slice - hands free mat tips

i wanted to share a few simple tips using the hands free mat, for the slice. the hands free kit is a MUST, for any slice owner. and not just because it's magnetic, and you don't have to hold the slice while it's cutting. although that's cool. i think the biggest thing i have noticed with the hands free kit, is that you get cleaner and more accurate cuts.

for adhesive, i find that the repositionable spray adhesive works the best and gives the most even coverage. and it will last you a long time, on your mat. i know some think that you have to put a fresh coat of adhesive on, every time you go to use your slice. but did you know that it's ok to leave the adhesive on, in between uses? i simply place a 12x12 sheet of cardstock on my mat. it will cover most of the glass, especially the areas that you actually do the cutting on. the tackiness from the adhesive holds the paper there, until you're ready to use the mat again. i just tuck my mat away, or on my expedit shelf.

 

when i'm ready to slice again, i just remove the cardstock, putting it to the side to use again when i'm done. i have left the adhesive on my mat for up to three weeks or more. and the mat is still tacky and useable, even after that much time has passed since it's last use. occasionally, i might want a little more stickiness on the mat. if the mat it still looking pretty clean, i will just spray another coat of the spray adhesive right over the previous coat. it works just fine.

obviously, if you have too much build up or gunk on your mat, you will need to clean it and start fresh with your adhesive. but if it's looking pretty good, don't be so quick to think you need to start from the beginning. sometimes, i might only slice a few shapes. and then it will be a week or two, before i slice anything else. these are really the times where this comes in handy, since you havn't done enough to really wear out your adhesive yet. if you've been slicing like crazy, and doing a TON of cutting, then it might be time to clean up and start fresh.

 

as for cleaning the mat. with my original glass mat, i used to just toss it in the sink and scrub all the adhesive off. but with the hands free mat, you cannot submerge the mat in water. it's magnetic, and has the cushy side on the back for embossing. you don't want to get the mat really wet. i know there's so many ways that people go about cleaning their mat. i'm just sharing my way with you. take it or leave it. i use a mr clean magic eraser. it doesn't have to be the "extra power" one, that's just what i had handy.  

 

i cut one of the sponges into small pieces. usually, just one square will work for each cleaning. i get it wet, and squeeze out the excess water. and then i rub it around the mat, in a circular motion. it gets all the adhesive up and loose, so that i can just wipe it off the mat. i do tend to get bits of adhesive in the grooves along the edge of the mat, and that does drive me crazy. so every once in a while, i get in there with a toothpick, and flick it all out.

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Comments

[michelle]

Great cleaning tips. I LOVE the handsfree attachment!

I generally use a Cricut adhesive sheet, placed on top of my cutting mat and under the Slice unit. This way I never actually have to clean up anything, after a billion uses I just throw away the sheet. I keep wondering if Slice has any adhesive sheets in the works. I'm not a fan of dealing with the mess of cleaning repositional spray adhesive, nor the spread-on liquid adhesive.

[Geralyn Lupo]

Thanks for the cleaning tip. I will try it next time my mat needs cleaning. I too go several weeks and even months between cleaning my mat. I cover mine with a piece of wax paper in between uses.

[Elvira ketterling]

Thanks so much for the info. It's going to save me some time, and I won't think twice to use my slice for small projects.

[Jamie]

hi laura: i love love love my handsfree mat. and, that's a great tip about using a Mr. Clean magic eraser to clean the mat - thanks for sharing!

[UR friend Carla]

Great ideas here girl!! Never thought of the magic eraser! I agree on helpful the hands free is for accurate cuts!

[Cindy Fahrbach]

Great tips, Laura - you're the best. TFS!

[Suzanne Sergi]

Thanks for the tips!!!

[Joanna]

I haven't go hands-free yet, but I'm considering it. I wasn't convinced, when it first came out, that it was worth the money. But the more accurate cuts seem great! Thanks for sharing tips. Now I'll know how to clean it when I do eventually get one.

[Jo-Ann Kaschak]

Thanks, great tip.

[Jennifer Wilson]

thanks for the tip on cleaning the mat. I cover my mat with saran wrap in between cuts. I often go a month or more between finding time and it is still very sticky under the saran wrap.

[Sara Rossi]

Great tips! I never would've thought of the magic eraser!

[Peg]

I love my Slice and am glad to get helpful tips such as this.

[Tonia]

Thanks for posting tips! I'm glad to know about the masking tape in case I ever try spray adhesive. Spreading the liquid adhesive is fun to me, silly I know, so that's what I've bought. To clean it off the mat I liberally spray it with water and wipe it off with a paper towel. The water re-liquefies it so it's easy to wipe off. I only wipe toward the center of the mat so I don't ever need to clean the crack! I got some in there once and you're right, it's annoying.
Between uses I cover it with a sheet of thick acetate.

[Sharry Knight]

Awesome tip for cleaning! It would be nice if you could just slide the glass out of the frame and wash it really well and then slide it back into the frame...but, oh well.
I love my hands free mat.

[Pene]

I tried this and LOVE the way my adhesive came off so easily! Just a word of caution, the 1st time I used what I had on hand too, it happen to be the bathroom eraser and it had something in the middle (chemical) that made my mat so it wouldnt hold the adhesive. It was fine after I cleaned it off with something else. I did try it with the original eraser later and had no problems.