kst8catfan

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Everything posted by kst8catfan

  1. We've had a Pcut 24" cutter for over a year now and it has paid for itself, I'm sure. The one major issue I have with it is that I can't seem to dial it in to do high quality letters in the 1/4" - 1/2" height range. Letters like A's & T's have slanted cross lines and just a rough overall appearance. We've taken on a major project for us in a new building here. We'll be doing all the room and ADA signs to the tune of about $8000 in profits alone for our small shop. Along with those signs, the architect has asked us to bid on a glass/acrylic "Donor Wall" that will use sign vinyl for the lists of contributors. We've been doing laser & rotary signs for close to 20 years , but the sign vinyl part of our business is relatively new...just a little over a year. In a part time job I have, they use a Roland GX-24 cutter for making heat press transfers and the quality of the letters in smaller sizes is more than suitable for our needs. But, with the budget crunch we're in right now, there's no way we'll be allowed to purchase a higher priced cutter like the Roland. Used Rolands of any type of good quality are about impossible to find. So, on to my main question. Could I talk someone into giving me a quality review of the Copam 24" from UScutter. I've seen bits and pieces, here and there on this cutter, but I'd like to hear from someone that has used both the Copam and maybe a higher end cutter to honestly compare them for me. I think I can convince my superiors to allow me to purchase one if it will give me the quality I'm looking for. Thanks in advance. Kris
  2. kst8catfan

