How to Sharpen Your Scrapbook Craft Punches

Scrapbookers use paper punches to create different shapes of paper that can be used as embellishments on a scrapbook page or other paper craft project. These little tools often become dull or may get stuck when you are trying to punch through certain papers. Sharpening or lubricating the punch makes the tool easier to use.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning cloth
• Aluminum foil
• Wax paper

1. Clean the punch with a damp cloth or mild cleaning solution to remove any lint or adhesives.

2. Take a piece of aluminum foil and punch your craft punch through it several times to sharpen the edges. Punch on a thicker paper like card stock to see if it cuts more easily.

3. Punch your craft punch through a piece of wax paper several times to lubricate the punch.

Tips & Warnings

• If your craft punch starts to jam regularly then put it in the freezer so that metal can shrink slightly and this may solve your problem.

• Use craft punches to make inexpensive embellishments for your scrapbook pages. You can use a punch shape to decorate a page border or a photo frame.

• If you are using sand paper to sharpen your scrapbook craft punch then you should be extremely careful not to sand too much or too hard because you may ruin the punch if the edges get damaged.

References

• Creative Crafts You Can Do in a Day; North Light Books