People
sometimes comment that their cutters are leaking. Most cutters of the
pencil type are not prone to leaking. Some of the pistol shaped
cutters seem to have more difficulty.
One
possibility is that the oil being used is too thin for the system
that dispenses the oil. In that case a little thicker oil may cure
the problem.
It
may be that the oil is leaking from some where else than the valve or
wick that is intended to dispense the oil. This sometimes happens
when excessive pressure has been put on plastic handled cutters
whether pencil or pistol. In this case, the alternative is to replace
the cutter or use another method.
The
other method could be called the dip and cut method. In this case you
leave the reservoir empty and have a shallow container filled with
oil soaked cotton wool. Dip the cutter wheel into the cotton wool
before each cut and this will give you enough lubrication for the
score. A variation on this is to dip a brush in a container of oil or
turpentine substitute and paint along the line of the cut before
scoring. Both are effective.
Although it is not a repair, you can push a cotton wool lump down to the valve or wick, saturate it with oil and then there is enough oil to lubricate the cutter wheel, without an excess to leak out. You do need to renew the oil for the lump of cotton wool from time to time.
A leaky cutter can also be caused by debris between the wick and the cutter wheel. This allows the oil to flow out the wick, along the debris, onto the wheel and then leak. Clean your cutter now and then, it helps.
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