    glsss

    Beer mug >> mask it using any old sign vinyl >> laser it >> sandblast it >> peel the masking. Comes out perfect
  3. We were awarded a huge job at a new building on our campus. Most of the stuff we bid on was normal, everyday stuff for our little 2-person shop...just a ton of it to do. The architects keep adding and changing things though and I've got a task that I need help in making happen. We're "frosting" 38 glass office walls using 3m vinyl. We know how to do it...there's just so much to do in a little amount of time. One of these offices has a poorly placed column, right in the center of the glass wall, with about 2" of space in which to apply the vinyl. My hands are WAY too fat to fit in this area, obviously. I suggested applying the vinyl to the outside of this one office, but the architects, in their infinite wisdom, said they'd have the glass company remove the glass wall for us to do our vinyl work, then reinstall. If they want to go to that expense, more power to them. All that being said, here's my project. The architects want to disguise this column from view by using a combination of "frost" and graphics. Attached is a drawing of their design. The part I'm struggling with is the text. The longest black stripe measures 6" wide by 5' tall. By placing the purple and black stripes on the inside of the glass, won't the text look funny if I just sandwich it in between the black stripes and the glass? I'm thinking it will leave air pockets at the edges of the text vinyl. Any ideas? Should I be layering this or is there some other solution? Thanks in advance. Kris
  4. Emailed him a few minutes ago...thanks for the heads up.
  5. Correct....the architects have it spec'd out that way and won't change their minds....believe me, I tried. And I'm not going to risk losing the rest of the job because of this one problem...it means thousands in profits for our little shop.
  6. Anyone on here do this kind of printing?
  7. Just worried about air bubbles, but good idea.
  8. I agree. I'll attempt to find someone in the area that does this type of printing. I think that'll be the safest way to get this job done.
  9. Thanks for all your replies.... I'm going to check into the printed things. I been experimenting in my office, on the window in my door. The layering thing really doesn't look too bad with the exception of the stupid air bubbles under the black. I put some white letters directly on the glass...then laid a scrap of black over the top. I was able to work the air out from around the letters so it doesn't look too bad at all....it's just going to be such a large area that I'd like to apply this wet to make sure I don't get any air in the open parts of the black and purple. Mader... I signed up over at signs101 several months ago after learning about them from this site. I don't think I've actually written anything over there out of fear of getting eaten alive by several primadonnas. I do lurk and search and read a lot on there, but it kills me when you go to the "newbie" section. Someone will ask some very basic questions only to be bombarded by "professionals" telling them to go learn it on your own and come back when you have some experience. The "professionals", it seems, want newbies to pay for the privilege getting their advice. I guess what I'm trying to say is that's why I like this site. I don't know alot about the sign industry, although I've been working in it in one form or another for close to 20 years. I still have LOTS of basic type questions. I'm glad that the people here, in general, are willing to spread their knowledge they've gained from years of hard work. I do it all the time when people ask me about the things I'm self-taught on, like laser & rotary engraving, CorelDraw, Photoshop, etc. These were things that were thrown at me and I was expected to be able to be professional from day one. No one is going to make me miss a Harley payment just because I gave away a little free advice...I never feel anyone is taking a sale away from me. Once again, I appreciate all the responses I got here (keep the ides coming please)....true professionals are willing to share ideas.
  10. That's kind of what I was thinking, having them printed then I'd apply them and piece in the frost around them. Wasn't really sure if they could be printed that way, though. I should clarify a little...these are all interior walls we're doing...nothing exposed to sunlight or outside temps. Can these be printed so I can apply them to the inside of the glass and view normally from the hallway?
  11. I have previous experience with Roland cutters and Versatech printer/cutters and have found them to be top quality, but the price was not even close to where I needed to be. I bought the 24" P-Cut from USCutter a year or so back and it has done nearly everything I asked it to do with the exception of small fonts and intricate designs....it just didn't have what it took. I bought the Copam after asking here about its quality. Nearly everyone that replied said for the money, it will do as fine detailed work as any machine out there. I'll have to disagree in this case. I paid more than double what the P-Cut cost and I haven't seen anything worth the extra dollars YET. I know there will always be adjustments that need to be made...that's obvious...but I expected a little better performance right out of the box than I'm getting (and a few others here, it sounds like).
  12. I think I saw where we can buy new cutter strips somewhere....I think I'll attempt to use a file to flatten mine out....I don't have much to lose, I guess. I have to try something to make this work or I'll be stuck with an $800 boat anchor and an anger situation I really don't need right now. I have a sale that I refuse to let go because of a sub-par piece of equipment.
  13. I'm thoroughly convinced that in my case, my cutting strip is the cause of my problems. It just looks to the naked eye to be sticking up too far and when I run my fingers across the length of it, I can feel the variations in height. If it weren't for the fact that my 30 days was up 5 days ago, I'd ask for an exchange or refund. WELL my cutting strip sticks up as well. is it supposed to be flush? 1/8" high? 1/4" high? wish we could get some solid answers. I want nothing more than for this machine to perform with precision and i would even buy the largest one they have. I think what bothers me the most is the fluctuation (waviness) of the strip....run your fingers down the length of it...I can bet you'll feel what I'm talking about (all the highs & lows) on yours.
  14. I'm thoroughly convinced that in my case, my cutting strip is the cause of my problems. It just looks to the naked eye to be sticking up too far and when I run my fingers across the length of it, I can feel the variations in height. If it weren't for the fact that my 30 days was up 5 days ago, I'd ask for an exchange or refund.
  15. I wouldn't doubt it at all. With all the issues I read on here about the Copam having parts mis-aligned or mis-adjusted out of the box, I now question whether my purchase was a good one. My P-cut has paid for itself, but I knew when I bought it that I was going to use it for things that didn't really have to be precision cut. The Copam was bought with the thinking I was going to get that precision I needed for a reasonable price. I guess the old saying is true....."If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".
  16. I did some experimenting late yesterday afternoon. Thinking I needed to shim up the bladeholder a little bit, I placed a nylon washer that is .062" thick on the holder so when it's in place, the holder rests on the shim, not the flange. After several test cuts and several adjustments, I was able to get it where my cutouts were usable. Now I have the same issue as several on here...barely cuts in certain spots and almost goes through the backing in other spots. I'll attempt to "hammer" the cutting strip so it's uniform as best I can, but at least my shim experiment kept the nose of the bladeholder from marking the vinyl and also isn't dragging up the vinyl in the corners of M's & W's at all. After I get these first few names cut, I'm going to continue to experiment with the shim...It doesn't need to be as thick as it is now, but thats all I had available at the time. The project I have currently waiting on this process is part of a huge sign contract our little 2 person shop was awarded that will include glass/vinyl donor walls, ADA room signs, a couple hand-made "welcome" signs that are 2'x5' using HDU Foam, and "frosted glass" vinyl applied to 38 offices. It will mean a HUGE chunk of change for us and at the same time, save the state almost half of their initial estimates for all this work to be done by outside contractors. It just all has to be done by the 2nd week of January.
  17. Yeah, I tried offsets too. Another thing I noticed was that in the instructions, the picture shows a gasket underneath the bladeholder mounting flange....mine didn't come with that gasket. If there's supposed to be a gasket/spacer there, it might make all the difference in the world. If the bladeholder wasn't as low it would mean the blade could stick out further and maybe the bladeholder rounded surface wouldn't drag up the vinyl from the backer. But in the Chinese to English translation of the manual, they might be using the term gasket, but it really means mounting surface....I can't imagine the need for an actual gasket where the instructions say it is. Ideas?
  18. Seems like several are having the same problems with the Copam. I'm beginning to think it was a mistake making this investment. I've been attempting to cut 1/4" - 1/2" letters since I got my Copam a few weeks ago with no luck. I use several different brands of vinyl and have tried the stock blade, replacement blades from USCutter, and now the Clean cut blades. I quoted Dakotagrafx because I tried this morning using FDC vinyl that was sent by my supplier. When I finally got a name (.40" tall Verdana font) that I could salvage, I felt the FDC vinyl didn't hold to the backing as well as others. Lower case L's and I's and periods were almost falling off the backing when I picked it up to move it across my desk. There just doesn't seem to be any adjustment to the force on the Copam that I got. When I installed a new blade I followed the instructions with the copam and also with my P-Cut... the blade tip sticking out of the holder about 1/2 the thickness of a credit card, then fine adjust from there. With the blade out about 1/2 the thickness of a credit card, I though this thing was gonna cut through the bottom of the machine....it literally shredded the vinyl I was using for test cut. I backed off the amount the blade was sticking out until it was not sticking out at all before it would not tear the material. Force pressures were adjusted accordingly. Still no luck. I was able to keep making adjustments until I got larger objects to cut somewhat normally (with the exception of no matter what I do, the aluminum blade holder is leaving marks on all the material, but it seems to wipe off with effort) but still can't even get close to cutting fine details at all. In looking for reasons why I seem to be having trouble with blade adjustment, it appears to me that the teflon(?) cutting strip sticks up above the surface a long ways...just seems a little unusual to me. Someone on another thread said maybe the "protective coating" that came on the cutting strip might not have been removed....I don't think there's a protective covering on it at all. I invested in the Copam because it was recommended to handle finer details.... The P-cut was working fine for larger fonts and objects, but wouldn't handle small letters at all. What do I do now? Punt?
  19. kst8catfan

