeze out all over the place. A pasta machine aka clay conditioning machine, would be a better choice for this kind of thing. Another option is to use a board on top of your rubber stamp or texture sheet and ‘step’ on your clay. you can practice putting just the right amount of force onto the clay, to get the impression you want. Hope that answers your question.
We have absolutely tons of information here at the blog on almost every possible topic to do with polymer clay. Type your keywords into the search box at the top of the page and you should be able to find your answers quickly. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Cindy,
I have watched your tutorial on die cutting polymer clay using the sizzix machine. I have the same machine and it works great. I know that the spellbinder dies work in the sizzix machine with cardstock as long as you use the spellbinder recommended sandwich. I was wondering if they also work with polymer clay.
They look very different from the sizzix dies and it seems like each die can cut and emboss depending on the sandwich. I doubt the embossing would work on clay, but if the cutting works, they have a lot of dies that I like.
Below is the youtube video on using spellbinders on multiple machines with cardstock. The sizzix machines are the last shown on the video.
Thanks,
Donna
Hi Donna, I didn’t have much luck cutting out polymer sheets with my Spellbinders dies, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. After watching the video you sent, it appears there are many little tweaks that you can do, such as cardstock shims and embossing pads, etc., that I did not try when I attempted it. Why don’t you try it out yourself? You could also experiment with the thinness of the sheets as well as different baking times for the clay. Do come back and post your results here at the blog if you do end up doing some experiments!
Did a search on your site here and found what I was doing wrong. I guess I need to bake my clay on card stock, put the parchment paper on top, and sandwich between 2 flat ceramic tiles.
Back to the drawing board!
Joyce, great job at finding your answer! You know most answers are buried in this site somewhere. It can take me some time to get in here to address the questions, so I am glad you were able to fine the solution. (And thank you for posting your answer here. It is very helpful to the others who may be having the same problem as well.) Hope all goes well with your next Blend and Switch Sheet.
:-D
I’m wondering what I did wrong. I made a sheet of the Blend & Switch Technique
Rolled it out to a 3 card thickness, and baked for 1 hour at 275. My sheet came out not flat and when I tried to bend it it cracked.
I baked on a piece of parchment paper on top of a ceramic tray.
Trying to salvage the pieces I cut out. Hopeful still.
hi well I have saved an article on cricut machines darn… I printed it out and Ive looked at it a lot its under craft test dummies Ive tried to make it super thin using putting thin sheet unbaked pmc twwen two sheets of deli paper and roll again. It also suggested using mix of pardo etc with premo what I find is that it appears this process after cooking the sheet is wrinkled. so I did not try any more if you get the article it will explain further I have not folled with it too much as I pretty much am keeping busy with what cindy sends us. there is so much to do so much that I dont finish much but I did get some earrings to friends and family and they like them so made more lighter pink. the paisly sounds fun
Hmm, love this idea! I’m wondering if my Cricut Expression might be able to cut the baked clay sheets? Has anyone tried this?
I did a search and it appears my Cricut might not be the best thing for cutting baked clay, but I do have another question….
What are you doing with the scraps of baked clay once you have cut your designs from it? Obviously you can’t roll it back into anything, but I’ll bet you have some ideas for us Cindy!
Well Joyce, I don’t have much advice on using a Cricut with polymer clay, but I do have some idea of what to do with the scraps from using a BigShot with the Sizzix dies. If the pieces are interesting, you can embed them into raw clay, much like I did with the Inlay Technique.
If they are not really good for embedding or using in some sort of layered piece, then they can be chopped or grated and used as a inclusion in some Faux Pebble Beads or Faux Jade, etc.
As you can see there is always a use for scrap clay, whether it is baked or raw!
Have fun!
Hi Cindy
Do you know of there is any difference between the Red and White and the perwinkle Sizzix Big kick machines? My ACMoore has the Red & White one for $49 as supposed to the perwinkle one of $99
Natalie, think this stuff is all covered here on various tutes and comments. You could try to use the search facility. I popped in “die cutters” and a ton of article/comments came up. Also you could contact the folks at: sissix.com for the specifications. Good luck!