Any tips for cleaning threads out of Accuquilt Go! dies?
#1
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Any tips for cleaning threads out of Accuquilt Go! dies?
I just used one to cut triangles, but now there are threads in the corner areas. I noticed fabric getting stuck in those corners as I cut. I have the Accuquilt pick here somewhere; will order another one if I can't find mine. Just wondering if there's something else I can safely use. It's not a lot of threads in the corners, but I can see them continuing to pack down in there. At what point do you stop and clean out threads?
Incidentally, this is the new 3x6" flying geese die. Noticed that there is one tiny spot on the triangle's long edge that always misses a thread. Should I email the company? I really don't want to go to the trouble of returning this die just for that one-thread spot; besides, I might need to cut a few more before this quilt is finished.
Incidentally, this is the new 3x6" flying geese die. Noticed that there is one tiny spot on the triangle's long edge that always misses a thread. Should I email the company? I really don't want to go to the trouble of returning this die just for that one-thread spot; besides, I might need to cut a few more before this quilt is finished.
#2
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: NJ
Posts: 622
The pick works. I haven't tried anything else. I have one cutter that has a little thread part that never cuts. It hasn't improved with use. It's a minor annoyance, but I never contacted them. Didn't want the hassle of shipping it back. It is one of the long heavy ones.
#4
I have the same trouble with my new flying geese die that came with the Go Big electric my hubby got me for Christmas. Used my pick along those areas and it helped. I would think that you could carefully go in with seam ripper or stylus.
#6
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 11,276
It is really important that you keep the joins in the blades clear of fabric. If you use the die a lot and don't clean, built up threads could force the blades further apart, making the problem worse. I use a stiletto.
Also, just as a well used cutting mat will cause skips in your cutting, the accuquilt mat will develop grooves & need to be replaced. When you are at this point, there usually are multiple areas that are roughly cut.
The dies are made from sharpened steel rules, which as their name implies are just long strips of metal. They are bent to shape and then embedded in a plastic or wood backing. There is always one or more points where the steel meets itself, like if you took a strip of paper & made a circle. Sometimes the gap is a bit bigger than it should be and it will leave more than a thread or two uncut. This is not going to fix itself and if it really bothers you, you could contact them to exchange it, but the exchanged die may be the same.
Also, just as a well used cutting mat will cause skips in your cutting, the accuquilt mat will develop grooves & need to be replaced. When you are at this point, there usually are multiple areas that are roughly cut.
The dies are made from sharpened steel rules, which as their name implies are just long strips of metal. They are bent to shape and then embedded in a plastic or wood backing. There is always one or more points where the steel meets itself, like if you took a strip of paper & made a circle. Sometimes the gap is a bit bigger than it should be and it will leave more than a thread or two uncut. This is not going to fix itself and if it really bothers you, you could contact them to exchange it, but the exchanged die may be the same.
#7
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,515
Don't pick the threads out of the rag die. You'll go nuts. They will pile pile up and be easy to pull out all at once. Hasn't effected the snip cuts at all for me. I have the 2 1/2 square die and some of the squares weren't getting cut all the way through in some spots. I found if I push down on the die as it goes through the roller it cuts these places. I guess I could get another die but I don't use that die that much.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Posts: 939
I don't have an Accuquilt Go, but I use my vacuum cleaner to clean my sewing machine. I place a thin rag over the end of my vacuum cleaner hose so I don't suck anything important down. Works great.
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