OWJones

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Posts posted by OWJones

  1. Posted

    I stopped by my local Social Security Field Office and my first thought on seeing their decal signage was "that is a weird font choice" - then realized that it isn't the font - it's the crappy vinyl they used. 

    This new building is ~3 years old, so there is no reason a quality vinyl should have failed that horrifically...  It is an East facing entrance so it does get the morning sun, but still... 

    20201016_111335~01.jpg

    • Sad 1

  4. Posted

    On 2/9/2017 at 9:32 PM, Wildgoose said:

    You are looking for one of these:

    http://www.olfa.com/top-sheet-cutter-(ts-1)/1102638.html

    Pretty sure I bought mine here at USCutter but I can't find it anywhere now. Has a little spring that is somewhat adjustable and it will cut the top layer (in our application the backing) and leave the vinyl. Works pretty good and really makes you loom professional when you whip it out on a job and cut the backing before the install. 

     

    I've got the same knife and got it from US Cutter, although I don't think they carry it any more.  It works exactly as you would expect based on the description.  You may have to adjust the depth of cut a bit to get it perfectly dialed in, but once you do it works great every time.

  5. Posted

    On 1/28/2017 at 8:55 AM, dave_dj1 said:

    I appreciate the link to cleancutblades but that website is just painful to try and use.

     

     

    I don't even bother with the website except to get their phone number.  Just call and tell them what you want and they'll take care of you - you have to call to get the US Cutter Forum discount anyways...

    • Like 2

  8. Posted · Edited by OWJones
    Added details

    132fc221677982e3b191f925ba38d889-tumblr_ms5j3aewyh1qg8holo1_500.jpg

     

    There are vinyl removal fluids designed for standard vinyl and reflective vinyls - not sure how well they would work on that kind... I keep saying one of these I'm going to order some to try out... maybe today is that day!

    Reading the info on the Reflective Vinyl remover fluid it says it works well on metalized vinyls, too.
    https://www.signsplusbanners.com/itemdetail.php?sku=104032-12&p=Removal+Storage+%26+Tools&c=Removal+Fluids

    • Like 1

  9. Posted

    My last Clean Cut blade finally started showing it was past time for a change.  I ordered 3 Clean Cut blades and have used them extensively - one is set aside for thick material like rhinestone template material, the other two are for vinyl - that 3rd one is still good, but the other two had finally been used to death.

    I called Clean Cut Blade and they checked and told me that I ordered those blades in June of 2012 - that means 4.5 years of cutting on those two blades...  At less than $20/blade (and even less if you're a member of this forum!), I'd say I definitely got my money's worth out of them.

    The blade is dead. Long live the new blade!

    • Like 3

  10. Posted

    I bought my first cutter from a competitor - one of the cheap Sign Warehouse models - because I was stupid and didn't do any research at all - got suckered in by a cheap price and assumed they were all the same. Learned that lesson the hard way.

    I started forum hopping looking for good advice - there are numerous forums out there - many are ghost towns - a few are extraordinarily hostile towards any new people (I'm looking at you Signs101!) and US Cutter's was the first I found where I felt comfortable admitting I was new.  I also found that, at the time, they had a fantastic deal on a Graphtec CE5000-60 along with everything you needed to get started - including a real, full version of CorelDraw, usable clip art, etc.  That cemented the deal for me.  Good support + good prices + (at the time) super-cheap shipping (my Graphtec package with 12 24" rolls of vinyl, plus all the tools, accessories, etc. came in 3 large boxes and was delivered to my door in ~48 hours from when I ordered it for $9.99!!!!!) = too good of a place to pass up!

    • Like 5

  12. Posted

    When I first started out, I did a weekly drawing for a free decal on Facebook.  One of my first winners responded back with "Do you make any copyrighted designs?".  When I responded back that no, I did not, I never heard from her again...

  13. Posted

    Thank you for coming back and posting the solution.  Far too many internet users post a problem, then find a solution elsewhere and never share, so when people do Google/Bing searches all they find are dozens of people asking the same question and no answer...

  14. Posted

    The heat tape used for Sublimation is Kapton (sp?) that is also used by a lot of 3D printing enthusiasts.   It isn't super-duper sticky, but it holds well enough.

    I can't see any reason why you couldn't use it for doing hats, but it is kind of pricey...

    • Like 1

  15. Posted

    On 8/12/2016 at 2:24 PM, xpaperman said:

    If using a laser engraver, I believe there is a cream you put on the metal before engraving and that creates the black color.  For me, I use an air erasure for the etching then I use rub and buff for the color.

