There’s tons of die cutting machines and finding the right one for you is definitely a personal choice cause it depends on what you will be using it for. In my case, I make cards. When I injured my shoulder, I experienced extreme pain in my hands and fingers as well as my shoulder which was why I gave up crocheting and knitting.
I needed an electric machine. Don’t think for a minute though that I don’t love my manual die cutters, I do. And, I still use them a LOT. It’s just when I need a break for my arm’s sake or if I’m working on several things at a time, it’s good to have an electric machine handy. Another reason for my investment is that some dies are tricky to cut and the Gemini specializes in that so that you get a clean cut even with intricate die sets.
The Gemini die cutter is an excellent electric machine. It cuts and embosses and comes with 2 clear plastic cutting plates, 1 plastic shim, 1 metal shim, 1 magnetic shim, rubber mat and a few die sets to get you started. I’ve listed some pros and some cons to consider from my experience in using the machine, but keep reading cause I have some tips for turning the cons into pros!
PROS:
- Good price point
- Cuts intricate dies
- Embosses as well as does 3D embossing
- It’s not that big so doesn’t take up a lot of space
- It works just feeding your sandwich through the machine
- Has a reverse feature
- Not very loud (which was really important to me)
CONS:
- Plastic and Magnetic shim tends to warp over time when using which affects the cutting plates (I have a fix for this)
- Magnetic shim gets really beat up after a lot of use
- Sometimes you have to change up the sandwich order to get a good cut
To Use: The sandwich is pretty simple in order to use this machine, you typically put down in this order:
1 cutting plate
plastic shim
magnetic shim
your cardstock paper
die with the cutting side face down
1 clear cutting plate
Then send this sandwich through the machine.
FIX/SOLUTION for WARPING
There’s a couple of fixes I’d like to share and I can’t take credit for any of these! Over the time I’ve had my machine, I went through so many shims and cutting plates that I had to find a solution! I love die cutting and I work my machine a lot. Anyway, I follow several crafters on YT and Jennifer McGuire is definitely one of them! She’s shared many videos on preventing warping and two of them really caught my eye. Here’s a link here and here in case you want to watch them.
In a nutshell, you can unwarp cutting plates by boiling water in a large pot and place your warped plates in a plan, pour some of the boiling water on top and then place the pot on top of the plate for about 20 minutes. Then remove it and let the plate cool off before you touch it. This un-warped my plates, however I don’t want to follow this procedure every time I die cut. So, her 2nd video is the my favorite option.
She suggested purchasing Crafter’s Companion’s “double-sided die plates“. These folks are the makers of the Gemini machines and they have double sided dies that you can purchase if you want to make other items that cut on both sides. I don’t do that but because these plates cuts on both sides, they remain straight and don’t warp. PLUS!, no more using plastic and magnetic shims! That’s right!
The sandwich for this method is:
1 clear cutting plate
1 double-sided cutting plate
paper
die face down
1 double-sided cutting plate
1 clear cutting plate
I’ve been using this technique for years now and no warping and I’ve been doing a lot of die cutting! I highly recommend these! They will get beat up over time if you do a lot of die cutting, so I do replace them but NOT nearly as often as I was with the shims!
Where to Purchase the Gemini Jr.
- Amazon
- Scrapbook.com
- Crafter’s Companion
More info on Crafter’s Companion Double-Sided Cutting plates (If they are out of stock, sign up for the “notify me” and you’ll get an email and/or text when they’re back in stock.)
UPDATE: The Gemini just got an upgrade! Introducing the Gemini II Die Cutting Machine!
Learn more about this machine here!
