Big shot repair Hi friends I am sure you can all relate to the feeling we experience when something we love breaks down! A cherished craft punch breaking down is enough to put me into minor depression so you can imagine how devastated I felt when my beloved Big Shot fell ill!! My Big Shot has been with me since August 2012 [here is one of my first Big Shot crafts]and though I am not a professional crafter its been put to some heavy use since I love to use die cuts extensively like in this Lantern Die cut made Lantern or this completely Die cut made 3 D Paper craft Chariot Die cut made Chariot Shortly after the Big Shot's 2nd birthday it started acting cranky..it would only partially cut a die on one side. Analyzing back, I think it was my fault as one of my acrylic cutting plates had cracked a few weeks before that and instead of replacing it immediately I kept on using it and I think that must have contributed to my poor big shot breaking down! Big Shot repair Okay speeding up to what I did...phoned up the most knowledgeable crafty soul I knew [Crafters Corner owner and extremely talented crafter Shalini Mittal] and she diagnosed that a bearing must have broken down and that I should just open up my Big Shot! Does the thought of opening up the Big Shot give you the jitters...? Well I did get the jitters big time but after all I was a surgeon and I talked myself into being brave enough to perform an operation on my beloved Big Shot!Well we surgeons often call in an assistant for difficult cases and yeah you bet I called in my much more "tool savy" hubby to handle this particular case! What do you need to repair your Big Shot Courage! - yeah oodles of it as after all I bet its your most treasured crafty possession! Camera- take photos at each step so that you dont panic when you want to put it back together and things dont fit !! Container- to hold all the screws- believe me there are quite a few screws and washers and you dont want to lose anything! Screw driver- nothing fancy - something you have at home will do. Hammer - Am I serious? Unfortunately Yes ! Yeah each tap of the hammer will make your heart shudder but yes we do need it! Spare-parts Source - this was the toughest one for me and I will tell you about it .. Big Shot repair If you have mustered up the courage to repair your Big Shot , do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. The reason I wrote this post is to give my fellow crafters courage and reassurance that yes we can also repair it if the need arises ! For all technical jargon do read Leumas post as I am trying to keep it simple here! Put your Big Shot baby on its back and start unscrewing screws! Big Shot repair Yeah take a deep breath ,gather more courage-- you can do it , and keep un-screwing more screws!There are 4 big ones in the center [ green arrows] and lots of little ones on the sides [ red arrows] Big Shot repair I am not gender biased but I have to acknowledge certain facts of life- in my home my hubby is 100 times better than me at repairing anything!So if you have a "tool savy" hubby/boyfriend/brother/son/neighbor/anyone....ok you get what I mean.. do butter them into helping you ! If nothing else, they can be the villain and do the hammering bit when that comes and you wont have to hit your Big Shot darling! Big Shot repair Yes this is what I make my busy ENT Head and Neck Surgeon hubby do when he drops home for lunch! Big Shot repair Once you have unscrewed all the screws, pieces will start falling apart. Dont be scared...you will be able to fit it all back together!The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart.If you have the funny L shaped metal [called allen key] your Big Shot came packed with use it to remove your Big Shot handle or simply rotate the handle screw and it will come off. Big Shot repair Once you remove the side panels, things really start to heat up as in become exciting!! You get to see inside your machine and what makes the baby tick and do all the magic! Big Shot repair The view above shows the big shot back on its usual working position but with the base removed [it easily falls away on removing the screws] The 2 big gears are attached to bearings and the cylindrical rollers. Big Shot repair Your Big Shot has a total of 4 bearings [ on the ends of each roller] and the reason we read everywhere "do not force your platform- cutting plate- die - paper- cutting plate sandwich " is that if you force something too thick through your Big Shot, it can crush one of the Big Shot's bearings. Big Shot repair As soon as we opened my Big Shot, the crushed bearing parts fell off and the picture above shows the empty bearing socket with parts of the bearing still attached[ needed hammering to get out] Big Shot repair The picture above shows how the crushed bearing looks- many of the tiny balls in the bearing were crushed and rings deformed badly! When a bearing gets crushed the rollers of the Big Shot will not be able to give the needed uniform pressure to cut the die and replacing the bearing is all that it takes to repair your Big Shot. How to procure a spare Big Shot Bearing Big Shot repair The biggest challenge I faced in repairing the Big Shot was getting the bearing. Check your good bearing to see what is written on it. Mine said NHC 6200 ZZ. Automobile spare part shops stock these bearings. In Bangalore and on an online easy spareparts.com shop I was able to get 6200 Z [for Rupees 67!] and not 6200 ZZ.The 6200 Z was a millimeter smaller and wouldnt fit my Big shot bearing hole. So options you have are Try auto spare-part shops - be sure to have a good bearing to compare with what they have and even better carry the central bearing - roller part with you to see if the bearing the seller gives you fits! Try online shops Write to Sizzix - Shoma of Art Bug said sizzix sent her bearings free! Ask crafters in your country if they know anyone who sells Big Shot spareparts Option 4 worked for me! Shalini Mittal came to my rescue again and guided me to Reena Gupta who sold Big Shot spare parts.The bearing she sent me was not 6200 ZZ but it fit perfectly!! How to fit your bearing into the Big Shot Follow Leumas instructions to fit your bearing into your Big Shot...this requires the most finesse and courage because getting the bearing to fit into the central shaft attached to your roller requires hammering !! If you are too hard your bearing will get crushed and if you are too timid you wont be able to fit your bearing on to the shaft! [ yeah its a sort of paradox!] Once your bearing is fit, the rest is like a jigsaw puzzle...whatever you removed is fit back...We undertook the bearing replacement and final Big Shot reassembly on a Sunday but my hubby had to visit the hospital to see his operated patients and I was too impatient to wait for him and attempted to reassemble it myself. Well I did feel pretty foolish when what I was trying to do for 2 hours he came back from the hospital and completed in 10 mins flat!! For Big Shot owners who are in India I want to give a shout out to Reena Gupta from whom I managed to get my Big Shot bearing [ I am in no way connected to her - I am just a grateful crafter! In fact I could have hugged her when I got my Big Shot working!!] Reena sells Big Shot spare-parts like Big Shot bearings, handle pin and horse shoe shaped spare-part called circlip. Reena also undertakes Big Shot repairs ! So if your Big shot falls sick and you are scared , you can get the professionals to do the diagnosing and repairing for you! My Big Shot is back to life! Yeah my Big Shot is truly kicking and back to life now! And I made this die cut laden Pop up card Pop Up card full of fluttering butterflies to celebrate! Pop up card Yeah I really went to town with intricate die cuts in this pop up card...but I think you can understand why...I had been missing my die cutting machine and was so glad to have it back!! I hope this post about repairing the Big Shot the amateur way will be of help. Do tell me if any of you have had the Big shot/ other die cutting machine breaking down and how you dealt with it....I will edit this post and link to your blog.It will be of help to so many crafters out there.

Sizzix Big Shot Bearing Replacement: This Sizzix Big Shot was not cutting out the paper properly on both sides. The right side, closest to the crank handle, was not applying enough pressure to the cutting die. This suggested to me that the rollers had become misaligned and most likely …

The Big Shot. Indispensable. Truly. When it was first introduced to the Stampin' Up! product line, many demonstrators balked at the $99 initial price and then adding all the fantastic dies and embossing folders. Could our stamp budget accommodate that? Oh yea! And now, I can't make a card without it. I love it! I can't live without it. Order yours by clicking right here! The ladies in my last class saw me freak out when it stopped working. It had been making a squeaky squeaky noise for a while, but everyone gets a little stiff when they age, right? I just gave it a little WD40 in the crank screw and hoped for the best. But suddenly it was unable to crank, and in the middle of a class! So I was all over the internet, youtube, Stampin Connection (demonstrator website). Very little help, one person said her crank shaft broke and her husband fixed it. So I obtained a new crank shaft from Sizzix and started to disassemble my Big Shot. Really freaking out at how deep into the machine I had to go to get to the crank shaft. Then I couldn't get the E clamp off the crank shaft. I had to take it to (my really good friend Tom) my computer repair specialist. He cheerfully removed the E clamp, cleaned out the RUST and installed the new crank shaft. Rust was actually the problem and some mineral oil was the solution, I didn't really need the new part. Tom offered to reassemble the whole machine, but I had only brought him the heavy skeleton of the Big Shot, so I had to come back home and do all the assembly myself. But it is back in action and ready to roll. Update: November 2016 -- the BigShot is still working like a champ, never another squeak or stiff turn! No computer program to learn, no electronics to update, nothing has become obsolete and Sizzix and Stampin' Up! continue to produce outstanding dies and embossing folders every day! Click here to get yours today! Thank you Tom. So now I have dried my tears and I am happily stamping! Dee Tollaksen

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot w...

