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ThermoPuke

What blade for cutting chrome vinyl???

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Right now I am using a 45.

I read the topic about whether to use a 45 or 60 and think I should probably use the 60.  HOWEVER... I have found that chrome vinyl is horrible stuff to work with when cutting intricate designs because it tears so easily according to the pressure used.  If I use too much pressure, the corners might tear, then stick and ruin the whole design.  If I don't use enough pressure, it only scores the vinyl but doesn't cut it which ruins the whole design.

The problem I am having is that the ammount of pressure required to cut the intricate design is sometimes causing small tears where the blade catches the material causing it to bunch up.  It's exactly like a cardboard box getting snagged on a bolt sticking out of the floor when you're trying to move it.

With this in mind, do you think the 60 degree blade will be ripping the material rather than cutting it?  Should I consider a 30 degree blade instead because it might cut better with a shallower angle?

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I use a 45 degree blade when cutting mirror chrome it could just be a dull blade.I love the look of mirror chrome but hate working with it.

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I haven't worked with chrome yet but from the way you are describing the bolt thing maybe the blade isn't turning (lube) which is tearing instead of cutting because it IS dull at that point (pun intended) ;D

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Chrome vinyl can be a pain to cut at times, especially if cutting small detailed work like you're trying to do. I've cut chrome vinyl with a 45 and a 60 degree blade with no problems from either blade, but the smallest text I did was about 3/8".

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Yeah, I dono.  When I cut it before, I had found the sweet spot, but it was with a "newer" blade a few months ago.  I'm still using the same blade and have cut maybe 100 small designs since then, plus one 2'x6' banner.  I know the blade is turning.  I'm thinking maybe my cutting program might be to blame since I found out it does not plot blade offsets for about 5% of the corners.  And those corners vary according to orientation and how many you cut at the same time.  STUPID SIGN BLAZER!  Another issue might be the actual vinyl since it does not seem to want to stick to the liner as well as standard vinyl.  I love Oracal's vinyl, but their chrome needs some work.  I actually have a simmilar problem with Avery's vinyl, A6 I believe, which I got as a free sample.  It stretches a lot and the more pressure I use, the more plucked corners and holes I get.

What programs do you people use???  I bought a decal from someone on ebay and it does not have the same style of cutting as my cutter and program.  I wish there was a better free program I could use!

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I actually solved the issue but forgot to update.  Turns out the blade was dull enough to make a difference when cutting chrome.  I used a new blade from the 3pk and all my problems went away :mystical music:  :thumbsup:

Chrome is a beast to work with, especially for small decal designs.  Should cooperate better with larger designs.

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The holographic metalized films are a PITA too

My best luck has been very slow cutting speed and a new 60 degree blade

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Guest Schramm

I agree cutting chrome is no different then anything else metallic.  Slow down your plotter speed to about 50 and downforce is 100-110 and make sure you have a sharp blade and I dont think that there will be an issue.

For a while I was having problems with etched vinyl and stencil film and realized that the downforce should be at 110 and that simple change along with slowing the normal speed from 60 to 50 did the trick and I never had any issues again!

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Guest Schramm

Wow I thought that stencil film was rough but I guess that maybe that is harder.  I thought that the chrome that I had a couple months back was easy to cut.

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