    You can purchase a product called Ceramark (maybe Cermark?) which sprays on, and then when laser engraved it permanently bonds to the metal and leaves the nice black mark behind.

    Or you can spend about $10 and get a can of Dry Moly Lube spray which is primarily molybdenum disulfide in a spray matrix - gives almost the exact same result for a LOT less money because the big name product is essentially the same thing.  Spray on a couple of light coats, let it dry, etch it, use a green scrubby pad and some water to remove the excess spray and voila, a permanently marked piece of steel!

    • Like 2

  17. Posted

    Is that one of the Ozark Trail tumblers?  I bought one last month and have been extremely impressed with it.  It is ever bit as nice feeling as the Yeti mugs for about 1/4 the price.  I saw a YouTube video where they compared the Yeti, Orca and Ozark Trail tumblers side by side - filled them ice and dumped out the melted water every few hours until there was no more ice.  I know for sure the Ozark Trail mug won, it still had frozen ice longer than the Yeti - something like 52-54 hours before it all melted.

    I took mine to St Louis in July during one of the hottest weeks of summer and would fill it with iced tea every morning before we would go to the zoo, museum, etc. and leave it in the vehicle and it always still had ice floating in my drink, even after sitting in a hot car on 90° days...

    The only real distinguishing feature between the two is that the Yeti tumbler has a Yeti logo embossed near the bottom, and the Ozark Trail has the Ozark Trail logo embossed in basically the same spot and their logos in the center of the lids - it wouldn't surprise me to find they are both made in the same factory. 

    Found the YouTube video -- Yeti is on the left, Ozark Trail is on the right - you can see how very similar they are in appearance.

     

  19. Posted

    I used to get weird actions like this all the time with my first cutter, a Sign Warehouse "Vinyl Express R Series II" which uses the Redsail drivers.

    Any design more complicated than basic shapes would cause it go wonky and start cutting across itself, or worse yet, dropping the blade and speed-feeding vinyl off the roll with a nice random cut down the length.

    When I called to get tech support, I was told that I had a discount "hobby" cutter with limited memory and limited usefulness and I should turn off unnecessary options like "weeding box" and "weeding lines" to reduce the amount of data sent to the cutter.

    I got online, did some research and upgraded to a Graphtec in less than a month - never regretted it.

    • Like 2

  20. Posted

    The clear sheet that you see peel away is common to HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl) that usually comes on a heat resistant clear backing.  You cut it with the shiny (clear plastic) side down and weed away what you don't want on the shirt.  Flip it over, heat press it at the appropriate temperature and time and peel away the clear sheet leaving the vinyl infused into the fabric of the shirt.

    There are also inkjet printable transfer sheets, dye sublimation and more, most of which have an opaque backing that is peeled away after the transfer is complete.

    Also, most of us cover the entire top surface of the shirt (or at least that part that will be inside the press) as the top platen can sometimes pick up ink, dye or traces of contamination and you don't want that to transfer onto a clean, new shirt.  You can use butcher paper, teflon sheets, parchment paper and other materials that aren't adversely affected by high temps.  I use the backing paper off of laminate rolls that I bought from @Dakotagrafx - each piece is re-usable multiple times until it eventually starts to brown from the heat, then I toss it and tear off a new piece.

    • Like 3

  21. Posted

    Sublimation is not a "hobby".  It is an obsession.  It gets into your bones and you'll find yourself waking up at 3:00 AM and asking "I wonder if there are any new blanks on Conde that weren't there when I checked 4 hours ago?"  or "how much do I think I can get away with ordering this time before my wife finally loses it and I come home to find all my stuff in the front yard (again)?"

    I have no personal experience with the Epson 2750.  Check with Cobra Ink (or other sublimation ink suppliers) and see if they sell refillable cartridges before you commit to a purchase of any printer.

    • Like 4

  24. Posted

    Am I reading that right?  $0.86 each at qty 1000?  Good for 4 or 5 uses?  So that's $0.86 per employee per week?

    Suggest buttons (with no artwork or mylar, just the metal parts) with adhesive patches applied to the front - they would last MUCH longer that way.  You can add the magnetic clothing attachments for about $0.60 each for a total investment of less than $1 in parts per "button" - even if you sell them for 5x as much, they'll save most of that in the first two months...

    I recently ordered some magnetic clothing attachments from ebay for $0.59 each (with S&H) -- http://www.ebay.com/itm/171143443174

    I used them on my el-cheapo zombie disposal badges that I laser engraved. I am unable to attach the 181kb image file because " You are only allowed to upload 1003.52kb." - whatever that means...