Here are a couple of tips to ensure you get the best performance from your new craft punches.

1. When you buy a new craft punch allow it to acclimatise to the temperature in your home for a while before using it. It may have previously been stored in a colder or warmer environment and gone through temperature changes during its journey to you.
2. Use your new craft punch a few times on some thin scrap paper to loosen it up before using it on a proper project. New craft punches will always be stiffer and harder to use to start with and will loosen up with use.

For tips on how to continue to keep your punches in tip top condition see our previous post on Caring For Craft Punches.

Your craft punches shouldn’t need much care however the following tips may be useful.

1. Should a punch appear to become blunt, you can sharpen it by punching through tin or aluminium foil a few times.
2. If the punch is sticking (it shouldn’t) you can use a silicon polish on it, it must be silicon not wax.