Value A3 Cutting Mat

A self-healing cutting mat in A3 format

The A3 format corresponds to roughly 297x420 mm, that is the area of two sheets of office paper side by side. On a modeling desk that is a size which covers the whole working space, so you do not have to watch where the cut lands. The mat does two jobs at once. It protects the desktop from being cut through and it protects the blade of the knife, which would be blunted or chipped at once by a hard surface. The material is self-healing, that is plasticized so that the trace of the cut partly closes back up and the surface stays flat and usable for a long time.

Use

• Lay the mat on a flat board, because on an uneven surface the cut runs off and the edge will not be straight.
• Hold the knife perpendicular to the surface, because a slanted stroke runs deeper into the material and the grooves then add up.
• Do not use it as a base for soldering or for cutting with a hot knife, because heat damages the material permanently.
• Wipe it with a damp cloth after work, because dried glue and paint soak into the surface.
• Store it flat, because a mat leaned against a wall or rolled up warps permanently in time.
• On a large surface vary the place where you cut, so that the grooves do not pile up in one strip.

Who it is for

It suits everybody who cuts, sands and glues on a desk, that is practically every modeler. A large area pays off especially with kits that have a high parts count, with work on plastic profiles and with building dioramas, where the material is spread over a larger area. At the same time it is the simplest way to protect a desktop that is not used only for modeling.

Do not expose the mat to heat or direct sunlight. Keep it out of reach of children together with the knife you use it with.