Thin detailed die cutting tips

they are very pretty designs.

I use a stif brush to get the little pieces out quickly.

You can buy a thing called a "precision plate" and then you can easily cut out these real intricate dies.

thats why i use the spellbinder tool'n one. that's a tool where you can brush the little confetti out of the frame. you go with your brush 2 or 3 times over the frame and it's gone. Much more simple than stick it out with a pen. I'am from the Netherlands so I'am sorry for my bad writting.

It is now 2years later after this video has been produced and the owner of the Cheery Lynn dies has made his own video series. In one video he recommends NOT using wax paper with dies because the wax will build up over time and interfere with the cutting. He says to cut up and use thin plastic store bags instead. I tried it and it works but I still prefer the wax paper. Sizzix now makes a precision base plate that can be fairly reasonably priced when using a Michaels 50%off coupon instead of the roof flashing. Keep making those helpful videos Lindsay......

love watching your videos but ive watched several videos on these dies lots of work for 1 cut

what is the sheet used ?

You are such a truly good person with Integrity !The reason why so many crafters respect you and your opinion!It demonstrates very noble character that you re-reveiwed this die and explained why you said what you said initially!Thanks for the great tips and reviews ! Have you heard of the GYRO CUT Craft knife? I want to get it but it seems pricey at 14 dollars after taxes with no extra blades .Do you have GYRO-CUT or seen demos?Your thoughts on it ?

The video is by Karen Burniston, removing confetti from dies using dryer sheets. It's great!

Just saw your video 6/19/2016 and I saw a video that showed using using a fabric static piece like Bounce and it worked fabulously. By this time you might have even heard of this technique for intricate dies. If you haven't, I'll find the video for you.

I APPRECIATE truth & open honesty in U!.. Some of the dies are VERY 'painful' to use !.. Too bad for who don't wanna hear the TRUTH 👍🏽

Thank you so much for this video and I really like the fact that you give us your opinions, good or not so good. It helps me immensely as I would rather learn from someone else's mistakes and opinions rather than plow much needed money into something that could cause me an issue or that I would find difficult using as I am disabled. The fact that I would need to spend time picking out bits from a die or using other methods to clean the die and the die cuts, really is important to know to me, as I have to do things quickly due to becoming severely uncomfortable very quickly and needing to be put back to bed or to rest. So thank you for pointing out both the positives and what may be negatives to some. I really appreciate your videos and I am sure there are others like me who need to get results very quickly because of various reasons. These dies are beautiful, but not for me. Reviews like this though can,in my opinion really help manufacturers see if they can improve in any way.

I feel so much better now seeing this video. My husband bought me the big shot for Christmas and I have yet to be successful cutting any thin fancy detailed dies. Even some of the regular dies just don't cut. I have been so upset thinking my machine is defective, put it away and gave up. Now I see you have to buy shims and thin solo adapters etc... It's just absurd. I tried shims with card stock etc, still too much work that I get upset and wind up in physical pain due to fibromyalgia. I honestly thought buying the big shot was going to make things easier than my cuddle bug , nope! I'm going to try again using your tips, as always thank you.

Well done Lindsay. 👍🏼

thanks for sharing as today i've had some issues cutting my new spellbinders dies..

Hi Lindsay,
Are you still doing die cutting . I would like to send you some Cut tidy pockets to try if you like . Cut tidy leaves your dies clean from bits and am happy to give you the info of how great they are ? Let me know please . I will be happy to do so ? Thanks and kind regards, Vanessa

Another way to cut very intricate dies is to use the Sizzix Precision Base Plate. This cutting plate is made of metal and is used as the bottom plate rather than one of the plastic plates. I was hesitant about purchasing this at first, but this plate works wonderfully on all intricate dies. I am able to cut my intricate dies with one pass. This includes some of my most intricate dies. This plate is made for intricate dies only and not for framelit dies. If the plate is used with the framelit dies the framelit die can warp because of the pressure being put on the die. The Sizzix Precision Base Plate retails for about $20.00, but I have seen it as low as $15.00 on Amazon. Happy cutting! I strongly suggest watching Sizzix's Youtube about the Precision Plate. It will give you good information.

Just a little FYI:  most wafer thin dies are made from hardened tool steel, so wacking a die on a trash can or some other object actually does ok!  I wack the back of mine against a Rubbermaid waste basket, and most of the time, most of the confetti comes out.  However, it can be extremely frustrating.  I think I am ready to get a spray can of silicone mold release spray to use on mine, or wax them up with car wax or Pledge or something, because life is short, and I don't want to spend it picking paper out of my dies!  Some of these dies, like Cottage Cuts come with extrusion foam, but that only works for so many cranks through the ol' Cuttlebug or Big Shot, and then you have to apply new foam if you want favorable results.  Whatever is a girl to do?  I don't know, but I keep trying!  I also recommend watching a few videos of Mike at Cheery Lynn Designs for dealing with intricates.  He recommends avoiding the sticky wax from wax paper and instead using pieces from those pathetic plastic shopping bags (oh to return to paper bags!), and says it works well.  He also states that his company's dies have an aerospace-grade release coating on them, so there's no need to use anything, but recommends shimming one's machine more and letting the die do the work.  It's a head-scratcher!

For what it's worth, Mike from Cheery Lynn doesn't recommend the wax paper. He has a video that shows using a plain plastic grocery sack.

https://youtu.be/BiHwrRZnn50 is the video, and if you fast forward to about 4:15 you can see how the bag is used.

Wow that looks like a lot of work, you are much more patient than I, very nice results but not sure I want to pick out all those tiny pieces, its not for everyone... and that's ok.  Thanks for the great tutorials!