gramma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,121 
Location: Sacramento, Ca
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Post by gramma on Nov 5, 2014 6:57:14 GMT
The last time I used my machine I had troubles. 1 - it's making a grinding noise. Not the usual noise but a grinding. 2 - it seems to catch on the right side which throws the mat out of whack and ruins the cuts.
I tried to find information on cleaning the machine but didn't have any luck. I changed the mat and put in a new blade but no luck. I've had it for about a year and it's been used pretty heavily since I use it for work a lot. Do the gears wear out?
Any ideas?
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iowgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,317
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Post by iowgirl on Nov 5, 2014 13:26:43 GMT
Make sure you MACHINE is set to "Load Cutting Mat". It is super easy to bump a button on the machine and have it go to "load media".
With your machine OFF, spray a little WD-40 on the silver bar that the cutting head moves on (I prefer to spray a q-tip and rub that on the bar so I don't get too much in my machine. Gently and slowly push that cutting head across the bar. I rub some more WD-40 on until I feel like it is clean and everything is smooth. Use a bright flashlight to look around and make sure you don't have a piece of vinyl or paper stuck anywhere on that bar the head moves on -look underneath it too. Try to check under the cut head too.
Now turn on your machine and the cut head should re-set itself back to the left side.
If it is still catching - watch it closely with your flashlight on it to see exactly where it is catching.
Is your mat bent? Are you using a Silhouette mat? My Cricut mats cupped on the edges as they got older.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Nov 26, 2024 0:43:18 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2014 13:29:38 GMT
A while ago mine was making a grinding noise and not cutting straight. I unlocked the bar at the front (using the blue lever on the right), and put it back down and that seemed to help. Not sure why, but it did!
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,451
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Post by scrapnnana on Nov 6, 2014 11:45:18 GMT
The locking bar was my second thought. My first thought was the blade position. If you have it in weird, it can affect the cut. When my DD first got her machine, it was making a horrid grinding noise. It isn't supposed to matter which way the blade faces, but DD had hers in kind of weird, and it made a racket and cut wrong. I suggested she put hers in a different way, and it worked fine after that.
Also, if the mat is not sticky enough, and the paper slides, comes up and catches the blade, or anything, that could also happen.
If none of these are the issue, you should call (not email, but call) Silhouette customer service.
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Post by Basket1lady on Nov 6, 2014 13:32:13 GMT
I think there is debris caught somewhere. My machine will do that if it hits a spot on the mat that isn't perfectly clean or if there is paper inside the blade cap.
Changing the blade and/or the mat would have been my first suggestion. Have you tried canned air to blow it out?
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gramma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,121
Location: Sacramento, Ca
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Post by gramma on Nov 8, 2014 2:09:09 GMT
So - I used some canned air and saw a little piece of something sticking up over the end of the silver bar. Turned out to be a piece of a price sticker that some how got stuck. I had a devil of a time getting it out.
Thanks for the help
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