Thetrashnoob

Vinyl for vehicle lettering?

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Hello all, 

I need some advice, I am looking to get a vinyl cutter, probably a 34in mh series. I need to put some lettering on a truck door, (company name, phone number. Dot number) and then letter some dumpsters. I was looking at Oracle 651. Will this be okay for my application? Or should I go with 751?

 

thanks 

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5 minutes ago, Dakotagrafx said:

personally would go up to at least the sc series plotter and use 751

 

I was debating the sc but it’s going to be used initially to do one truck and 6 dumpsters and then sit idle until something needs to be replaced. If the upgrade to the sc is worth it for what little I’m going to do, I will certainly upgrade. 
Why 751 vs 651?

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sc is definitely worth the difference - read the parts of the forum on each one and we see way less problems on the sc plotter along with the plotter is the most important part of the operation other than the proper vinyl

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29 minutes ago, Thetrashnoob said:

I was debating the sc but it’s going to be used initially to do one truck and 6 dumpsters and then sit idle until something needs to be replaced. If the upgrade to the sc is worth it for what little I’m going to do, I will certainly upgrade. 
Why 751 vs 651?

 You could do other people's jobs also and get your money back. Once people know you have a vinyl cutter, you would be surprised who wants decals.   I agree with the SC2. 

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As a past user of the MH, my opinion is go for it. Especially since you are aiming for a project the MH can handle!

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2 hours ago, Thetrashnoob said:

I was debating the sc but it’s going to be used initially to do one truck and 6 dumpsters and then sit idle until something needs to be replaced. If the upgrade to the sc is worth it for what little I’m going to do, I will certainly upgrade. 
Why 751 vs 651?

751 is one of the "Cast" family of vinyl and a better choice for going on vehicles and metal bins. It will handle to expansion and contraction much better and last several years longer as well. 651 is a good product for temporary work but is of the "Calendared" family of vinyl which is made completely differently.  What you describe is considered permanent and the added expense is nominal. 

On the cutter I'm with the majority as well. Yes the SC is a touch more up front but from seeing literally thousands of posts we see a lot more user complaints and problems with the MH. Will it work? Probably. There are several on the forum who either started or still run the MH. They tend to be pretty tech savvy either by nature or from forced need. You will at least get a good education. Just don't say we didn't try to steer you up one level. 

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40 minutes ago, Wildgoose said:

751 is one of the "Cast" family of vinyl and a better choice for going on vehicles and metal bins. It will handle to expansion and contraction much better and last several years longer as well. 651 is a good product for temporary work but is of the "Calendared" family of vinyl which is made completely differently.  What you describe is considered permanent and the added expense is nominal. 

On the cutter I'm with the majority as well. Yes the SC is a touch more up front but from seeing literally thousands of posts we see a lot more user complaints and problems with the MH. Will it work? Probably. There are several on the forum who either started or still run the MH. They tend to be pretty tech savvy either by nature or from forced need. You will at least get a good education. Just don't say we didn't try to steer you up one level. 

When I first started looking into this, I was looking into the sc2, but was thinking for the little bit of work I was going to do the cheapest plotter should be fine. But I will certainly do more research on both. I’d rather spend the money once and get a better unit. now onto the vinyl

so from my understanding 651 is outdoor rated, won’t last as long but could be okay for what I’m looking to do. 751 is a bit more expensive but seems to last longer? When I first get the cutter since it’s going to be a learning experience I’d rather not waste more expensive vinyl when I’m getting the hang of it. The other thing I’m trying to figure out is exactly how much I’ll need. For the Decals on the truck I’m thinking 12-15in should be fine but for the dumpsters I’ll probably want 30. Again I have no idea but just some rough brainstorming. I Have no idea what sizes I’m going to want to cut, will have to do some measuring at some point 

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Calandared like 651 can shrink or expand at a different rate than the metal substrate where. Cast is not going to shrink because of the way it is manufactured and the reason cast is recommended on the vehicles.   Reading the forums for each model will give you a good idea of what others have encountered.  Skeeter, myself, goose and others that have read all the post for years see the trends and troubles and what we use to make our recommendations.   

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UScutter sells a refurb 34" MH for $287. (no stand included, that's another $18 more).  

The SC is $520. ---  Substantial difference in pricing, several hundreds of $$$ --- and remember, the cutter is just one aspect of your investment that's needed for specifically this one purpose.

Go with 10 yards of white (?) 751 24' and do your projects.  You won't be wasting much vinyl getting the machine running.
It'll be painless, and you'll have that truck lettered in no time after the unit arrives.

Mustn't forget to obtain the app tape! Hell, that transfer tape is about $80 by itself ... plus grab a 6"squeegee, and a nice pick tool; it's best to get these things you need all in one order and consolidate the shipping fees.

