Paper Fun with Seklema Mat

Beyond the Manual
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what size did you cut your mat? 12 x 20?

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Cut it to the same size as a new sheet of Proofgrade material. (Just use that for a guide.)

It’s actually a little larger than 12 x 20.

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Yes, I believe I did 20x12.

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Me three: I have cut two down to 12”x20”.

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In case I’m not the only one who’s wondered whether a Cricut cutting mat would work, don’t try it. Leather and acrylic smell truly lovely in comparison! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Melted one up did ya? :smile:

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It didn’t melt, just stank to high Heaven!

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Good to know. I’ve looked at them a few times when at Michael’s but since I haven’t ever been able to find any information on what they’re made out of I’ve always steered clear. I don’t want to risk there being any PVC or other dangerous materials in there.

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Whew! Thank you for this! I was minutes away from trying it.

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Welcome @krisgamble to the forum.

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any suggestions for settings for cutting 90lb paper without destroying the seklema mat?

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Here is a post with lots of helpful settings. Somewhat Comprehensive Testing of Settings for Cutting Paper and Cardstock

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You can try to dial in the settings using a plywood “mat” covered with removable adhesive if you’re worried about your Seklema. Those things aren’t cheap! I was accidentally gifted with two 12"X12" mats for Christmas, so hopefully I’m set for a long time to come.

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I haven’t tried cutting paper yet but just out of curiousity, would there be any downside to using the adhesive spray on a piece of anodized aluminum, or other sheet metal, instead of plywood? I figure it would stay flatter and be easier to clean when reapplying the adhesive. Is flashback on the backside of the paper an issue?

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Flashback on paper is definitely an issue, in my experience.

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Is that in the case of using the plywood, metal or just in general?

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I have not tried sheet metal, but had been using a piece of 1/8" ply with adhesive sprayed on, but got resin smoke residue on my paper. Reading through the forums, I found a tip about using acrylic as a sticky backer instead of ply and it works fantastic, without leaving a smoke residue. As for getting scrap acrylic, try a local sign maker, they often have off cuts or scratched stock!

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Thanks. I’ll give that a try.

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I have not tried metal except for the actual honeycomb tray. Using the tray, I had flashback. I love the Seklema mat, but it is stupid expensive.

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