GEMRM

Hello there fellow quilters -
I'm looking for a possible cause of a problem with a cutting mat - my friend washed hers per manufacturer's directions and laid it flat to dry.
Now, every time she cuts on it, the blade of her rotary cutter rusts (overnight). The mat is completely dry, and at six months since washing it, the blade still rusts. She does not have this problem with the same brand of blade on a (non washed) mat of the same brand.
The manufacturer of the mat has not been helpful at all, blaming the blade as defective (in spite of the rust only happening on this washed mat)

I was querying a possible residue of soap on the surface of the mat.... she doesn't think that's the case. In fact, she can cut on the other side of the mat without any rust occurring..


So, seeking your thoughts on cause of the rust and possible solutions as the problem side is the one with the markings on it, of course.....

nativetexan

wow, no idea.. she should contact the maker and see what they say. and probably get a new mat!

Tartan

Since I have no idea what the mats are made from, I suspect some chemical in the mat is causing the rusting? Maybe the water activated something in it?

SusieQOH

I've never heard of this. Tartan may be on to something.

On a different note I'm kind of wondering why you would have to wash a mat?

Onebyone

You can soak a self healing mat to rehydrate it. It gets dried out and the self healing is gone and the mat starts to crack. I never use soap on one though. It would be hard to get the soap residue out of the cut marks already in the the mat. For my big mat I usually spritz it with water and let dry in place overnight.

GEMRM

I think Tartan may be on to something as well, as this was my first thought - soap residue or a chemical reaction... the friend washed it to rehydrate it and clean it, and she did follow the manufacturer's directions. She has been in contact with the manufacturer and they're more or less accusing her of trying to scam them using an old blade and saying it's rusted because it's old. She's very frustrated and will likely buy another brand of mat in the future. Of course, per the rules here I can not and will not name the manufacturer, especially since my info is second hand....

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas....

juliasb

I pent the last 20 minutes trying to find some information on what could cause this and came up with a big zip! I am inclined to agree with others here. The soap residue could be the problem. Or just the type of soap that was used. Keep in mind our blades are not galvanized. Water or a corrosive material can cause the rusting.

sewbizgirl

I have heard, and believe it after trying it, that it's a waste of time to attempt to "rehydrate" an old mat. I soaked mine and it was no different afterwards, just wet. It makes sense to me, because the mat is not water soluable or made of water in the first place. It's like thinking you can "hydrate" a piece of plastic, pvc or vinyl.

My guess about the rust is that there is still water or detergent down in some of the cracks in the mat, and when the blade comes in contact with it, it causes the rust. You can wipe down your blade with sewing machine oil after use to help it not to rust. And stop putting your mats in water!

L'il Chickadee

On a similar note I've also had a rusty experience. Only mine was totally self induced. Hubby came in the house and pulled a HotHands bag out of his pocket and plopped it in the trash. It had gone cold and was no good. But I liked the sound of that plop, jumped up and dug it out as soon as he went back outside. Set the bag down at my machine and poked some pins in. It was ooh so nice, just the right weight, just the right smooshiness to take a pin without any trouble. I had discovered the ultimate pincushion by thinking outside the box, repurposed a disposable, and saved the landfill. Yay me!
Ha! Ha! Ha! Not so fast! Next morning those pins were pitted and dull.

Onebyone

For the hydration to work it has to be before the mat dries out. It's more of an up keep not a fix. To wait for it to be dried out would be like watering a plant dead from no watering. Hydration will help a self healing mat to heal longer but does nothing for hard surface mats. Mats are a consumable product. To think a mat will be good as new for years is not realistic. I give my old mats to DH to use in his shop. All his works surfaces are covered in mats.