Soren

Reflective Vinyl Cutting/Weeding Tips

Recommended Posts

So, I bought some black reflective vinyl off of ebay (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10039&campid=5336346070&customid=Search+US&item=252510538897&vectorid=229466&lgeo=1 ) I don't have any idea what brand it is. Last night I managed to destroy about a foot and a half trying to weed some stickers. I did use a 60° blade, and I had thought it cut well. The biggest problem I was having was weeding. There is a border between border that is about an 1/8th of an inch that goes all the way around a triangle shape. I was having a heck of time weeding that out. It kept wanting to also pull up the outer border and then stretch it like rubber. I was kind of hoping the vinyl would be a little stiffer. The sticker also has some lettering that was about an inch and a half tall and about 1/4 inch thick. Leaving the centers of "P" and "R" was tough. Out of the six I cut, I managed to successfully weed out two, but they still didn't look real good because a couple of what were suppose to be sharp corners ended up looking round after weeding.

Anyway, what tips do you experts (and non-experts) have for cutting and weeding reflective vinyl (other than avoid reflective vinyl)?

I can't share the entire graphic, but here are a couple bits of it. The what is what is being weeded out.

 

T Triangle Bottom Corner.jpg

TriangleTop Left Corner.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

What i would do and have done , if that inner (white line) line is very thin , dont remove the vinyl that is all around your design that wont be used.Start from the inside out, and try to keep it low to surface when pulling it as well.like when your removing trans tape off a finished job..If you understand that.Having vinyl on the outside works for me when this happens..

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Try to post a pic of what it actually cut so we can compare.

From what you have said, I am thinking offset or over-cut.

 

 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sometimes you have to increase the cutting pressure to the point of almost (not quite) going through the backing...also, sticking it in the fridge for 10 minutes will stiffen up the material.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sometimes if you have a little spot that didn't get cut good, for whatever reason, you can take an X-acto and finish the cut. This sin't the fastest thing in the world but may save a mis-cut. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank for the tips. Another tip is Do not turn the pressure up to 200.

I did manage to get a couple done. Here are a couple more pics, one with flash and one without. They could have been a lot better. But, they are for my own personal use anyway. one is going on the back of my helmet, the other on the back of my bike.

 

20161205_200202.jpg

20161205_195630.jpg

20161205_195655.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Even with the pressure way up high, you shouldn't have cut through the backing like that. You have too much blade exposed.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have some 3M reflective vinyl and cut it on an old P-cut. I have to expose my blade a little deeper and set my press to 150 on that machine. I have to reset my depth and press for the different materials all the time. I usually use 100 to 120 press on regular products.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now