Big shot repair Hi friends I am sure you can all relate to the feeling we experience when something we love breaks down! A cherished craft punch breaking down is enough to put me into minor depression so you can imagine how devastated I felt when my beloved Big Shot fell ill!! My Big Shot has been with me since August 2012 [here is one of my first Big Shot crafts]and though I am not a professional crafter its been put to some heavy use since I love to use die cuts extensively like in this Lantern Die cut made Lantern or this completely Die cut made 3 D Paper craft Chariot Die cut made Chariot Shortly after the Big Shot's 2nd birthday it started acting cranky..it would only partially cut a die on one side. Analyzing back, I think it was my fault as one of my acrylic cutting plates had cracked a few weeks before that and instead of replacing it immediately I kept on using it and I think that must have contributed to my poor big shot breaking down! Big Shot repair Okay speeding up to what I did...phoned up the most knowledgeable crafty soul I knew [Crafters Corner owner and extremely talented crafter Shalini Mittal] and she diagnosed that a bearing must have broken down and that I should just open up my Big Shot! Does the thought of opening up the Big Shot give you the jitters...? Well I did get the jitters big time but after all I was a surgeon and I talked myself into being brave enough to perform an operation on my beloved Big Shot!Well we surgeons often call in an assistant for difficult cases and yeah you bet I called in my much more "tool savy" hubby to handle this particular case! What do you need to repair your Big Shot Courage! - yeah oodles of it as after all I bet its your most treasured crafty possession! Camera- take photos at each step so that you dont panic when you want to put it back together and things dont fit !! Container- to hold all the screws- believe me there are quite a few screws and washers and you dont want to lose anything! Screw driver- nothing fancy - something you have at home will do. Hammer - Am I serious? Unfortunately Yes ! Yeah each tap of the hammer will make your heart shudder but yes we do need it! Spare-parts Source - this was the toughest one for me and I will tell you about it .. Big Shot repair If you have mustered up the courage to repair your Big Shot , do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. The reason I wrote this post is to give my fellow crafters courage and reassurance that yes we can also repair it if the need arises ! For all technical jargon do read Leumas post as I am trying to keep it simple here! Put your Big Shot baby on its back and start unscrewing screws! Big Shot repair Yeah take a deep breath ,gather more courage-- you can do it , and keep un-screwing more screws!There are 4 big ones in the center [ green arrows] and lots of little ones on the sides [ red arrows] Big Shot repair I am not gender biased but I have to acknowledge certain facts of life- in my home my hubby is 100 times better than me at repairing anything!So if you have a "tool savy" hubby/boyfriend/brother/son/neighbor/anyone....ok you get what I mean.. do butter them into helping you ! If nothing else, they can be the villain and do the hammering bit when that comes and you wont have to hit your Big Shot darling! Big Shot repair Yes this is what I make my busy ENT Head and Neck Surgeon hubby do when he drops home for lunch! Big Shot repair Once you have unscrewed all the screws, pieces will start falling apart. Dont be scared...you will be able to fit it all back together!The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart.If you have the funny L shaped metal [called allen key] your Big Shot came packed with use it to remove your Big Shot handle or simply rotate the handle screw and it will come off. Big Shot repair Once you remove the side panels, things really start to heat up as in become exciting!! You get to see inside your machine and what makes the baby tick and do all the magic! Big Shot repair The view above shows the big shot back on its usual working position but with the base removed [it easily falls away on removing the screws] The 2 big gears are attached to bearings and the cylindrical rollers. Big Shot repair Your Big Shot has a total of 4 bearings [ on the ends of each roller] and the reason we read everywhere "do not force your platform- cutting plate- die - paper- cutting plate sandwich " is that if you force something too thick through your Big Shot, it can crush one of the Big Shot's bearings. Big Shot repair As soon as we opened my Big Shot, the crushed bearing parts fell off and the picture above shows the empty bearing socket with parts of the bearing still attached[ needed hammering to get out] Big Shot repair The picture above shows how the crushed bearing looks- many of the tiny balls in the bearing were crushed and rings deformed badly! When a bearing gets crushed the rollers of the Big Shot will not be able to give the needed uniform pressure to cut the die and replacing the bearing is all that it takes to repair your Big Shot. How to procure a spare Big Shot Bearing Big Shot repair The biggest challenge I faced in repairing the Big Shot was getting the bearing. Check your good bearing to see what is written on it. Mine said NHC 6200 ZZ. Automobile spare part shops stock these bearings. In Bangalore and on an online easy spareparts.com shop I was able to get 6200 Z [for Rupees 67!] and not 6200 ZZ.The 6200 Z was a millimeter smaller and wouldnt fit my Big shot bearing hole. So options you have are Try auto spare-part shops - be sure to have a good bearing to compare with what they have and even better carry the central bearing - roller part with you to see if the bearing the seller gives you fits! Try online shops Write to Sizzix - Shoma of Art Bug said sizzix sent her bearings free! Ask crafters in your country if they know anyone who sells Big Shot spareparts Option 4 worked for me! Shalini Mittal came to my rescue again and guided me to Reena Gupta who sold Big Shot spare parts.The bearing she sent me was not 6200 ZZ but it fit perfectly!! How to fit your bearing into the Big Shot Follow Leumas instructions to fit your bearing into your Big Shot...this requires the most finesse and courage because getting the bearing to fit into the central shaft attached to your roller requires hammering !! If you are too hard your bearing will get crushed and if you are too timid you wont be able to fit your bearing on to the shaft! [ yeah its a sort of paradox!] Once your bearing is fit, the rest is like a jigsaw puzzle...whatever you removed is fit back...We undertook the bearing replacement and final Big Shot reassembly on a Sunday but my hubby had to visit the hospital to see his operated patients and I was too impatient to wait for him and attempted to reassemble it myself. Well I did feel pretty foolish when what I was trying to do for 2 hours he came back from the hospital and completed in 10 mins flat!! For Big Shot owners who are in India I want to give a shout out to Reena Gupta from whom I managed to get my Big Shot bearing [ I am in no way connected to her - I am just a grateful crafter! In fact I could have hugged her when I got my Big Shot working!!] Reena sells Big Shot spare-parts like Big Shot bearings, handle pin and horse shoe shaped spare-part called circlip. Reena also undertakes Big Shot repairs ! So if your Big shot falls sick and you are scared , you can get the professionals to do the diagnosing and repairing for you! My Big Shot is back to life! Yeah my Big Shot is truly kicking and back to life now! And I made this die cut laden Pop up card Pop Up card full of fluttering butterflies to celebrate! Pop up card Yeah I really went to town with intricate die cuts in this pop up card...but I think you can understand why...I had been missing my die cutting machine and was so glad to have it back!! I hope this post about repairing the Big Shot the amateur way will be of help. Do tell me if any of you have had the Big shot/ other die cutting machine breaking down and how you dealt with it....I will edit this post and link to your blog.It will be of help to so many crafters out there.

Much like when my hubby takes my car in for an oil change and tire rotation, he's looking out for our safety and the car's performance. Prevent issues with these simple tips for your Die-Cutting Machine! See this Video Tutorial on how to Flatten/Straighten Bowed/Bent Big Shot Die-Cutting Plates with a quick trip to your kitchen!! Check out this video below to see the Do's and Do NOT's of this quick and easy process! I've been asked more than once (too many times to count, really) how to deal with bowed or bent cutting boards for the Big Shot. Preventative: 1. The Big Shot machine comes with 2 clear plates. Right off the bat mark one for cutting. Use only the cutting mat on top of your sandwich stacks. Be sure to rotate the cutting plate back to front and side to side. It is normal for your cutting plate to get "cut up" with marks from your dies. BUT if your cutting plate starts to curl do not attempt to flatten it with your heat tool or by running it through your machine "bump" side up in a tight stack. It may crack and break! It is still useable with a curl but you are now committed to running it through your machine with the ends curled up. You may also have to push the curled up end down to start your stack when running it through your machine. Ideally it would best to have 3 plates on the go - 1 for cutting, 1 for the bottom of the stack and another 1 to use for embossing only as a top plate. I’ve JUST Stickered my plates as I think it will help us all in keeping them straight – literally and figuratively ha, ha, ha. 2. Each machine is slightly different. Each user should play with their machine to "get to know it". Don't be alarmed if the recommended sandwich stack does not work in your machine. Simply experiment and make adjustments. 3. Once you get to know your machine you may want to run some samples through and record on them your unique recipes if different. You may also want to make your own laminated "recipe" shims and keep them with your machine. See the middle of the video, lol, as I have a cautionary Tale to Tell!! My Tail of Woe - lol. Play this video and leave me a comment on what you think. Share, Pin, Email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+... and Follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more! I love that I was able to experience what TO DO and What NOT TO DO - lol... I hope that this inspired YOU to make your platform cutting boards/plates last longer! 20 Minutes to awesome results!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Gettin' Crafty Stampin' with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!! Flat, again, Clean and more Clear.... the Big Shot Die-Cutting Tool is a FAVORITE tool of mine!! I love that it's a simple tool yet creates amazing WOW Projects, Texture, and more! Coming UP.... Yes I'm soooo very excited about my upcoming Big Shot Club!! Where in 6 Fun Filled Months you will learn amazing techniques that sure to take your projects to a WOW level! Too, these bonus classes allow you to budget for a new Big Shot and over $50 in Big Shot Accessories (or for those who have a Die-Cutting Machine, additional Die-Cutting Tools or Crafting Product!). Bring a Friend for this once-a-month fun class and take home some awesome gifts! I hit the gym at 5:30am during the week... to prevent and correct anything I may have eaten - or stress might have tossed my way - lol - while keeping myself strong and healthy. Treat yourself and your tools to some TLC... keep your heart strong and your tools performing well! I hope this helps you do just that. Thanks for coming by... I post to my blog daily and hope to see you often.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

