If you undertake various projects in your home and are passionate about them, you could be a DIY enthusiast. You not only like to take things one step further, but you also apply your knowledge and skills to the project.

A lot of creativity and passion goes into any DIY project. Apart from that, one must have access to handy tools such as hammers, chisels, drivers, tapes, etc. While talking about tape for a DIYer, shim tape is a must-have for any DIY project. It also is a must-have tool for any die-cutting project you may want to encounter.

Here, we will discuss everything you need to know about shim tapes. So, read on.

What is Shim Tape?

Shim means a wedge or a filler that fills up a space or gap, and tape is a narrow strip made of plastic or paper with a coat of glue or adhesive to stick and tie things together. Essentially, shim tape is a narrow strip with adhesive glue, and you can use it to stick things together. But, they are specially designed to fill the gaps and spaces to even out.

It makes the rough or uneven surface smoother to carry out other activities. Thus, it is also known as make-ready tapes. They are available in various sizes and dimensions, with varying widths and thicknesses. Further, it can be applied on any surface to achieve its purpose to even it out.

This universal utility makes it a must-have for any project – be it a DIY project of repairing a part of your home, furniture, decor, or any painting project you may have undertaken. Further, it is super valuable for any die-cutting project too.

Apart from filling up space or aligning the designs, it is valuable in keeping the dies together and intact. It helps in achieving that perfect cut with the die-cutting equipment.

How Can a Shim Tape Work in a Die-Cutting Project?

A die-cutting project aims to have a perfect shape cut out of the materials. A shim tape helps achieve this by various means. Let us understand the steps involved.

Firstly, you need to make sure that you have the exact combination of an embossing plate and the materials and that they accurately form a perfect sandwich. Squeezing the materials together will create a suitable texture and you can cut out an amazing and perfect shape for your project. It also elongates the die-cutting machine’s life span since it will cut the materials in the right places, taking the additional pressure off its blades.

Shim tapes come in handy here since it helps to tie the material together. You can make a perfect sandwich of the materials by tightly tying them together. However, ensure that you do not apply too much pressure on the materials while trying to tie them together.

Otherwise, it will be too hard to cut, and the cut may not be uniform. Applying too much pressure on the material through tapes can damage your die-cutter, especially its blades.

When your first design prototype is ready, you can use it to produce multiple designs of the same material using your die-cutter. You can use the tapes and efficiently come up with a cleaner surface area once the prototype is ready.

It helps you produce as many designs as you want without creating any mess. It can quicken your work and also give you a quality output.