Helping to heal a "self healing" mat?

[Anne B.]

Vinegar!! How crazy is that!?! There are some great articles too read, thanks Renata!

[Renata L.]

I've run into a problem, and I hope one of you ladies knows of a fix.

I've been cutting pieces for a project, and it's a lot of repetitive cutting using a template and cutting each piece one at a time for better accuracy. This means, though, I've been cutting over and over and over and over again on my mat, the same basic cut, in the same basic area, for....a lot of pieces. (note to self: move around the mat next time).

This has, unfortunately, left grooves deep enough that my rotary cutter was skipping, actually getting caught/stuck in the grooves/cuts by the time I noticed it (at first I thought it was a dull blade). You can actually see the indention on the reverse side, which doesn't leave me a lot of hope, honestly.

But...I thought, if anyone would know, you guys would. Are there any tricks to help "heal" a "self-healing" mat?? I've switched mats for now, and will henceforth move around the mat even when cutting specific shapes in mass repetition, but is this particular mat ruined or is there hope for it?

Thanks for any tips!

[Renata L.]

Hi Heather,
my suspicion is that deep grooves cannot be repaired--could be wrong so I hope to see someone make a suggestion to the contrary. However, you might want to look at this website--it is possible you might be able to soften your cutting surface sufficiently that the grooves may not be as deep: http://quiltingdigest.com/must-know-tips-for-caring-for-rotary-cutting-mats/. I have not tried this but will definitely give it a shot since I've never conditioned my mat in eight years--it's time! Vinegar seems to work for all sorts of things and I cannot imagine it doing further damage (I have been using vinegar for years as a substitute for fabric softener in my wash).

[Anne B.]

Thank you!

Yes, that's my fear, I probably ruined it, at least in that area. I should have thought to move around the mat when cutting the same thing over and over again...it just didn't dawn on me, at all, so instead of moving my ruler/template down the strip, I was scooting the strip to where I was standing/positioned for cutting. Ugh.

I'll try the tips in the link; nothing can make it worse at this point, so anything that might help, I'll give it a try