Big shot repair Hi friends I am sure you can all relate to the feeling we experience when something we love breaks down! A cherished craft punch breaking down is enough to put me into minor depression so you can imagine how devastated I felt when my beloved Big Shot fell ill!! My Big Shot has been with me since August 2012 [here is one of my first Big Shot crafts]and though I am not a professional crafter its been put to some heavy use since I love to use die cuts extensively like in this Lantern Die cut made Lantern or this completely Die cut made 3 D Paper craft Chariot Die cut made Chariot Shortly after the Big Shot's 2nd birthday it started acting cranky..it would only partially cut a die on one side. Analyzing back, I think it was my fault as one of my acrylic cutting plates had cracked a few weeks before that and instead of replacing it immediately I kept on using it and I think that must have contributed to my poor big shot breaking down! Big Shot repair Okay speeding up to what I did...phoned up the most knowledgeable crafty soul I knew [Crafters Corner owner and extremely talented crafter Shalini Mittal] and she diagnosed that a bearing must have broken down and that I should just open up my Big Shot! Does the thought of opening up the Big Shot give you the jitters...? Well I did get the jitters big time but after all I was a surgeon and I talked myself into being brave enough to perform an operation on my beloved Big Shot!Well we surgeons often call in an assistant for difficult cases and yeah you bet I called in my much more "tool savy" hubby to handle this particular case! What do you need to repair your Big Shot Courage! - yeah oodles of it as after all I bet its your most treasured crafty possession! Camera- take photos at each step so that you dont panic when you want to put it back together and things dont fit !! Container- to hold all the screws- believe me there are quite a few screws and washers and you dont want to lose anything! Screw driver- nothing fancy - something you have at home will do. Hammer - Am I serious? Unfortunately Yes ! Yeah each tap of the hammer will make your heart shudder but yes we do need it! Spare-parts Source - this was the toughest one for me and I will tell you about it .. Big Shot repair If you have mustered up the courage to repair your Big Shot , do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. The reason I wrote this post is to give my fellow crafters courage and reassurance that yes we can also repair it if the need arises ! For all technical jargon do read Leumas post as I am trying to keep it simple here! Put your Big Shot baby on its back and start unscrewing screws! Big Shot repair Yeah take a deep breath ,gather more courage-- you can do it , and keep un-screwing more screws!There are 4 big ones in the center [ green arrows] and lots of little ones on the sides [ red arrows] Big Shot repair I am not gender biased but I have to acknowledge certain facts of life- in my home my hubby is 100 times better than me at repairing anything!So if you have a "tool savy" hubby/boyfriend/brother/son/neighbor/anyone....ok you get what I mean.. do butter them into helping you ! If nothing else, they can be the villain and do the hammering bit when that comes and you wont have to hit your Big Shot darling! Big Shot repair Yes this is what I make my busy ENT Head and Neck Surgeon hubby do when he drops home for lunch! Big Shot repair Once you have unscrewed all the screws, pieces will start falling apart. Dont be scared...you will be able to fit it all back together!The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart.If you have the funny L shaped metal [called allen key] your Big Shot came packed with use it to remove your Big Shot handle or simply rotate the handle screw and it will come off. Big Shot repair Once you remove the side panels, things really start to heat up as in become exciting!! You get to see inside your machine and what makes the baby tick and do all the magic! Big Shot repair The view above shows the big shot back on its usual working position but with the base removed [it easily falls away on removing the screws] The 2 big gears are attached to bearings and the cylindrical rollers. Big Shot repair Your Big Shot has a total of 4 bearings [ on the ends of each roller] and the reason we read everywhere "do not force your platform- cutting plate- die - paper- cutting plate sandwich " is that if you force something too thick through your Big Shot, it can crush one of the Big Shot's bearings. Big Shot repair As soon as we opened my Big Shot, the crushed bearing parts fell off and the picture above shows the empty bearing socket with parts of the bearing still attached[ needed hammering to get out] Big Shot repair The picture above shows how the crushed bearing looks- many of the tiny balls in the bearing were crushed and rings deformed badly! When a bearing gets crushed the rollers of the Big Shot will not be able to give the needed uniform pressure to cut the die and replacing the bearing is all that it takes to repair your Big Shot. How to procure a spare Big Shot Bearing Big Shot repair The biggest challenge I faced in repairing the Big Shot was getting the bearing. Check your good bearing to see what is written on it. Mine said NHC 6200 ZZ. Automobile spare part shops stock these bearings. In Bangalore and on an online easy spareparts.com shop I was able to get 6200 Z [for Rupees 67!] and not 6200 ZZ.The 6200 Z was a millimeter smaller and wouldnt fit my Big shot bearing hole. So options you have are Try auto spare-part shops - be sure to have a good bearing to compare with what they have and even better carry the central bearing - roller part with you to see if the bearing the seller gives you fits! Try online shops Write to Sizzix - Shoma of Art Bug said sizzix sent her bearings free! Ask crafters in your country if they know anyone who sells Big Shot spareparts Option 4 worked for me! Shalini Mittal came to my rescue again and guided me to Reena Gupta who sold Big Shot spare parts.The bearing she sent me was not 6200 ZZ but it fit perfectly!! How to fit your bearing into the Big Shot Follow Leumas instructions to fit your bearing into your Big Shot...this requires the most finesse and courage because getting the bearing to fit into the central shaft attached to your roller requires hammering !! If you are too hard your bearing will get crushed and if you are too timid you wont be able to fit your bearing on to the shaft! [ yeah its a sort of paradox!] Once your bearing is fit, the rest is like a jigsaw puzzle...whatever you removed is fit back...We undertook the bearing replacement and final Big Shot reassembly on a Sunday but my hubby had to visit the hospital to see his operated patients and I was too impatient to wait for him and attempted to reassemble it myself. Well I did feel pretty foolish when what I was trying to do for 2 hours he came back from the hospital and completed in 10 mins flat!! For Big Shot owners who are in India I want to give a shout out to Reena Gupta from whom I managed to get my Big Shot bearing [ I am in no way connected to her - I am just a grateful crafter! In fact I could have hugged her when I got my Big Shot working!!] Reena sells Big Shot spare-parts like Big Shot bearings, handle pin and horse shoe shaped spare-part called circlip. Reena also undertakes Big Shot repairs ! So if your Big shot falls sick and you are scared , you can get the professionals to do the diagnosing and repairing for you! My Big Shot is back to life! Yeah my Big Shot is truly kicking and back to life now! And I made this die cut laden Pop up card Pop Up card full of fluttering butterflies to celebrate! Pop up card Yeah I really went to town with intricate die cuts in this pop up card...but I think you can understand why...I had been missing my die cutting machine and was so glad to have it back!! I hope this post about repairing the Big Shot the amateur way will be of help. Do tell me if any of you have had the Big shot/ other die cutting machine breaking down and how you dealt with it....I will edit this post and link to your blog.It will be of help to so many crafters out there.

Much like when my hubby takes my car in for an oil change and tire rotation, he's looking out for our safety and the car's performance. Prevent issues with these simple tips for your Die-Cutting Machine! See this Video Tutorial on how to Flatten/Straighten Bowed/Bent Big Shot Die-Cutting Plates with a quick trip to your kitchen!! Check out this video below to see the Do's and Do NOT's of this quick and easy process! I've been asked more than once (too many times to count, really) how to deal with bowed or bent cutting boards for the Big Shot. Preventative: 1. The Big Shot machine comes with 2 clear plates. Right off the bat mark one for cutting. Use only the cutting mat on top of your sandwich stacks. Be sure to rotate the cutting plate back to front and side to side. It is normal for your cutting plate to get "cut up" with marks from your dies. BUT if your cutting plate starts to curl do not attempt to flatten it with your heat tool or by running it through your machine "bump" side up in a tight stack. It may crack and break! It is still useable with a curl but you are now committed to running it through your machine with the ends curled up. You may also have to push the curled up end down to start your stack when running it through your machine. Ideally it would best to have 3 plates on the go - 1 for cutting, 1 for the bottom of the stack and another 1 to use for embossing only as a top plate. I’ve JUST Stickered my plates as I think it will help us all in keeping them straight – literally and figuratively ha, ha, ha. 2. Each machine is slightly different. Each user should play with their machine to "get to know it". Don't be alarmed if the recommended sandwich stack does not work in your machine. Simply experiment and make adjustments. 3. Once you get to know your machine you may want to run some samples through and record on them your unique recipes if different. You may also want to make your own laminated "recipe" shims and keep them with your machine. See the middle of the video, lol, as I have a cautionary Tale to Tell!! My Tail of Woe - lol. Play this video and leave me a comment on what you think. Share, Pin, Email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+... and Follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more! I love that I was able to experience what TO DO and What NOT TO DO - lol... I hope that this inspired YOU to make your platform cutting boards/plates last longer! 20 Minutes to awesome results!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Gettin' Crafty Stampin' with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!! Flat, again, Clean and more Clear.... the Big Shot Die-Cutting Tool is a FAVORITE tool of mine!! I love that it's a simple tool yet creates amazing WOW Projects, Texture, and more! Coming UP.... Yes I'm soooo very excited about my upcoming Big Shot Club!! Where in 6 Fun Filled Months you will learn amazing techniques that sure to take your projects to a WOW level! Too, these bonus classes allow you to budget for a new Big Shot and over $50 in Big Shot Accessories (or for those who have a Die-Cutting Machine, additional Die-Cutting Tools or Crafting Product!). Bring a Friend for this once-a-month fun class and take home some awesome gifts! I hit the gym at 5:30am during the week... to prevent and correct anything I may have eaten - or stress might have tossed my way - lol - while keeping myself strong and healthy. Treat yourself and your tools to some TLC... keep your heart strong and your tools performing well! I hope this helps you do just that. Thanks for coming by... I post to my blog daily and hope to see you often.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

OH NO my sizzix broke !!! I went to use my sizzix today and the handle turns but then jams and gets stuck noooo..... I looked to...

