Intro to Spellbinder’s Glimmer Hot Foil System

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m generally not an early adopter of new gadgets. Most of the time I find the tools I already have work just fine for the cards I want to create. But! The Glimmer Hot Foil System is a dynamic little gadget that I’ve really fallen in love with. I’ll link to several other blogs at the end of this post that demonstrates just how versatile this little beauty is. Ok, so what exactly is the Glimmer Hot Foil System? Instead of some kind of adhesive or toner to apply foil sheets, this system uses heat and pressure. Let’s first take a look at the various pieces of the Glimmer Hot Foil System.

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Intro to Spellbinder’s Glimmer Hot Foil System

Now for all the details! Don’t worry there’s a video too! Here are the basics for you.

This is NOT a die cutting system.
You DO need a die cutting machine like a Platinum or Big Shot.
A foiling die does NOT have a cutting edge.
Deco Foil and Hot Foil are NOT the same things.

So the base of the Glimmer Hot Foil System has to be plugged up. The platform slides into the base and simply plugs into base. Once you switch on the Glimmer Hot Foil System, it takes about a minute to heat up the gray area on the platform. The platform gets HOT but not so hot that you’re scared you’ll burn yourself. Just use caution and it’ll be fine.

Place a foiling die on the platform face up, you know, so you can see the design. Then, cut a piece of Hot Foil to roughly the same size and shape of the foiling die. Place the Hot Foil silver side up. The color or pattern should be face down. Put down your paper on top of the foiling die and the Hot Foil and then add the spacer plates.

Press the ‘Timmer’ button to heat up the foiling die to the proper temperature. It takes about 20 seconds.

Finally, remove the platform and run it through your die cutting machine. It WILL sizzle a little bit and that’s perfectly okay!

Things You Need to Know about the Glimmer Hot Foil System

A few things I learned watching videos and using the machine myself…

Trim away as much extra Hot Foil as you can. This prevents foil from going places it shouldn’t.
You can use regular dies with this system too which I demonstrate in the video.
If Hot Foil gets on your project in an unwanted place, use a sand eraser to remove it.
It’s easier to start with a piece of paper that is too big and then cut it down.

Links to other blog posts about the Glimmer Hot Foil System