    Review of Copam

    It doesn't appear to have a protective cover.
  20. kst8catfan

    Review of Copam

    Just got the new Copam 2500 set up and was surprised that I was able to get it to work (so far) using USB. Looks like I'll probably need some advise for fine tuning. I have the pressure set at the lowest....50g... and the blade is just barely sticking through the holder. On the P-Cut cutter, the directions say to have the blade sticking out of the holder about 1/2 the thickness of a credit card, but when I did that with the Copam, it went all the way through the material and backing, even at the lowest pressure setting. I raised the blade in the holder until it's just barely visible and I can just barely feel it. I think it will cut nicely at this setting, but the 1/4"-1/2" letters are peeling up as the cutter housing travels across them. I did order CleanCut blades, but they're not here yet. Any suggestions for ultra fine work?
  21. kst8catfan

    Review of Copam

    Thanks, I'll head that direction when it's time.
  22. kst8catfan

    Review of Copam

    Cleancut blade??
  23. kst8catfan

    Review of Copam

    Thanks all for your advice. I think I'll give the Copam a try & see what happens.
  24. kst8catfan

    Denim Shirt Problem

    I recently started doing single color logos on 100% cotton and 50-50 cotton using Stahl's Econoprint heat press vinyl with good success. Heat set to 330 deg., medium pressure, at about 10 seconds, preheating the t-shirts first. Worked well. I tried this morning to use the same technique and vinyl on button up 100% cotton blue denim shirts (Jerzees brand J-10). Same settings and all but the vinyl wouldn't adhere to the denim. It lifted off like I had never heat pressed it at all. I tried leaving in the heat press for up to 30 seconds with the same results. I got on line with Stahl's support chat and they indicated there shouldn't be any difference with the way I applied the vinyl to the t-shirts and the denim. Still attempting to solve my problem, I was going to try different temps and times using the inside of a denim shirt. I placed a small scrap of vinyl on the inside of the fabric at the bottom of the tail and it worked perfectly the first time using my original settings. My question is this...Is there something I'm doing wrong or is there something weird with the outside finish of denim shirts that prevents vinyl from adhering? Anyone else run across this? Thanks Kris
  25. kst8catfan

    Denim Shirt Problem

    SUCCESS !!!!! Never thought of using a mouse pad, but I did use a piece of 1/4" foam core that I cut to a size slightly larger than the vinyl area. I wouldn't have thought the thickness of a pocket would keep the vinyl from adhering, but it sure did in this case. I noticed that I still had to press for 20 seconds instead of the usual 10 seconds, but it came out great. Thanks to those who replied...your suggestions got me out of a jamb. Kris