Much like when my hubby takes my car in for an oil change and tire rotation, he's looking out for our safety and the car's performance. Prevent issues with these simple tips for your Die-Cutting Machine! See this Video Tutorial on how to Flatten/Straighten Bowed/Bent Big Shot Die-Cutting Plates with a quick trip to your kitchen!! Check out this video below to see the Do's and Do NOT's of this quick and easy process! I've been asked more than once (too many times to count, really) how to deal with bowed or bent cutting boards for the Big Shot. Preventative: 1. The Big Shot machine comes with 2 clear plates. Right off the bat mark one for cutting. Use only the cutting mat on top of your sandwich stacks. Be sure to rotate the cutting plate back to front and side to side. It is normal for your cutting plate to get "cut up" with marks from your dies. BUT if your cutting plate starts to curl do not attempt to flatten it with your heat tool or by running it through your machine "bump" side up in a tight stack. It may crack and break! It is still useable with a curl but you are now committed to running it through your machine with the ends curled up. You may also have to push the curled up end down to start your stack when running it through your machine. Ideally it would best to have 3 plates on the go - 1 for cutting, 1 for the bottom of the stack and another 1 to use for embossing only as a top plate. I’ve JUST Stickered my plates as I think it will help us all in keeping them straight – literally and figuratively ha, ha, ha. 2. Each machine is slightly different. Each user should play with their machine to "get to know it". Don't be alarmed if the recommended sandwich stack does not work in your machine. Simply experiment and make adjustments. 3. Once you get to know your machine you may want to run some samples through and record on them your unique recipes if different. You may also want to make your own laminated "recipe" shims and keep them with your machine. See the middle of the video, lol, as I have a cautionary Tale to Tell!! My Tail of Woe - lol. Play this video and leave me a comment on what you think. Share, Pin, Email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+... and Follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more! I love that I was able to experience what TO DO and What NOT TO DO - lol... I hope that this inspired YOU to make your platform cutting boards/plates last longer! 20 Minutes to awesome results!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Gettin' Crafty Stampin' with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!! Flat, again, Clean and more Clear.... the Big Shot Die-Cutting Tool is a FAVORITE tool of mine!! I love that it's a simple tool yet creates amazing WOW Projects, Texture, and more! Coming UP.... Yes I'm soooo very excited about my upcoming Big Shot Club!! Where in 6 Fun Filled Months you will learn amazing techniques that sure to take your projects to a WOW level! Too, these bonus classes allow you to budget for a new Big Shot and over $50 in Big Shot Accessories (or for those who have a Die-Cutting Machine, additional Die-Cutting Tools or Crafting Product!). Bring a Friend for this once-a-month fun class and take home some awesome gifts! I hit the gym at 5:30am during the week... to prevent and correct anything I may have eaten - or stress might have tossed my way - lol - while keeping myself strong and healthy. Treat yourself and your tools to some TLC... keep your heart strong and your tools performing well! I hope this helps you do just that. Thanks for coming by... I post to my blog daily and hope to see you often.

Big shot repair Hi friends I am sure you can all relate to the feeling we experience when something we love breaks down! A cherished craft punch breaking down is enough to put me into minor depression so you can imagine how devastated I felt when my beloved Big Shot fell ill!! My Big Shot has been with me since August 2012 [here is one of my first Big Shot crafts]and though I am not a professional crafter its been put to some heavy use since I love to use die cuts extensively like in this Lantern Die cut made Lantern or this completely Die cut made 3 D Paper craft Chariot Die cut made Chariot Shortly after the Big Shot's 2nd birthday it started acting cranky..it would only partially cut a die on one side. Analyzing back, I think it was my fault as one of my acrylic cutting plates had cracked a few weeks before that and instead of replacing it immediately I kept on using it and I think that must have contributed to my poor big shot breaking down! Big Shot repair Okay speeding up to what I did...phoned up the most knowledgeable crafty soul I knew [Crafters Corner owner and extremely talented crafter Shalini Mittal] and she diagnosed that a bearing must have broken down and that I should just open up my Big Shot! Does the thought of opening up the Big Shot give you the jitters...? Well I did get the jitters big time but after all I was a surgeon and I talked myself into being brave enough to perform an operation on my beloved Big Shot!Well we surgeons often call in an assistant for difficult cases and yeah you bet I called in my much more "tool savy" hubby to handle this particular case! What do you need to repair your Big Shot Courage! - yeah oodles of it as after all I bet its your most treasured crafty possession! Camera- take photos at each step so that you dont panic when you want to put it back together and things dont fit !! Container- to hold all the screws- believe me there are quite a few screws and washers and you dont want to lose anything! Screw driver- nothing fancy - something you have at home will do. Hammer - Am I serious? Unfortunately Yes ! Yeah each tap of the hammer will make your heart shudder but yes we do need it! Spare-parts Source - this was the toughest one for me and I will tell you about it .. Big Shot repair If you have mustered up the courage to repair your Big Shot , do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. The reason I wrote this post is to give my fellow crafters courage and reassurance that yes we can also repair it if the need arises ! For all technical jargon do read Leumas post as I am trying to keep it simple here! Put your Big Shot baby on its back and start unscrewing screws! Big Shot repair Yeah take a deep breath ,gather more courage-- you can do it , and keep un-screwing more screws!There are 4 big ones in the center [ green arrows] and lots of little ones on the sides [ red arrows] Big Shot repair I am not gender biased but I have to acknowledge certain facts of life- in my home my hubby is 100 times better than me at repairing anything!So if you have a "tool savy" hubby/boyfriend/brother/son/neighbor/anyone....ok you get what I mean.. do butter them into helping you ! If nothing else, they can be the villain and do the hammering bit when that comes and you wont have to hit your Big Shot darling! Big Shot repair Yes this is what I make my busy ENT Head and Neck Surgeon hubby do when he drops home for lunch! Big Shot repair Once you have unscrewed all the screws, pieces will start falling apart. Dont be scared...you will be able to fit it all back together!The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart.If you have the funny L shaped metal [called allen key] your Big Shot came packed with use it to remove your Big Shot handle or simply rotate the handle screw and it will come off. Big Shot repair Once you remove the side panels, things really start to heat up as in become exciting!! You get to see inside your machine and what makes the baby tick and do all the magic! Big Shot repair The view above shows the big shot back on its usual working position but with the base removed [it easily falls away on removing the screws] The 2 big gears are attached to bearings and the cylindrical rollers. Big Shot repair Your Big Shot has a total of 4 bearings [ on the ends of each roller] and the reason we read everywhere "do not force your platform- cutting plate- die - paper- cutting plate sandwich " is that if you force something too thick through your Big Shot, it can crush one of the Big Shot's bearings. Big Shot repair As soon as we opened my Big Shot, the crushed bearing parts fell off and the picture above shows the empty bearing socket with parts of the bearing still attached[ needed hammering to get out] Big Shot repair The picture above shows how the crushed bearing looks- many of the tiny balls in the bearing were crushed and rings deformed badly! When a bearing gets crushed the rollers of the Big Shot will not be able to give the needed uniform pressure to cut the die and replacing the bearing is all that it takes to repair your Big Shot. How to procure a spare Big Shot Bearing Big Shot repair The biggest challenge I faced in repairing the Big Shot was getting the bearing. Check your good bearing to see what is written on it. Mine said NHC 6200 ZZ. Automobile spare part shops stock these bearings. In Bangalore and on an online easy spareparts.com shop I was able to get 6200 Z [for Rupees 67!] and not 6200 ZZ.The 6200 Z was a millimeter smaller and wouldnt fit my Big shot bearing hole. So options you have are Try auto spare-part shops - be sure to have a good bearing to compare with what they have and even better carry the central bearing - roller part with you to see if the bearing the seller gives you fits! Try online shops Write to Sizzix - Shoma of Art Bug said sizzix sent her bearings free! Ask crafters in your country if they know anyone who sells Big Shot spareparts Option 4 worked for me! Shalini Mittal came to my rescue again and guided me to Reena Gupta who sold Big Shot spare parts.The bearing she sent me was not 6200 ZZ but it fit perfectly!! How to fit your bearing into the Big Shot Follow Leumas instructions to fit your bearing into your Big Shot...this requires the most finesse and courage because getting the bearing to fit into the central shaft attached to your roller requires hammering !! If you are too hard your bearing will get crushed and if you are too timid you wont be able to fit your bearing on to the shaft! [ yeah its a sort of paradox!] Once your bearing is fit, the rest is like a jigsaw puzzle...whatever you removed is fit back...We undertook the bearing replacement and final Big Shot reassembly on a Sunday but my hubby had to visit the hospital to see his operated patients and I was too impatient to wait for him and attempted to reassemble it myself. Well I did feel pretty foolish when what I was trying to do for 2 hours he came back from the hospital and completed in 10 mins flat!! For Big Shot owners who are in India I want to give a shout out to Reena Gupta from whom I managed to get my Big Shot bearing [ I am in no way connected to her - I am just a grateful crafter! In fact I could have hugged her when I got my Big Shot working!!] Reena sells Big Shot spare-parts like Big Shot bearings, handle pin and horse shoe shaped spare-part called circlip. Reena also undertakes Big Shot repairs ! So if your Big shot falls sick and you are scared , you can get the professionals to do the diagnosing and repairing for you! My Big Shot is back to life! Yeah my Big Shot is truly kicking and back to life now! And I made this die cut laden Pop up card Pop Up card full of fluttering butterflies to celebrate! Pop up card Yeah I really went to town with intricate die cuts in this pop up card...but I think you can understand why...I had been missing my die cutting machine and was so glad to have it back!! I hope this post about repairing the Big Shot the amateur way will be of help. Do tell me if any of you have had the Big shot/ other die cutting machine breaking down and how you dealt with it....I will edit this post and link to your blog.It will be of help to so many crafters out there.

