RotaTrim Problem

[ChuckP]

I've been having a problem with my Rotatrim. It's an older model from the late 80's but with very light useage. It's been tearing a small chip off the end corner of the paper cut. I'm talking about cutting fiber paper. I push the cutter to the top when cutting. Sometimes it also leaves a jagged cut with small chips off the edge of the print. A friend said he had the same problem and thinks it was over fixing. Watching his fix times better stopped it. I use Ilford Universal which is not a harding fix. Any truth to over fixing causing this cutting problem? Anyone else seen this problem? It's not every cut but often enough to be troublesome. I use gloves and hold the print in place with my hand when cutting.

My blade looks clean but I thought I'd take it off anyway to check. Is the proper removal to take off the nut and push the shaft out the other side? I see you can buy new cutter blades from B&H.

Also when you park the head for storage should it be at one of the ends where the medal cutting edge is not present?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

Why don't you try pulling the cutter towards you from the top? Rototrims are great, but they're expensive. I got a Fiskars trimmer for scrapbookers that works well. The blades are common and cheap to replace.

http://www2.fiskars.com/Crafting/Pr...Blades/Original-Craft-Rotary-Paper-Trimmer-12

 

[AgX]

Did you check with plain (non-photographic) papers of similar area-weight?

 

[pentaxuser]

Does it happen with similar thickness paper that isn't photographic or say the likes of Portfolio paper which is RC but close to FB thickness?

Do the blades look unblemished?

Just some questions that might help get to the bottom of the problem. Provided that the blades are undamaged then it is my understanding that they are self sharpening which suggests that undamaged blades last a lifetime. I say "my understanding" as alas, I do not posses a RotaTrim

pentaxuser

 

[AgX]

it is my understanding that they are self sharpening

I got a more simple Rotary knife of a german make (Dahle) and it becomes un-sharp: At least the straight edge becomes rounded by time. That "blade" is seemingly un- or not well hardened. It just is part of the "table" of the knife, just bent metal.

 

[Muihlinn]

Rotatrim blades used to be self-sharpening as they rotate, but with time all blades needs replacement. BTW Dahle is a great make.

 

[ChuckP]

Well I took the blade off to check it. I didn't see any obvious problems but I cleaned it off and blew out the housing. I had a hard time getting the shaft piece back in. Had to tap it with a small hammer. After this it seems to work much better. The corner is OK but I do see some small areas of jagged cut sometimes. Easy to see if a dark area is along the edge. This maybe because I'm not holding the paper down tight enough at that spot. I don't push on the plastic bar but on the print with a gloved hand. I'll have to try pressure closer to the edge. I have no idea why this made it better because there really wasn't anything to clean out.

Your suggestion to try something else made me realize I could just try an unprocessed sheet of badly fogged fiber paper. This cut fine and I couldn't see any jagged edges or torn corners. So that still leaves open the question of anything in processing that could leave the paper susceptible to chipping when cutting along the edge. I'm probably overfixing when using 1:4 fixer and two baths because the time is so short. I'll try 1:9 and see if that does anything. Times for 2 bath are still short but easier to control.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Processing can lead to chipping under several circumstances.

1. Using a hardening fix for too long. Overhard paper becomes brittle and can chip and flake.

2. Washing too long or too little can make #1 worse and sometimes even without problem #1.

This only applies to FB paper.

PE