Cricut Maker 3

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====== Cricut Maker 3 ======

<callout title="Sharps Hazard" type="warning" icon="true"> This equipment has a sharp blade. Please take care, and keep hands away when the machine is running. Please dispose of used blades in the sharps bin.</callout>

<callout title="Signing In" type="info" icon="true"> If you do not want to create a Design Space account, you can use the general Bristol Hackspace account, details for which can be found on the back of the machine. </callout>
 
==== Machine Overview  ====
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==== Machine Mats  ====
Machine mats have an adhesive area with just the right grip to hold your material in place during cutting, then allow you to easily remove it when finished.

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  * **Standard Grip (Green)**
    * Ideal for use with cardstock, patterned paper, embossed cardstock, iron-on, vinyl, and more.
   * **Light Grip (Blue)**
    * Ideal for use with common office paper, light cardstock, vellum, and more.
  * **Strong Grip (Purple)**
    * Perfect for securing heavyweight materials such as specialty cardstock, glitter cardstock, chipboard, and fabric with stiffener. 
  * **Fabric Grip (Pink)** - Please note! We do not currently stock the pink fabric grip mat but will be getting it in the future. 
    * Combines increased strength, density, and quality plus a light adhesive to create beautiful cuts with a wide variety of fabrics. Use with Cricut machines and Rotary Blade or Bonded-Fabric Blade.  

==== Machine Blades and Tools  ====
  * **Premium Fine-Point blade + housing** (pictured below) to cut a wide variety of materials, recommended for use with paper, cardstock, poster board, vinyl, iron-on, and other thin to medium weight materials.

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  * **Deep-point blade + housing** (pictured below) makes it easy to perform intricate cuts on a wider variety of materials for your projects. The Deep point blade has a steeper blade angle (60 degrees vs 45 degrees for the other fine point blades) and harder, more durable steel. Recommended for intricate cuts on thicker materials, such as magnet, chipboard, stamp material, thick cardstock, stiffened felt, foam sheets, cardboard, and some fabrics.
    * Deep-Point blades are black in color
    * Must be used with the Deep-Point Blade Housing

{{:equipment:craft:139978-premium_blades_and_housing-003.png?50|}}

  * **Rotary Blade + housing** (pictured below) brings infinitely customizable, precision fabric cutting to the world of home sewing crafts for the first time. With its gliding, rolling action, this unique blade cuts through virtually any fabric quickly and accurately - without the need for a backer material. 
    * Recommended for use with fabrics and other soft, delicate, or less-dense materials, such as tissue paper and cork
    * Recommended image size of 3/4 in (1.9 cm) or larger when using Rotary Blade. Smaller images than this may cause the blade to scrape as it tries to make a small turn, which may leave a gouge in your mat, and may diminish the life of the blade.
    * Must be used with the Rotary Blade drive housing (pictured).
    * Rotary Blade should be used with the FabricGrip mat which is made of a stronger, more dense material that will withstand the intense pressures of the rotary cutting process
    * The drive housing for this blade comes with a plastic cover over the gear at the top of the housing. This cover should remain in place while cutting to prevent hair or other material from getting caught in the gears.

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<callout title="Blade Housing" type="info" icon="true"> Deep-Point blades should be used only in Deep-Point blade housings, and Premium Fine-Point blades should be used only in the Premium Fine-Point blade housing. </callout>

  * **Foil Transfer Tool** (pictured below) is used with Foil Transfer Sheets to add a foil effect to projects on a variety of materials. It comes with 3 interchangeable tips – fine, medium, and bold – all suitable for projects ranging from simple outlines to intricate designs. 
{{:equipment:craft:midas_0001_hosing_3_tips_vert_a.png?70|}}

  * **Scoring Stylus** (pictured below) To use Scoring Stylus instead of Cricut Scoring Wheels with Cricut Maker choose Edit Tools on the cut screen in Design Space. 

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==== Changing the Blade  ====
  - Open Clamp B and remove the blade housing.
  - For Fine-Point blades: Gently push the plunger on the top of the housing and carefully pull out the blade from the bottom.
    - Knife Blade for Cricut Maker machines: [[https://help.cricut.com/hc/articles/360009433914-Replacing-the-Knife-Blade|Replacing Knife Blade Help article]]
    - Rotary Blade for Cricut Maker machines: [[https://youtu.be/lEXHsD_rpV0|View this Changing the Rotary Blade video]]
  - Remove the protective cover from the new blade.
  - Insert the new blade into the housing so that the sharp side of the blade points out of the housing. The magnet in the housing will hold the new blade in place.
  - Return the blade + housing to Clamp B and close it.

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==== Handheld Tools====
  ***XL Scraper** (pictured below) This jumbo-sized scraper allows you to quickly clear machine mats and apply larger vinyl projects to surfaces with ease. 
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  ***Applicator/Brayer and Remover/Broad Tip Tweezers** (pictured below) Eliminate every last wrinkle, kink, bubble, and pucker with the elegantly designed Cricut brayer. It firmly adheres material to your cutting mat and is perfect for pressing down fabric, vinyl, or iron-on, as well as inking blocks for printmaking. Steel broad-tip tweezers make it easy to lift fine threads and excess material from the mat without ever touching the adhesive.
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  ***Cricut Essential Tool Set** (pictured below) 
    *Make clean and precise cuts with the scissors, featuring micro-tip hardened stainless steel blades that come with a removable blade cover. 
    *The tweezers make it easy to lift your cuts easily, with a reverse grip feature that enables you to lift and secure them in one simple step. 
    *The spatula is ideal for preventing tearing and curling as you lift. 
    *The weeder can be used to remove tiny cuts, including negative pieces of vinyl and iron-on from the sheet. 
    *Finally, the scraper will clean off unwanted scraps from the cutting mats and ensure you extend the life of your mats as much as possible.
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