The Big Shot. Indispensable. Truly. When it was first introduced to the Stampin' Up! product line, many demonstrators balked at the $99 initial price and then adding all the fantastic dies and embossing folders. Could our stamp budget accommodate that? Oh yea! And now, I can't make a card without it. I love it! I can't live without it. Order yours by clicking right here! The ladies in my last class saw me freak out when it stopped working. It had been making a squeaky squeaky noise for a while, but everyone gets a little stiff when they age, right? I just gave it a little WD40 in the crank screw and hoped for the best. But suddenly it was unable to crank, and in the middle of a class! So I was all over the internet, youtube, Stampin Connection (demonstrator website). Very little help, one person said her crank shaft broke and her husband fixed it. So I obtained a new crank shaft from Sizzix and started to disassemble my Big Shot. Really freaking out at how deep into the machine I had to go to get to the crank shaft. Then I couldn't get the E clamp off the crank shaft. I had to take it to (my really good friend Tom) my computer repair specialist. He cheerfully removed the E clamp, cleaned out the RUST and installed the new crank shaft. Rust was actually the problem and some mineral oil was the solution, I didn't really need the new part. Tom offered to reassemble the whole machine, but I had only brought him the heavy skeleton of the Big Shot, so I had to come back home and do all the assembly myself. But it is back in action and ready to roll. Update: November 2016 -- the BigShot is still working like a champ, never another squeak or stiff turn! No computer program to learn, no electronics to update, nothing has become obsolete and Sizzix and Stampin' Up! continue to produce outstanding dies and embossing folders every day! Click here to get yours today! Thank you Tom. So now I have dried my tears and I am happily stamping! Dee Tollaksen

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

Much like when my hubby takes my car in for an oil change and tire rotation, he's looking out for our safety and the car's performance. Prevent issues with these simple tips for your Die-Cutting Machine! See this Video Tutorial on how to Flatten/Straighten Bowed/Bent Big Shot Die-Cutting Plates with a quick trip to your kitchen!! Check out this video below to see the Do's and Do NOT's of this quick and easy process! I've been asked more than once (too many times to count, really) how to deal with bowed or bent cutting boards for the Big Shot. Preventative: 1. The Big Shot machine comes with 2 clear plates. Right off the bat mark one for cutting. Use only the cutting mat on top of your sandwich stacks. Be sure to rotate the cutting plate back to front and side to side. It is normal for your cutting plate to get "cut up" with marks from your dies. BUT if your cutting plate starts to curl do not attempt to flatten it with your heat tool or by running it through your machine "bump" side up in a tight stack. It may crack and break! It is still useable with a curl but you are now committed to running it through your machine with the ends curled up. You may also have to push the curled up end down to start your stack when running it through your machine. Ideally it would best to have 3 plates on the go - 1 for cutting, 1 for the bottom of the stack and another 1 to use for embossing only as a top plate. I’ve JUST Stickered my plates as I think it will help us all in keeping them straight – literally and figuratively ha, ha, ha. 2. Each machine is slightly different. Each user should play with their machine to "get to know it". Don't be alarmed if the recommended sandwich stack does not work in your machine. Simply experiment and make adjustments. 3. Once you get to know your machine you may want to run some samples through and record on them your unique recipes if different. You may also want to make your own laminated "recipe" shims and keep them with your machine. See the middle of the video, lol, as I have a cautionary Tale to Tell!! My Tail of Woe - lol. Play this video and leave me a comment on what you think. Share, Pin, Email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+... and Follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more! I love that I was able to experience what TO DO and What NOT TO DO - lol... I hope that this inspired YOU to make your platform cutting boards/plates last longer! 20 Minutes to awesome results!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Gettin' Crafty Stampin' with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!! Flat, again, Clean and more Clear.... the Big Shot Die-Cutting Tool is a FAVORITE tool of mine!! I love that it's a simple tool yet creates amazing WOW Projects, Texture, and more! Coming UP.... Yes I'm soooo very excited about my upcoming Big Shot Club!! Where in 6 Fun Filled Months you will learn amazing techniques that sure to take your projects to a WOW level! Too, these bonus classes allow you to budget for a new Big Shot and over $50 in Big Shot Accessories (or for those who have a Die-Cutting Machine, additional Die-Cutting Tools or Crafting Product!). Bring a Friend for this once-a-month fun class and take home some awesome gifts! I hit the gym at 5:30am during the week... to prevent and correct anything I may have eaten - or stress might have tossed my way - lol - while keeping myself strong and healthy. Treat yourself and your tools to some TLC... keep your heart strong and your tools performing well! I hope this helps you do just that. Thanks for coming by... I post to my blog daily and hope to see you often.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

Much like when my hubby takes my car in for an oil change and tire rotation, he's looking out for our safety and the car's performance. Prevent issues with these simple tips for your Die-Cutting Machine! See this Video Tutorial on how to Flatten/Straighten Bowed/Bent Big Shot Die-Cutting Plates with a quick trip to your kitchen!! Check out this video below to see the Do's and Do NOT's of this quick and easy process! I've been asked more than once (too many times to count, really) how to deal with bowed or bent cutting boards for the Big Shot. Preventative: 1. The Big Shot machine comes with 2 clear plates. Right off the bat mark one for cutting. Use only the cutting mat on top of your sandwich stacks. Be sure to rotate the cutting plate back to front and side to side. It is normal for your cutting plate to get "cut up" with marks from your dies. BUT if your cutting plate starts to curl do not attempt to flatten it with your heat tool or by running it through your machine "bump" side up in a tight stack. It may crack and break! It is still useable with a curl but you are now committed to running it through your machine with the ends curled up. You may also have to push the curled up end down to start your stack when running it through your machine. Ideally it would best to have 3 plates on the go - 1 for cutting, 1 for the bottom of the stack and another 1 to use for embossing only as a top plate. I’ve JUST Stickered my plates as I think it will help us all in keeping them straight – literally and figuratively ha, ha, ha. 2. Each machine is slightly different. Each user should play with their machine to "get to know it". Don't be alarmed if the recommended sandwich stack does not work in your machine. Simply experiment and make adjustments. 3. Once you get to know your machine you may want to run some samples through and record on them your unique recipes if different. You may also want to make your own laminated "recipe" shims and keep them with your machine. See the middle of the video, lol, as I have a cautionary Tale to Tell!! My Tail of Woe - lol. Play this video and leave me a comment on what you think. Share, Pin, Email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+... and Follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more! I love that I was able to experience what TO DO and What NOT TO DO - lol... I hope that this inspired YOU to make your platform cutting boards/plates last longer! 20 Minutes to awesome results!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Gettin' Crafty Stampin' with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!! Flat, again, Clean and more Clear.... the Big Shot Die-Cutting Tool is a FAVORITE tool of mine!! I love that it's a simple tool yet creates amazing WOW Projects, Texture, and more! Coming UP.... Yes I'm soooo very excited about my upcoming Big Shot Club!! Where in 6 Fun Filled Months you will learn amazing techniques that sure to take your projects to a WOW level! Too, these bonus classes allow you to budget for a new Big Shot and over $50 in Big Shot Accessories (or for those who have a Die-Cutting Machine, additional Die-Cutting Tools or Crafting Product!). Bring a Friend for this once-a-month fun class and take home some awesome gifts! I hit the gym at 5:30am during the week... to prevent and correct anything I may have eaten - or stress might have tossed my way - lol - while keeping myself strong and healthy. Treat yourself and your tools to some TLC... keep your heart strong and your tools performing well! I hope this helps you do just that. Thanks for coming by... I post to my blog daily and hope to see you often.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

