Can we talk about die cut plates?

I haven't used the Platinum - I was looking at it before it was popular, now it seems like everyone is using it but back then there were no reviews - but plates are definitely going to get chewed up, especially if you use them a lot. I did use a Magic Mat for a while and before that a DIY version with a self healing Olfa mat (or rather 2 because they were too thin) and while they produced nice results for a while eventually they also got scarred and wrecked just like the acrylic ones.

I don't flip/turn my plates every cut like people say to (it didn't help when I did) but I do try to use different spots on the plates where I can and to angle square cuts into the machine to lessen the cracking pressure. I scrub them once in a blue moon, never tried flattening them, but I often have to pick detailed die cuts off with a pointy tool. It's annoying.

I'm trying to make my plates last as long as possible but they are a consumable. (Amazon accidentally sent me a case of the extended plates when I ordered a pair, 6 times as many as I was supposed to get, shhh, but I still don't like to toss anything before it's totally trashed.

I’m a die cutting addict too. It’s recommended only cutting into one plate and leaving the other pristine.

I solely use a Gemini Junior now - electric, easy on my hand due to an old, minor injury. Plus I’ve never had to shim a die. With my old manual machine I had sticky notes in the dies’ pockets with how to shim them or even where to shim.

People say their Gemini plates warp extremely quickly Mine don’t, but I’m religious about following recommendations by Crafters Companion. Maybe it would help with plates from any machines?

1) Flip *and* turn the plates with every pass
2) Put dies all over the plate, not just in the middle. It’s the tendency of many/most/all(?) of us to plop a little die dead center. That means all the pressure is in the center, and the plate will very quickly warp there. So spread those suckers out.
Once in a while a plate will start to warp and I’ll run it through a couple times in the opposite direction of the warping, even without a die.

There’s no way I’d go through the boiling water process, then scrubbing the pots. Jennifer McGuire and Cathy Z have a newer way of keeping the Gemini Junior plates from warping by using a Gemini double sided plate and taping them together. But that wouldn’t apply.

I've been using a Big Kick and Big Shot since 2004. I have never warped plates or cracked them. I flip them and change the placement of my dies every time I run the plates through the machine. The only time I change plates is when they are so scratched that masking/washi tape won't stick to them anymore. I cut die-side down, and I keep the top plate uncut.

I have an original Gemini, and I hate the older plates. Those warp every single time I use them. The newer ones are better and don't warp as much. I've found that I can use 3 Big Shot plates fed horizontally through my Gemini, and they don't warp at all.

I bought a Magic Mat for my Big Shot, and I don't like it. I have to use a chipboard shim, and the mat definitely warps and isn't self-healing at all.

I don't have a Platinum 6, so I'm sorry that I can't help with that.

I've had my P6 for several years, maybe since 2017. I use one plate only for the bottom and one for the top. I flip them over every few cuts, keeping the original bottom plate on the bottom and the top on the top. So only one has cut marks. And I don't cut in the same spot each time. Does that make sense? My first set of plates I didn't do that and they warped quick.

I had the Magic Mat but didn't get good cuts. So I gave it to away.

If you decide to replace you might want to consider the new universal plate system Spellbinders just came out with. link.  My plates don’t need replacing just yet but I do have a few dies that require using shims with and a couple of 3-D embossing folders so this new system is my list

Have you tried putting a piece of copy paper on the plate to eliminate the texture marks? 

Yeah, it only took me about five hundred years to get into the habit. 🙄 

Generally a piece of copy paper doesn’t add enough extra thickness to matter. But I’ve only used your machine once at an LSS, so do feel free to ignore me.

Yow! What happened with them. I’m guessing it was them, not you. 

That’s good service! It sounds like they knew there was an issue that they later solved? Be fearless! Well, not fearless. Bravely cautious?

I have a Vagabond 2 and use the Chrome Plate from Sizzix for intricate dies and then 1 regular cutting pad on top. Works great and I have slowed down how many cutting plates I go through. Framelits or dies with large space, I use 2 cutting pads and no chrome plate.

Die cutting is my jam!
I use an original Sizzix (Big Red) but I've never had to replace the plate. I use a sacrificial piece of old kitchen cutting board and always put my dies paper/cutter up since the bottom plate has adhesive magnet sheet on it. Crushing edge of the die presses into the kitchen board. When they get too warped, into the recycling they go. Usually by that time there's a couple ready to retire from food prep duty as replacements. Buying a self-healing mat is another option, but I couldn't find one thin enough to work for ol' red.

But yes, cutting mat for the cut surface is a game changer. You save so much money, and it's quieter and not as rough on the machine too. May take a bit of fiddling to find the exact right thickness for your machine but once you do, it's aces.

'Magic Mats' are nothing better than a self-healing cutting mat, the kind commonly sold for crafting. You can buy one and cut it to whatever size you need for your machine. Sure, it takes a bit of fiddling with the sandwich but after that it's so much more affordable.