Border Punches.......getting stuck & tearing my paper!

I am having trouble with my border punches getting stuck w/ paper in them, What can I do to keep the paper from getting stuck? Any ideas??

Try punching through aluminum foil (the thicker the better, I think) and see if that helps sharpen things up. If it continues, contact the manufacturer esp fiskars... they have a good reputation for reconciling problems.

I have heard that if you punch them through wax paper it helps lubricate them and punching through aluminum foil helps keep them sharpened. Hope this helps you out.

Also after you run it through the foil cut a couple pieces of wax paper also. the foil will sharpen and then the wax paper lubricates them.

Foil will sharpen them, Wax will lubricate them.

if the paper is too thin or too thick, this will happen as well,,,,,,Bazzill and my punches don't get along really well

Really Holly? I've never had issues with any of mine (mostly Marvy Uchida, MS, & EK Success) with Bazzill? Have you sharpened and lubed them?

I completely agree though about too thin paper. Mangles it.

No,,,,maybe I need to sharpen,,,,,,,


hm,,,,,

I have problems with paper that is too thin, but I can do the thicker cardstock with no problem.

Same here. I also can't use that thin paper in my Cricut--rips it to shreds.


The foil and wax paper works--I tried it after reading it here a few weeks ago.

sounds like I need foil and wax paper

I agree about the wax paper and foil. I "service" mine fairly regularly.

I struggle with mulberry paper as well as thin paper in punches.

And one tip is if there is the slightest possibility that your paper is even a little damp, blast it with a heat gun before you try punching it. Even if it doesn't feel damp, the humidity in the air can prevent that clean cut. I learned that one from living in the tropics. As soon as we moved to the desert, my punches suddenly started "working" a lot better.

punching through wax paper will help it stop sticking.

if it's not cutting then punch through foil

I do the same ... foil and wax paper

works like a charm

• CommaHolly Said:

Maybe not. Fiskars punches are not designed for the heavier cardstock, such as Bazzill. I still use them anyway with few problems, but the more intricate borders can get stuck.

it's MOSTLY the dark colors like brown, which I understand are a bit thicker,,,,and I do so love my border punches and that gorgeous brown paper

but I do think some of them a re a bit dull,,,,the cuts are not as crisp as they used to be,,,so I will try sharpening and see if it helps.

humidity,,,,great.


I'm in florida and it's JULY.

The great thing about living in Florida -- we can blame nearly everything on the humidity!!

One of the things I noticed recently is to insert the paper all the way into the punch and position enough paper on the edge to support the punch.
When I try to position a punch closer to edges of the paper and not give the punch the paper it wants & needs, the punching is not supported and it some times sticks, tears or jams.

The punch doesn't punch cleanly because the skimpy paper around the punched area doesn't hold up. The punch cannot get enough of a grip on the paper so the punching drags (or tears) the surrounding paper.

Hope that makes sense.

I blame all my bad hair days on the Florida humitidy.

Can't wait to get home and "service" all my old punches with wax and foil.

Glad I didn't trash them a few weeks ago. Great tip thanks!

LoL...Great topic! I sure had a few giggles, but what a great idea, I was just beginning to notice that 2 of my punches weren't punching as crisp! I will have to remember the wax paper next time I go grocery shopping! TFS ladies!

• Henri Jean Said:

there are GOOD hair days in florida?????????

I've not had one yet!

I bought one of those kitchen holders that is made to hold your rolls of waxed paper, foil, etc., and have it in my scraproom. It's handy and a lot of times I'll just pull off a piece of each and run my punch through it before I even start punching. Probably overkill, but it works pretty well. My biggest problem came when a piece of Bazil ate my Fiskars punch! Well, it broke it into 4 pieces anyway. I didn't realize Fiskars had a warranty until I tossed the old punch and purchased a replacement. Duh!

I learned something silly, but very useful and totally of the topic. Sort of.

You know how when you pull waxed paper or saran wrap or aluminum foil out of the box to get a section or piece it sometimes comes out of the box - the entire roll. Sometimes it even jumps on the floor and you have to chase it.

On every box of aluminium foil, waxed paper, or saran wrap - even store brands, there are two little triangular perfortions. When you press in, which is what they are designed for but they don't tell anybody, it holds the rolls in the box so they don't come out when you pull off a piece of the item.

To me, that is ingenious. And I never find anyone who actually knows that. But I push the little triangles on each end back so the rolls can't jump out.

I love your idea to keep them in the scraproom. I'm wondering if there is a way to clamp them onto the underside of my scrap table! It's an 8' table and has metal bracing under it that would be perfect. Wouldn't hurt to have a roll of paper towels in here too.