Much like when my hubby takes my car in for an oil change and tire rotation, he's looking out for our safety and the car's performance. Prevent issues with these simple tips for your Die-Cutting Machine! See this Video Tutorial on how to Flatten/Straighten Bowed/Bent Big Shot Die-Cutting Plates with a quick trip to your kitchen!! Check out this video below to see the Do's and Do NOT's of this quick and easy process! I've been asked more than once (too many times to count, really) how to deal with bowed or bent cutting boards for the Big Shot. Preventative: 1. The Big Shot machine comes with 2 clear plates. Right off the bat mark one for cutting. Use only the cutting mat on top of your sandwich stacks. Be sure to rotate the cutting plate back to front and side to side. It is normal for your cutting plate to get "cut up" with marks from your dies. BUT if your cutting plate starts to curl do not attempt to flatten it with your heat tool or by running it through your machine "bump" side up in a tight stack. It may crack and break! It is still useable with a curl but you are now committed to running it through your machine with the ends curled up. You may also have to push the curled up end down to start your stack when running it through your machine. Ideally it would best to have 3 plates on the go - 1 for cutting, 1 for the bottom of the stack and another 1 to use for embossing only as a top plate. I’ve JUST Stickered my plates as I think it will help us all in keeping them straight – literally and figuratively ha, ha, ha. 2. Each machine is slightly different. Each user should play with their machine to "get to know it". Don't be alarmed if the recommended sandwich stack does not work in your machine. Simply experiment and make adjustments. 3. Once you get to know your machine you may want to run some samples through and record on them your unique recipes if different. You may also want to make your own laminated "recipe" shims and keep them with your machine. See the middle of the video, lol, as I have a cautionary Tale to Tell!! My Tail of Woe - lol. Play this video and leave me a comment on what you think. Share, Pin, Email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+... and Follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more! I love that I was able to experience what TO DO and What NOT TO DO - lol... I hope that this inspired YOU to make your platform cutting boards/plates last longer! 20 Minutes to awesome results!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Gettin' Crafty Stampin' with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!! Flat, again, Clean and more Clear.... the Big Shot Die-Cutting Tool is a FAVORITE tool of mine!! I love that it's a simple tool yet creates amazing WOW Projects, Texture, and more! Coming UP.... Yes I'm soooo very excited about my upcoming Big Shot Club!! Where in 6 Fun Filled Months you will learn amazing techniques that sure to take your projects to a WOW level! Too, these bonus classes allow you to budget for a new Big Shot and over $50 in Big Shot Accessories (or for those who have a Die-Cutting Machine, additional Die-Cutting Tools or Crafting Product!). Bring a Friend for this once-a-month fun class and take home some awesome gifts! I hit the gym at 5:30am during the week... to prevent and correct anything I may have eaten - or stress might have tossed my way - lol - while keeping myself strong and healthy. Treat yourself and your tools to some TLC... keep your heart strong and your tools performing well! I hope this helps you do just that. Thanks for coming by... I post to my blog daily and hope to see you often.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot w...

Sizzix Big Shot Bearing Replacement: This Sizzix Big Shot was not cutting out the paper properly on both sides. The right side, closest to the crank handle, was not applying enough pressure to the cutting die. This suggested to me that the rollers had become misaligned and most likely …

OH NO my sizzix broke !!! I went to use my sizzix today and the handle turns but then jams and gets stuck noooo..... I looked to see if something was stuck in the rollers but I couldn't find anything, so I thought I better pull it apart and see what the problem is. So this is a tutorial on how to safely pull apart your sizzix and fix it. Tools Allen key Phillips head screwdriver Sewing machine oil Small brush Step 1 Remove the black cap off the handle end Step 2 Using the right size allen key undo the screw and slide the handle off Step 3 Using the Phillips head screwdriver undo the screw shown by the arrows Step 4 Once all the screw are taken off you will need to use some force to take off the black sides. They are clipped in but with some patience they will come apart. Step 5 Next is to take off the middle handle and then the plates either side these will come apart easy. All the parts should ow be off the main metal rollers. Step 6 Next is to brush out any fluff in the rollers mine had a bit because it gets a workout with felt... Take off the top small cog by pulling off the plastic stopper and then the cog. Step 7 Now this is where my skateboarding days come in handy....underneath the cogs there are bearings very similar to the ones used in skateboarding wheels and if the get dirt and dust in them they tend not to move or get stuck. So to fix this put some sewing machine oil or any machine oil you have and put it on the bearings. Step 8 Put the small cog and stopper back on... next slide the cranking handle on and give it a few turns all the cogs should move and this will send the oil into the bearings to lubricate them...After a few turns everything should be moving smoothly Now to put it all back together Just go backwards on the way you pulled it apart Plates on first Top carrying handle Clip on sides and screw back in Put cranking handle on Use allen key to put back screw for cranking handle Then place the black cap back You should now have a fully serviced and function sizzix again I hope this has helped anyone who has a broken sizzix and need to fix it Happy crafting!!!!

After reading this artical: When Crafting Goes Wrong by Susanna Boyd over at Papercraft Planet I knew I had to share this. Earlier this year I broke the above piece on my Bigshot in a similar manner as Sussanna did. I contacted Sizzix to find out if I could purchase a replacement for this bit, which they then offered to replace free of charge. I had to wait quite some time as the part was ordered from America but it was worth the wait. So the lesson to this story is simple be careful not to make you sandwich to big and if you did know who to call:) Big thank you to Sizzix for excellant customer service and support.

Sizzix Big Shot Bearing Replacement: This Sizzix Big Shot was not cutting out the paper properly on both sides. The right side, closest to the crank handle, was not applying enough pressure to the cutting die. This suggested to me that the rollers had become misaligned and most likely …

