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.