 

 

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As a MH owner, I can say that what you are planning can be done with a MH, but if I had it do over again, I'd step up to the SC2 or better. If cost is a big factor, go with the 28" version. UScutter has a 28" SC with  stand and catch basket for $450. The 38" MH with stand  and no catch basket is about $380, so for only $70 you get a better cutter and a catch basket. And if you're doing long deigns the catch basket will come in very handy as well as the superior tracking of the SC2.

I also recommend the 28" cutter because 24" rolls are pretty common, the next size up is only 30" and while still pretty common, is that extra 6" really worth it? Most large designs can be broken down to smaller sections which can also make install easier.

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23 hours ago, darcshadow said:

As a MH owner, I can say that what you are planning can be done with a MH, but if I had it do over again, I'd step up to the SC2 or better. If cost is a big factor, go with the 28" version. UScutter has a 28" SC with  stand and catch basket for $450. The 38" MH with stand  and no catch basket is about $380, so for only $70 you get a better cutter and a catch basket. And if you're doing long deigns the catch basket will come in very handy as well as the superior tracking of the SC2.

I also recommend the 28" cutter because 24" rolls are pretty common, the next size up is only 30" and while still pretty common, is that extra 6" really worth it? Most large designs can be broken down to smaller sections which can also make install easier.

I did some research and it seems like the sc is the way to go. I was looking for the 28in but it’s out of stock so the only options is the 32 or the 54 so I’m not sure when they are going to be back in stock. May have to end up getting the 32. Unless I can find a refurbished 28 I could go with that 

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On 9/25/2020 at 9:29 AM, MZ SKEETER said:

Looks like they are sold out of the 28on eBay, but they do have the 34, which I have decided to purchase, just need to wait until payday to order it!

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On 11/1/2020 at 8:28 AM, Thetrashnoob said:

Looks like they are sold out of the 28on eBay, but they do have the 34, which I have decided to purchase, just need to wait until payday to order it!

You're going to have a good time owning a cutter. Like has been mentioned, once people find out you have a cutter they will flock to you for odds and ends. It takes a little bit of practice to learn a few of the basic tools of the trade but once you get the hang of it the rest comes with time and experience. Vinyl is relatively cheap and if you mess something up you just cut another one and try again. I spent about 6 months doing friends and families stuff for free just for practice and they told other people and soon I had more than I could keep up with. 

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I’d like to pick someone’s brain if possible to get an idea on how I’ll be doing this. 
The cutter is on order and just waiting for it now. In the meantime I’d like to figure out how To do this. I want to cut out a word say example, in white, but I want to have the word example outlined in black, would I just layer it? I think that’s how im describing it if it makes sense? 
thanks 

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On 11/10/2020 at 8:47 AM, slice&dice said:

Yes, that's how you do it.

 

layer.JPG

layer02.JPG

How hard is that going to be for long sections of vinyl? Like 6-8ft long? I’m guessing pretty hard?

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The black cut is solid, not a problem for the entire 8 feet to be applied right onto the dumpster (or truck) in one shot.

Then, I would lay in the letters, one by one, aligning them by eye onto the black background (here is a good example of clear app tape being useful).

 

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I think layering the red in letter by letter may be a bit over kill, but breaking it up into words, or 2 - 3 foot sections would probably be wise. Paper tape and wet application can help as well. Doing a web app you have a bit more liberty to position the vinyl. It's a pretty good way to doing when just starting out. As you develop your skill and learn various tricks you'll get to where you can do it dry pretty easily.

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On 11/14/2020 at 4:52 PM, Thetrashnoob said:

How hard is that going to be for long sections of vinyl? Like 6-8ft long? I’m guessing pretty hard?

I would do like slice says with the connected layer (black) all at once and then I would lay the red on top with a top hinge and use a pair of scissors to cut between some of the letters (or all if you feel the need) and then install each cut section as a smaller more manageable set. You can also see if your cut is going to align or not at that point. This is where the better the cutter the better the second layer goes. If the cuts don't match well you probably WILL be placing them one by one. I suggest the top hinge to help keep all the letters lined up. Same principal can be applied even if you have to cut it apart due to spacing errors from the cutter (should that happen)

Another helpful tip is spend some time after you tape this off and trim a consistent amount around the graphic. I use a half inch most of the time, a clear craft ruler with 1/4" marks works well for this. This will allow you to square it up from the edge of the entire sheet rather than having to try and see through your app tape to the vinyl to determine if it's going to line up with the dumpster or not. I also use at least a half inch so that my masking tape I use to hang it does not overlap onto the cut vinyl (over the app tape) and this will help reduce the chance of bubbles when you squeegee. I buy PG grade masking tape to hang my stuff. (PG stands for Proffesional Grade I think) It costs a fortune but the first time your cheap tape lets go and you lose an expensive decal during the install it will not seems so bad. I buy mine at the auto paint store. 

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