Big shot repair Hi friends I am sure you can all relate to the feeling we experience when something we love breaks down! A cherished craft punch breaking down is enough to put me into minor depression so you can imagine how devastated I felt when my beloved Big Shot fell ill!! My Big Shot has been with me since August 2012 [here is one of my first Big Shot crafts]and though I am not a professional crafter its been put to some heavy use since I love to use die cuts extensively like in this Lantern Die cut made Lantern or this completely Die cut made 3 D Paper craft Chariot Die cut made Chariot Shortly after the Big Shot's 2nd birthday it started acting cranky..it would only partially cut a die on one side. Analyzing back, I think it was my fault as one of my acrylic cutting plates had cracked a few weeks before that and instead of replacing it immediately I kept on using it and I think that must have contributed to my poor big shot breaking down! Big Shot repair Okay speeding up to what I did...phoned up the most knowledgeable crafty soul I knew [Crafters Corner owner and extremely talented crafter Shalini Mittal] and she diagnosed that a bearing must have broken down and that I should just open up my Big Shot! Does the thought of opening up the Big Shot give you the jitters...? Well I did get the jitters big time but after all I was a surgeon and I talked myself into being brave enough to perform an operation on my beloved Big Shot!Well we surgeons often call in an assistant for difficult cases and yeah you bet I called in my much more "tool savy" hubby to handle this particular case! What do you need to repair your Big Shot Courage! - yeah oodles of it as after all I bet its your most treasured crafty possession! Camera- take photos at each step so that you dont panic when you want to put it back together and things dont fit !! Container- to hold all the screws- believe me there are quite a few screws and washers and you dont want to lose anything! Screw driver- nothing fancy - something you have at home will do. Hammer - Am I serious? Unfortunately Yes ! Yeah each tap of the hammer will make your heart shudder but yes we do need it! Spare-parts Source - this was the toughest one for me and I will tell you about it .. Big Shot repair If you have mustered up the courage to repair your Big Shot , do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. The reason I wrote this post is to give my fellow crafters courage and reassurance that yes we can also repair it if the need arises ! For all technical jargon do read Leumas post as I am trying to keep it simple here! Put your Big Shot baby on its back and start unscrewing screws! Big Shot repair Yeah take a deep breath ,gather more courage-- you can do it , and keep un-screwing more screws!There are 4 big ones in the center [ green arrows] and lots of little ones on the sides [ red arrows] Big Shot repair I am not gender biased but I have to acknowledge certain facts of life- in my home my hubby is 100 times better than me at repairing anything!So if you have a "tool savy" hubby/boyfriend/brother/son/neighbor/anyone....ok you get what I mean.. do butter them into helping you ! If nothing else, they can be the villain and do the hammering bit when that comes and you wont have to hit your Big Shot darling! Big Shot repair Yes this is what I make my busy ENT Head and Neck Surgeon hubby do when he drops home for lunch! Big Shot repair Once you have unscrewed all the screws, pieces will start falling apart. Dont be scared...you will be able to fit it all back together!The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart.If you have the funny L shaped metal [called allen key] your Big Shot came packed with use it to remove your Big Shot handle or simply rotate the handle screw and it will come off. Big Shot repair Once you remove the side panels, things really start to heat up as in become exciting!! You get to see inside your machine and what makes the baby tick and do all the magic! Big Shot repair The view above shows the big shot back on its usual working position but with the base removed [it easily falls away on removing the screws] The 2 big gears are attached to bearings and the cylindrical rollers. Big Shot repair Your Big Shot has a total of 4 bearings [ on the ends of each roller] and the reason we read everywhere "do not force your platform- cutting plate- die - paper- cutting plate sandwich " is that if you force something too thick through your Big Shot, it can crush one of the Big Shot's bearings. Big Shot repair As soon as we opened my Big Shot, the crushed bearing parts fell off and the picture above shows the empty bearing socket with parts of the bearing still attached[ needed hammering to get out] Big Shot repair The picture above shows how the crushed bearing looks- many of the tiny balls in the bearing were crushed and rings deformed badly! When a bearing gets crushed the rollers of the Big Shot will not be able to give the needed uniform pressure to cut the die and replacing the bearing is all that it takes to repair your Big Shot. How to procure a spare Big Shot Bearing Big Shot repair The biggest challenge I faced in repairing the Big Shot was getting the bearing. Check your good bearing to see what is written on it. Mine said NHC 6200 ZZ. Automobile spare part shops stock these bearings. In Bangalore and on an online easy spareparts.com shop I was able to get 6200 Z [for Rupees 67!] and not 6200 ZZ.The 6200 Z was a millimeter smaller and wouldnt fit my Big shot bearing hole. So options you have are Try auto spare-part shops - be sure to have a good bearing to compare with what they have and even better carry the central bearing - roller part with you to see if the bearing the seller gives you fits! Try online shops Write to Sizzix - Shoma of Art Bug said sizzix sent her bearings free! Ask crafters in your country if they know anyone who sells Big Shot spareparts Option 4 worked for me! Shalini Mittal came to my rescue again and guided me to Reena Gupta who sold Big Shot spare parts.The bearing she sent me was not 6200 ZZ but it fit perfectly!! How to fit your bearing into the Big Shot Follow Leumas instructions to fit your bearing into your Big Shot...this requires the most finesse and courage because getting the bearing to fit into the central shaft attached to your roller requires hammering !! If you are too hard your bearing will get crushed and if you are too timid you wont be able to fit your bearing on to the shaft! [ yeah its a sort of paradox!] Once your bearing is fit, the rest is like a jigsaw puzzle...whatever you removed is fit back...We undertook the bearing replacement and final Big Shot reassembly on a Sunday but my hubby had to visit the hospital to see his operated patients and I was too impatient to wait for him and attempted to reassemble it myself. Well I did feel pretty foolish when what I was trying to do for 2 hours he came back from the hospital and completed in 10 mins flat!! For Big Shot owners who are in India I want to give a shout out to Reena Gupta from whom I managed to get my Big Shot bearing [ I am in no way connected to her - I am just a grateful crafter! In fact I could have hugged her when I got my Big Shot working!!] Reena sells Big Shot spare-parts like Big Shot bearings, handle pin and horse shoe shaped spare-part called circlip. Reena also undertakes Big Shot repairs ! So if your Big shot falls sick and you are scared , you can get the professionals to do the diagnosing and repairing for you! My Big Shot is back to life! Yeah my Big Shot is truly kicking and back to life now! And I made this die cut laden Pop up card Pop Up card full of fluttering butterflies to celebrate! Pop up card Yeah I really went to town with intricate die cuts in this pop up card...but I think you can understand why...I had been missing my die cutting machine and was so glad to have it back!! I hope this post about repairing the Big Shot the amateur way will be of help. Do tell me if any of you have had the Big shot/ other die cutting machine breaking down and how you dealt with it....I will edit this post and link to your blog.It will be of help to so many crafters out there.

Much like when my hubby takes my car in for an oil change and tire rotation, he's looking out for our safety and the car's performance. Prevent issues with these simple tips for your Die-Cutting Machine! See this Video Tutorial on how to Flatten/Straighten Bowed/Bent Big Shot Die-Cutting Plates with a quick trip to your kitchen!! Check out this video below to see the Do's and Do NOT's of this quick and easy process! I've been asked more than once (too many times to count, really) how to deal with bowed or bent cutting boards for the Big Shot. Preventative: 1. The Big Shot machine comes with 2 clear plates. Right off the bat mark one for cutting. Use only the cutting mat on top of your sandwich stacks. Be sure to rotate the cutting plate back to front and side to side. It is normal for your cutting plate to get "cut up" with marks from your dies. BUT if your cutting plate starts to curl do not attempt to flatten it with your heat tool or by running it through your machine "bump" side up in a tight stack. It may crack and break! It is still useable with a curl but you are now committed to running it through your machine with the ends curled up. You may also have to push the curled up end down to start your stack when running it through your machine. Ideally it would best to have 3 plates on the go - 1 for cutting, 1 for the bottom of the stack and another 1 to use for embossing only as a top plate. I’ve JUST Stickered my plates as I think it will help us all in keeping them straight – literally and figuratively ha, ha, ha. 2. Each machine is slightly different. Each user should play with their machine to "get to know it". Don't be alarmed if the recommended sandwich stack does not work in your machine. Simply experiment and make adjustments. 3. Once you get to know your machine you may want to run some samples through and record on them your unique recipes if different. You may also want to make your own laminated "recipe" shims and keep them with your machine. See the middle of the video, lol, as I have a cautionary Tale to Tell!! My Tail of Woe - lol. Play this video and leave me a comment on what you think. Share, Pin, Email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+... and Follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more! I love that I was able to experience what TO DO and What NOT TO DO - lol... I hope that this inspired YOU to make your platform cutting boards/plates last longer! 20 Minutes to awesome results!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Gettin' Crafty Stampin' with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!! Flat, again, Clean and more Clear.... the Big Shot Die-Cutting Tool is a FAVORITE tool of mine!! I love that it's a simple tool yet creates amazing WOW Projects, Texture, and more! Coming UP.... Yes I'm soooo very excited about my upcoming Big Shot Club!! Where in 6 Fun Filled Months you will learn amazing techniques that sure to take your projects to a WOW level! Too, these bonus classes allow you to budget for a new Big Shot and over $50 in Big Shot Accessories (or for those who have a Die-Cutting Machine, additional Die-Cutting Tools or Crafting Product!). Bring a Friend for this once-a-month fun class and take home some awesome gifts! I hit the gym at 5:30am during the week... to prevent and correct anything I may have eaten - or stress might have tossed my way - lol - while keeping myself strong and healthy. Treat yourself and your tools to some TLC... keep your heart strong and your tools performing well! I hope this helps you do just that. Thanks for coming by... I post to my blog daily and hope to see you often.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot w...

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

The ONLY way I can actually have all of my ducks in a row….. Is if I hold them hostage (and even then one or two fell out of line lol!) This week I am on a Road Trip with my middle daughter... we are covering several states in a 9+ hour each way trip. My family from California is coming out for a wedding in July. My niece is road tripping to us in July as well. (Both of those are with kids!) We will be hiding these TINY little bundles of JOY, wrapped up in a DUCK along the various road trips and day-cations through this summer!! These little duckies will also be shipping across the USA in EVERY one of my online card making classes as well!! There is power in tiny things! Finding these little guys/gals across the USA will be SO MUCH FUN! IF YOU find these little duckies (marked with my GettingCrafty.net blog across the bottom) we ask that you spread some JOY across the USA and Social Media! Take a Photo, Post and Tag WHERE you found YOUR Duck and TAG Me on Facebook @GettingCrafty.net and Instagram @GettingCraftyStamping (Post a photo in your feed and/or story and add the '@' sign and the handle above). I will GLADLY Share YOUR Posts on MY Social Media!! Feel Free to KEEP this Duck or ReHide it to be found again!! Let's fill everyone's feeds with something to look forward to..... and who couldn't SMILE at these little Duckies?!?!? With Almost 600!! Little Duckies prepared to make people smile... I hope that YOU are part of this journey in delivering smiles!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Getting Crafty and Stamping with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!!

