Two Easy Methods for Sharpening A Rotary Cutter Blade
A Common Household Item Will Get You Through in a Pinch!
Rotary cutters are essential for today’s quilt makers. These wonder tools save a lot of time cutting fabric into strips and shapes. However, like any good cutting tool, the blades become dull with repeated use.
Replacement blades aren’t all that expensive but if you do a lot of cutting you can save a substantial amount of money by sharpening used blades.
In the following video Pepper Cory shows us how to sharpen a blade using the popular Colonial Needle Rotary Blade Sharpener (get it here).
Cory recommends sharpening your blade every other day with standard use. You may need to sharpen more often with heavy use.
Click here to watch the video at YouTube if it doesn’t play on your device.
But what if you don’t have a blade sharpener and want to get a bit more life out of a blade?
If you’re nearing the end of a cutting project and don’t have a new blade on hand try the following method from u-createcrafts.com. It should sharpen your blade enough to get you through.
Their method uses a common household item – aluminum foil – to extend the life of a blade. This isn’t a method we’d recommend for ongoing maintenance of a blade, but it should work in a pinch.
Keep in mind that neither of these methods are likely to work very well if the blade has a nick or is otherwise damaged. However, worn blades can be returned to life, saving a substantial amount of money over time.
Love your videos and will continue watching. I learn more by watching videos than trying to read directions. Thumbs up to you 👍👍👍👍👍
Great article – thank you.
People seem to have mixed results with the manual rotary blade sharpeners. These devices also have trouble removing nicks in the blades.
The Aluminum foil trick isn’t really sharpening the blade, as aluminum is softer than steel – it is mainly just cleaning the blade and maybe removing burr.
Again – thanks for a great article. These things can certainly help in a pinch.
Having rotary blades sharpened regularly can make them last a long time.