cutting 7mil mylar questions, for stencils

[icemanart 0]

This is a re-post from another forum area, but is a question I need an answer to and there were none posted.

I have some 7mil Mylar without adhesive that I purchased from which I'm planning on cutting freehand paint masks.  I have a couple questions I'm hoping some of you with experience along these lines might answer for me.  First of all, would applying application tape to the bottom of the Mylar be suitable for holding things together during the cutting process?  I'd like to put a base on the Mylar not only to hold any islands in place during the cutting process until I'm ready to weed, and for keeping the cutter away from the cutting strip as well... may as well protect it if I can.  Next, I've been cutting with the standard 45 degree knife that came with my Pcut and it has performed really well with sign vinyl, but I do alot of airbrush work and bought this machine to cut both vinyl and stencils.  Would it be appropriate to use that same knife for cutting the Mylar (which is over twice as thick and considerably denser) or should I be thinking about using some 60 degree blades specifically for this material?  Finally, will I have to slow down the cutting speed and increase the downforce substantially, or will I be doing one or the other but not both... as a newbie I kind of understand that the two are related, but I've not seen any guidelines out there to make getting the settings right and less of a hit-or-miss proposition.  Any help any of you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Iceman

[JoeBlow 5]

Iceman, you are on the right track, I've cut a couple of stencils using application tape on the underside, but it needs to be nice and flat, no wrinkles.  The first stencil I tried to cut had a couple of wrinkles in the application tape which made the Mylar sit up a little, and it did not cut all the way through beside the wrinkles. It cut through on the wrinkle, but not right beside it, probably because of an uneven cutting pressure.  I also used a 60degree blade.  On slowing down the feed speed, that would a good move, my machine does not have any speed adjustment, so I had to cut at normal speed.  I would also try a sample cut using a very easy, straight forward design, not to detailed for testing, something like squares & circles.

[CRD 9]

I use this laminated showcard (from my company) as base for cutting on the designs that have no edges or small margins to feed. Saves the strip too.

But with the application tape upside down to hold down the islands of the letters I think it would do the job.

I tack it with application tape at the corners.

There are Graphtec A3 size sticky carrier sheets.

Do not know you maximum cut size.

Paco

[duke 12]

After you cut your stencil using a sticky carrier,how do you place the island areas on the work area so you can airbrush? surely not by hand?

Regards Duke.

[Jay2703 704]

At WalMart you can buy the sticky cutting pads that CriCut cutters use. It is like a thin plastic with tacky adhesive on it. It is made for just that application. They come in different sizes.

[Paradox 0]

After you cut your stencil using a sticky carrier,how do you place the island areas on the work area so you can airbrush? surely not by hand?

Regards Duke.

You have to design the stencil to keep them in place. Stencils for airbrushing are just an aid to block out shaped quickly. You usually have to go back over them.

[icemanart 0]

Thanks all for your input. I really am looking for someone who cuts their own stencils for airbrush and/or stencils for AB tattoos. I know it can be done with a lazer and have heard of people doing it with vinyl cutters. From this eorum and other areas, I have found that the material of up to 40mil can be cut with my cutter. The main material i use is 7 or 10mil stencil material. I really need the dn pressure setting of someone who has achieved this and what they used for a substrate. I am trying the ap tape today and will post how that goes, also got my 60 degree blades fri and will try with those too. I will also try spray adhesive with a backing of overhead projector mylar. Than ks again for all your input and keep it comming.

Sincerely, iceman

[duke 12]

Hi Ice, the adhesive with mylar works for me at 150 pressure.

The problem is getting it of the adhesive onto your job surface, especially with islands.

I was doing tees and it was a pain in the butt.

If you work something out let me know.

I think cutting vinyl and transferring the negative design to screen mesh frame and using fabric foil glue to print on shirt so I can apply fabric foil to the shirt.

I use fabric foil more than any other product on shirts now.

Printing onto transfer paper got to be a chore, what with color shifting problems etc:

So for me it's vinyl or fabric foil from now on.

Regards Duke