Much like when my hubby takes my car in for an oil change and tire rotation, he's looking out for our safety and the car's performance. Prevent issues with these simple tips for your Die-Cutting Machine! See this Video Tutorial on how to Flatten/Straighten Bowed/Bent Big Shot Die-Cutting Plates with a quick trip to your kitchen!! Check out this video below to see the Do's and Do NOT's of this quick and easy process! I've been asked more than once (too many times to count, really) how to deal with bowed or bent cutting boards for the Big Shot. Preventative: 1. The Big Shot machine comes with 2 clear plates. Right off the bat mark one for cutting. Use only the cutting mat on top of your sandwich stacks. Be sure to rotate the cutting plate back to front and side to side. It is normal for your cutting plate to get "cut up" with marks from your dies. BUT if your cutting plate starts to curl do not attempt to flatten it with your heat tool or by running it through your machine "bump" side up in a tight stack. It may crack and break! It is still useable with a curl but you are now committed to running it through your machine with the ends curled up. You may also have to push the curled up end down to start your stack when running it through your machine. Ideally it would best to have 3 plates on the go - 1 for cutting, 1 for the bottom of the stack and another 1 to use for embossing only as a top plate. I’ve JUST Stickered my plates as I think it will help us all in keeping them straight – literally and figuratively ha, ha, ha. 2. Each machine is slightly different. Each user should play with their machine to "get to know it". Don't be alarmed if the recommended sandwich stack does not work in your machine. Simply experiment and make adjustments. 3. Once you get to know your machine you may want to run some samples through and record on them your unique recipes if different. You may also want to make your own laminated "recipe" shims and keep them with your machine. See the middle of the video, lol, as I have a cautionary Tale to Tell!! My Tail of Woe - lol. Play this video and leave me a comment on what you think. Share, Pin, Email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+... and Follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and more! I love that I was able to experience what TO DO and What NOT TO DO - lol... I hope that this inspired YOU to make your platform cutting boards/plates last longer! 20 Minutes to awesome results!! What do you think?? Please Share Me and This with a Pin, Email, Facebook post, Tweet.. and Join Me with a follow on these avenues like Pinterest and YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Foursquare! Get even MORE Gettin' Crafty Stampin' with our Exclusive Mailing List and it's many rewards!! Flat, again, Clean and more Clear.... the Big Shot Die-Cutting Tool is a FAVORITE tool of mine!! I love that it's a simple tool yet creates amazing WOW Projects, Texture, and more! Coming UP.... Yes I'm soooo very excited about my upcoming Big Shot Club!! Where in 6 Fun Filled Months you will learn amazing techniques that sure to take your projects to a WOW level! Too, these bonus classes allow you to budget for a new Big Shot and over $50 in Big Shot Accessories (or for those who have a Die-Cutting Machine, additional Die-Cutting Tools or Crafting Product!). Bring a Friend for this once-a-month fun class and take home some awesome gifts! I hit the gym at 5:30am during the week... to prevent and correct anything I may have eaten - or stress might have tossed my way - lol - while keeping myself strong and healthy. Treat yourself and your tools to some TLC... keep your heart strong and your tools performing well! I hope this helps you do just that. Thanks for coming by... I post to my blog daily and hope to see you often.

Hi Crafters, Dr Sonia here - I am still basking in the euphoria of having achieved something great crafty wise- I repaired my Big Shot when it had issues and now its as good as new! I have written this post with lot of input not only from the supremely knowledgeable Shalini Mittal but from experienced crafters all over the world. And there is a lovely surprise at the end of the post too......so do read on..) ENJOY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS OFFER EVER . Seeing the photos of the broken apart Big Shot on my blog, I got many mails and messages asking about which was a "good" die cutting machine - Well there is no ambiguity on that one- As far as Manual Die cutting Machines go the Sizzix Big Shot is the BEST die cutting machine!! And no its not just my opinion , visit craft forums all over the world and that is what you will read - The Big Shot is the most popular machine out there! And the Big Shot is available at Crafters Corner at the best prices..... Before we go to how to repair the Big Shot if anything should go wrong, Tips on Big Shot Use 1. Use the Big Shot on a hard even surface The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine and you use your hand to roll the handle which turns "rollers" that cut your "die - paper" between the cutting plates + /- the platform. For your Big shot to exert good even pressure it should not be used on the mattress or uneven surfaces! And from a medical point of view dont sit on the ground and craft-- its bad for your back! Use the Big shot on a sturdy "non wobbly" table ! 2.Learn how to use the Platform Platforms of old style and new type Big shot If you are new to the Big Shot you may be confused about the tabs , sandwiches etc. Its actually easy and written on the platform tabs which type of dies to use on which tab of the platform! Tab 2 Tab 1 Both tabs opened Bigz dies dont need the platform- its sandwich is "cutting plate- die- paper - cutting plate"! Always take a moment to read the sandwich recommended on the die / embossing folder instruction leaflet and on the platform of your Big Shot Do not use unknown/ unbranded dies as you really dont know what sandwich is required and how it will affect your machine.....If you use non branded dies it can harm your machine to a big extent ....may be initially you wont realize it but slowly and steadily the damage can occur!You might save few pennies but will pay in dollars ....so a BIG NO TO LOCAL DIES if u want to keep your machine alive. 3. "Shims" Safety What are shims? You may have read "add shims" as an answer to a die not cutting properly. Well a shim is a piece of card added on top of the sandwich to increase the pressure on the die. The problem with "shimming" is that its all experiment- you really dont know how many pieces of card you need to cut nicely and you may add too much and damage you machine! What is the alternative ? - the Metal plate adapter. The popular brands are the wafer thin die adapter by sizzix and the metal plate adapter by Cheery Lynn . I have the one by Cheery Lynn and it makes my die cutting so much quicker- I hardly ever have to make multiple passes of my die and no I dont use shims! Apart from this very essential Metal Adapter plate, to make die cutting easier, Crafters Corner has a whole range of cutting dies accessories 4. Cutting Plate Use Cutting plates When you use the Big Shot for the first time you will be mildly stunned to hear the crackling sounds - dont worry you didnt break anything! You will be even more disheartened to see how quickly your beautiful cutting plate becomes scratched- still dont worry - you can use it!! Keep rotating the cutting plates [ ie keep changing the one which goes on top and the one which goes under the die] Now when should you get a new pair of cutting plates ? Even a little crack - get a new pair! Crack on Cutting plate Yes I had just a tiny crack on one of my cutting plates and I continued to use it and soon my Big Shot fell ill!! Dont use local acrylic plates instead of your Sizzix original cutting plates - Dont save a few pennies and damage your Machine! 5. Do Not Force anything through your machine! 6. Dont tax your Big Shot The Big Shot is actually meant for non commercial use - if you are going to be using it to churn out hundreds of die cuts a day ,you will make the poor thing fall ill! How to Repair your Big Shot Now as I already told you ,I recently had an issue with my Big Shot - shortly after its 2nd birthday and soon after I continued to use a cracked cutting plate[ I shouldn't have done that!] Problem die cutting The problem was it would only partially cut a die. Shalini came to my rescue and diagnosed the problem as a bearing problem and asked me to open up the Big Shot. So open up I had to. Do follow a wonderfully written Big Shot bearing replacement instruction by Mechanical Engineering student Leumas Yrrep. His instructions have everything you need to repair your Big Shot. I am just going to give you a simple overview of how I did it so that you can muster up courage to repair your own Big Shot too in case something goes wrong. Big Shot Put the Big Shot on its back and start removing all the screws using a standard screw driver. Keep all the screws and washers carefully as there are quite a few of them. Remove the Handle Remove Handle Use the allen key [ came with your Big Shot ] to remove the screw on the handle Allen Key If you have lost the Allen key , dont worry you can simply rotate the screw and the handle will come out! Once you have removed the handle and all the screws from the base of the Big shot things will start to fall apart. The side panels may require a bit of force to prise them apart. You will see the gears under the side panel on the handle side. Inspect to see if anything is amiss - eg dislodged gear, broken gear, falling bearing parts etc For me diagnosis was easy as bearing parts fell out as soon as my Big Shot was opened! Bearing Problem In the picture above you can see the empty bearing socket and the photo below shows the crushed and broken bearing. Broken bearing Do follow Leumas Big Shot bearing replacement instructions if you get stuck at any stage while replacing with a new bearing as you do need to do be a bit rough and do a little hammering! Now the biggest problem for me was not opening the Big shot or putting it back together, it was getting the bearing ! I visited so many auto-sparepart shops hunting for the exact bearing, tried online bearing shops and some people even suggested I get a bearing made in the local market. After Shalini came to know about my experience and read my Big Shot repair post she told me the most wonderful news for Big Shot users in India : That she will provide Big Shot spare parts free to all customers who get the Big Shot from her!! Talk about fantastic Customer Service!! I required only a small bearing but here are some of the Original Sizzix Big Shot Spare-parts Shalini has for her customers and that too for FREE !! Sizzix Original Spareparts I did an extensive online search about what all can possibly go wrong with the Big Shot and here is my Big Shot Repair Pinterest Board where I pinned and will keep pinning anything I find. I hope this post will be helpful for both newbies and experienced crafters. Do tell me how it is! Special Offer from Crafters Corner When you purchase a new Big Shot from Crafters Corner.... the spare-parts are absolutely free when required * This is the reason that when u buy craft supplies, always buy from an authorized source . And this is the reason I love shopping at Crafters Corner - you will get the right product , right service , right price, right information..... Highly recommended ! Do get in touch with Shalini Mittal for more details at [email protected] * Terms and conditions apply . Dr. Sonia.

I was sad when my Big Shot broke after 10 years of using it almost daily! After a little reconstruction, it is like new again and I'm so excited!

Sizzix Big Shot Bearing Replacement: This Sizzix Big Shot was not cutting out the paper properly on both sides. The right side, closest to the crank handle, was not applying enough pressure to the cutting die. This suggested to me that the rollers had become misaligned and most likely …

Sizzix Big Shot Bearing Replacement: This Sizzix Big Shot was not cutting out the paper properly on both sides. The right side, closest to the crank handle, was not applying enough pressure to the cutting die. This suggested to me that the rollers had become misaligned and most likely …

Sizzix Big Shot Bearing Replacement: This Sizzix Big Shot was not cutting out the paper properly on both sides. The right side, closest to the crank handle, was not applying enough pressure to the cutting die. This suggested to me that the rollers had become misaligned and most likely …