Sc 24 inch cutter and light duty sandblasting

[p3aul 1]

I have one of those "air erasers" that function as light duty sandblasters for frosting designs in glassware. I would like to make my own stencils out of sign vinyl to use to cut glassware and also to for stencils for t-shirts and other fabric. Also to cut stencils for use on walls. I have found a vinyl cutter that I can afford on the USCutter site. It comes as a bundle and is listed as  SCSRTRKIT. http://www.uscutter.com/SC-Vinyl-Cutter-Starter-Kit-Contour-Cut Would this cutter suit my needs?

Thanks,

Paul 

[darcshadow 1,626]

That cutter will do what you want, although small intricate designs will be a challenge with any value cutter. That starter kit is a decent price, but there are several items included in it that you don't need for what you plan to do. The included vinyl and transfer tape will work well for sandblasting but it's the wrong type of vinyl/tape for walls. Wall designs are usually rather large so you'll want to also buy some 24" wall vinyl, as well as some application tape for said wall vinyl. For the shirts, are you wanting to put the vinyl on the shirt and then paint it some how? Don't know how well that would work, but the included vinyl might be able to do that. Typically people use heat transfer vinyl and a heat press to apply vinyl designs to clothing.

The extra cutting blades, hobby knife, and squeegee are all handy to have, the magnetic blanks, InkJet Paper and printable inkjet vinyl are not necessary for the projects you mentioned but could be fun to play around with a little.

You will want to get the stand for the cutter, it's only an extra $30 on that kit package and well worth it.

 

Are you familiar with vector graphics? If not you'll want to research that a little first. Inkscape is a free program you can download and play around with to get your feet wet in the vector graphics world before buying anything. Vectors are pretty easy to work with once you get the hang of it, but it can be a bit confusing at first as most people are not use to thinking of things in terms of vectors.

[p3aul 1]

Thanks for the reply! I have tried airbrushes but the are messy and hard to clean, especially if you work with more than one at a time. Since I'm going to be using only stencils I thought I would just use one of those spouncers that hobbyists use with pre-cut stencils I thought I'd give it a try anyway. Would the regular sign vinyl be OK or would I need something with low tack?. I want to try the heat transfer vinyl also but I'm concerned that the vinyl might make the t-shirt stiff and be a bit scratchy.

I'm familiar with vector graphics I have a subscription to Adobe Cloud that I could use. I don't have the first clue though about using Illustrator with the cutter. Can I download the manual for my cutter somewhere on this site?

Paul

[Wildgoose 4,200]

Do you run a mac or PC. IF pc then the cutter will come with Vinyl Master Cut and it will let you cut designs that you build in AI. If you aren't very skilled in AI then you might consider getting one of the upgrades within the vinyl master program and just start off fresh from there.

If you run a mac then you can either go with the Sure Cuts A Lot program they offer (I am not a fan) or use a combination of the AI subscription and SignCut Pro which they offer on the USCutter site if you look for it. I think they sell the lifetime dongle for $270 now, it was $400 when I bought mine. You can also run without a dongle and pay instalments with SignCut if you are unsure about jumping in. SignCut is a sweet cutting utility. It doesn't have design ability but is basically a tool to connect your cutter to your computer.

As to your other questions, regular cheap vinyl works great for sandblast resist on glass and other smooth surfaces. I run a harbor freight cabinet and do occasional etching and carving for people or as gifts I give out. For t-shirts if you try it out my favorite is the Siser easyweed. It's light weight and really durable. You will want a heat press if you are planning on making shirts. Hand irons don't really work.

[p3aul 1]

Thanks, Wildgoose. I appreciate the helpful comments!