CB09 Blade Portrait 3

Blade Replacement Alternatives for Portrait 3

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Hi Everyone!

I’ve been cutting a lot of gift tags the past few weeks and I noticed my Auto Blade that came with my machine is getting dull. I searched on Amazon for a replacement and one single Autoblade is $16.99, yikes!! You have to replace the whole thing, not just the little blade inside.

So I did a little research and I found this CB09 blade that should work with the Portrait 3 and Cameo 4, you just need to put it in the Blue Tool Adapter, before inserting it into your machine.

**Links may be affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if items are purchased via the links.

I got mine a couple of days ago and I decided to try it out. It is a little bit of a process to set it up, but it seems like it’s going to be well worth it.

I’m going to test on some of my heavy cardstock, so I’m going to use one of the 45 degree blades with the red tip. I also need one of the little springs that comes with the blades.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3

Carefully remove the red rubber tip and slide the tiny spring onto the blade.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3

Then, unscrew with black plastic barrel on the blade holder. Insert the blade with the spring into the body of the holder. There’s a small hole with a magnet inside that will grab the blade when you insert it into the holder.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3

Screw the black plastic barrel back onto the holder.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3

I still have my dull auto blade and the blade depth is set to 7 which is what I use for my heavy cardstock. I’m going to twist the ridged silver metal portion of the holder so the blade is peeking out at approximately the same distance as my auto blade. It’s barely showing at the tip of the holder.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3

Now I’m going to put the entire holder into the Blue tool adapter, and snap it closed.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3
CB09 Blade Portrait 3

Time to load it into my Portrait 3 machine!

In Silhouette Studio I made a small 0.5 inch square to test.

CB09 Blade Test Portrait 3

In the send tab, I’m going to select Heavy Coverstock as my material and Ratchet blade as my tool. I want to try my blade depth on 7, Force of 30 and 1 pass.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3

I load my mat and send it through my machine. I lifted my cardstock off the mat to see if the cut went all the way through. It didn’t quite cut all the way, so I will try one more pass.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3

After the second pass, it cut all the way through. So now I’m going to save these material settings in Silhouette Studio.

CB09 Blade Portrait 3

So now my blade is set up to cut heavy cardstock. If I want to cut other materials, I will need to adjust the blade depth by turning the ridged silver part of the CB09 holder. There are no markings on the holder, so I will probably add a sticker and draw some lines on it so I know where I had my blade set for different materials.

This blade did a very nice cut, and with all the replacement blades it came with, it’s a fraction of the cost of the Auto Blade. I’m excited to see how long these blades last!

12 Gift Ideas for Someone Who Owns a Cricut or Silhouette Machine

in ,

Hi Everyone!

With the holidays getting closer, I wanted to share some gift ideas for people who already own a Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine. These are also great for someone who will be getting a machine for Christmas this year and you want to get them a few little extras.

Here are my top 12 gift ideas: (Note: Amazon links are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you purchase by clicking the link)

  1. Extra Cutting Mats

You can never have too many cutting mats! I like having a few of each color so If I’m making multiples of the same project I can set up additional mats while one is running on the machine. I haven’t bought any off brand mats yet, but a lot of people swear by the Nicapa brand on Amazon. But if you’re not willing to risk going with an off brand yet, check the Cricut website, Amazon, Michael’s, JoAnns, Hobby Lobby, or any other craft stores, someone usually has them on sale. For my Silhouette machine, I haven’t found an off brand mat that I like yet, but once again, check Amazon, craft stores, or Swing Design to see if there are any sales.

2. Extra Cutting Blades

A lot of people buy off brand replacement blades from Amazon and claim they last much longer than the Cricut or Silhouette brand blades. there are a lot of options, make sure you read the details and reviews to check that they will with with your machine. I haven’t tried any out yet, but I just ordered some blades that should work with Portrait 3 (with a CB09 holder and the Blue tool adapter). I’m very excited to try these once I get them!

There are also A LOT of off-brand replacement blades for Cricut at a fraction of the cost of a Cricut brand replacement. You use the same blade housing that came with your original Cricut blade. As always, read the descriptions and review to make sure the blades are compatible with your particular machine.

3. Paper Trimmer

I know it seems silly to buy a paper trimmer when you have a big expensive machine to cut cut paper, but a paper trimmer really comes in handy when you need to quickly cut down a piece of paper or cardstock into smaller sizes.

4. Craft Knife

Also, it seems silly to buy a craft knife or an Xacto knife when you have a fancy machine. But this little tool can be a lifesaver when you’ve already removed your mat from the machine and there are a few areas that didn’t quite cut all the through like they should. I recommend an Xacto knife or another generic brand over the Cricut True Control Knife. You can use standard #11 blades with an Xacto or generic, Cricut has it’s own special replacement blades, of course!

Fiskars Softgrip Craft Knife (12-67007097)
Fiskars School, Office and Craft Division
Buy on Amazon

5. Self Healing Cutting Mat

This a great for protecting your workspace as well as having a nice little area to assemble projects. I own several of these in a few different sizes.

6. Delicate Surface Tape

This tape is awesome! I used to use blue painters tape to help hold my projects on my mat, but sometimes it would rip the cardstock. This tape rarely tears my cardstock and it does a great job holding my foil in place when I’m using my foil quill.

7. Tape Runner

These are super nice for assembling cards and envelopes and you don’t have to wait for glue to dry!

8. Pen or Marker Adapter

If you want to use any non-Cricut brand pens or marker with your machine, these are a must! And well worth it in my opinion. Check the details to make sure you are buying the correct one to fit your machine. These are also great for Silhouette machines, but not as necessary since they have a great adapter already.

9. Sakura Gelly Roll Pens

These pens are amazing on black or dark colored cardstock! The Cricut metallic gel pens DO NOT show up very well on black or dark colored cardstock, don’t waste your money on them. In order to use these with a Cricut machine you will need a pen adapter (see above). They fit in the Silhouette pen holder too!

10. Glue Pens

These are a fun little accessory you can use to foil, glitter, or heat emboss. You can buy the WRMK Glue Quill kit which comes with adapters for each machine. Or you can buy just some glue pens, but you will need pen adapter for your machine.

11. Light Pad

A lot people use these to help see the cut lines while they’re weeding vinyl or cardstock. It’s also great for tracing designs! This one is a fraction of the cost of the Cricut brand.

12. Foil Quill Set

I recommend this to everyone I know that has a machine, I love it! Don’t waste your money on the Cricut Foil Transfer Kit. The Foil Quill is so much more consistent and it works on way more materials. Just be aware, it will void the warranty on your machine, which is usually about a year. My Cricut machine is way out of warranty and I’ve also been using it in my Portrait 3 that I got this year without any issues. You can also check JoAnn’s, they often have deals on the Foil Quill.

That’s all for now! I hope I gave you a few ideas for gifts you could ask for or for someone you know that has a machine.