Die cut press -
Hi everyone.
I was hoping to get some advice. I want to do some die cutting.
I plan to have a couple dies custom made for cutting shapes from A4 card.
Im wondering about a press. Would a small bottle jack press work for die cutting?
I have seen a couple of bench top roller presses (they look kind of like an etching press, but have a greater clearance between the rollers to allow for a die to roll through - for example Accucut make a few), but they seem to be hard to get hold of. I am in Australia.
I also had a look at the Ellison letterpress machines (like the prestige or XL) but they are hard to get in Australia too, and costly to ship here.
Does anyone have advice about how I could make or cheaply obtain a press of some sort?
Cheers
I’ve done diecutting on a Morgan Line-o-scribe. I don’t see any reason a bottlejack press wouldn’t work. Get a piece of hard steel to cut against and give it a try I’d center everything in the press so you get even pressure across the die. Don’t use sheet metal because the die will cut into it.
Today I saw a simple die cut press at the school where my daughter teaches. It works with a cam and lever. They use it to cut animal shapes for classroom activities. Their dies are approximately 4 inch by 8 inch. Here’s a diagram - sorry there are no dimensions, I drew this from memory.
DieCutPress.jpg
Hey Sharecropper thanks for your replies.
I haven’t come across the Line-O-Scribe in my research, but it looks that that would work. And its the right kind of size for us too. I wonder what the clearance is? The height of my custom dies will be around 0.75 Inches. So the clearance under the roller would need to be at least 1inch I guess.
That design you posted is the Ellison letterpress machine. They have several sizes. The larger size (called the XL or Prestige), would be perfect for my needs. But after extensive research and emailing I have discovered it would cost me around$150-200 to have one shipped from the US to Australia. As they are around $350 new, that’s more than I want to pay. but yeah, if I come across a second hand one of those, it would be ideal!
Well… a bottlejack press is looking like the best option!
Hi All,
Edd you drew a perfecr resemblance of the Sizzix Die Cutter by Prove Craft, attached. I believe my wife purchased it at Michaels Craft Store. I use it from time to time to cut some of my Air Freshener comps, when I don’t want to set up the Kluge. I have to have a special die made to fit the height tolerance of the cutter. We made Tile coasters with cork backs and it was perfect for cutting the cork with nice rounded corners. Chris did you find anything ?? Best regards Kenny G
Sizzix Die Cutter by Provo Craft.JPG
Hi All,
Sorry on the Sizzix it was Provo Craft not Prove ! (:-)