weeding....

[ztekneq 0]

wow... would love some tips and tricks... got my machine running well tonight (first time and have it at 110g) running cheap 8.5" vinyl from closeout...... any tips?

[haumana 1,220]

be very patient.

a light table helps .. or like a few other members here - they tape it to a glass sliding door.

i also keep a bbq stick handy in case the stuff I don't want weeded starts to come up with the weeding.

[ztekneq 0]

i just attempted a 8" wide decal letters that were .4" tall and in century gothic..... would that be considered hard?

[haumana 1,220]

I try not to do any lettering under a 1/2", however, I've successfully weeded lettering just a smidgen under 1/4". I didn't like it, but I weeded it. 

[prestonservco 26]

I try to weed letters from Right to Left - since most letters are "open" on the right.  And I try to weed numbers from Left to Right - since most numbers are "open" on the left.

Lighting, and the direction it comes from seems to be most important for me.  I'm planning on building a nice lighted table in the near future.

Also, I find that a sharp pointed object works better for weeding than say a pair of sharp tweezers.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[haumana 1,220]

This is what I use to weed.

[ztekneq 0]

I slowed it down and allied some more pressure and its seamed to work aLOT better..

thanks alot for ur help guys..... that direction makes sense!

[Jay2703 704]

I have one of those Halogen Touchiere lights that shines up and reflects off of the ceiling. It makes it easy to see the cut lines. Some 2X reading glasses help too.

Jay

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

Haumana, where did you find that knife - that is really slick and i want to get one!

scott

[UncleCrack 0]

My favorite weeding tool is a pencile with a needlt glued to the end of it. I bought weeding tolls but thats my fav. Weeding is just one of the parts of cutting that isnt so glamorous.

[Cre8tiveCutter 7]

I love my picks! I also love to weed, there is nothing more satisfying than watching your graphic come to life ( so to speak) After you have weeded the same graphic a dozen times though it does get boring...lol. The most I have done of one graphic is 65. the middle school soccer team wanted hoodies, T's and so did thier parents...lol. I just finished a two color job for the fire department and that was 52 tshirts....wow did I get sick of weeding flames and then the bull head, if I never did another one it would be too soon for me!

[Rodger 527]

Hey Renee ,

Good to see you .. seems everybody has gotten a bit busy lately  . I agree with you about weeding ... I get the most satisfaction looking at the decal after weeded . I also get real bored on certain repetitive decals . I doomed myself by always using Cole Casual font for making decals for me ( it is even better than my old fav Comic Sans ) . The e is a pain when small . I might be heading to DeerLodge , Tn soon . I would like to stop by & meet you . How far off of rt # 81 are you ? If I time my trip better than last time , I might be able to stop & meet Mrs 867-5309 also .

[haumana 1,220]

Haumana, where did you find that knife - that is really slick and i want to get one!

scott

Hey Scott - I found it at my local office supply warehouse. It's pretty pricey for an x-acto (about $15), there's not cheap plastic cover to loose and to get ridiculously cracked within a week. I vaguely recall seeing it at Wal-Mart .. which is probably cheaper than what I paid for it. It should be in the 'crafty/artsy-fartsy' section. I like that it's made pretty decently, and that it's pretty much aluminum instead of plastic.

If you can't find one, let me know, I'd be more than happy to pick one up and send it to you.

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

Thanks jen - yfound one and got it - really nice

scott