Emchavez1

Weeding issues, pieces not staying on backing paper

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I’ve adjusted speed, pressure and blade a bunch of times and I’m not sure what else to do.

A few pieces of my decal keep wanting to come with the bigger piece of vinyl.

I’m using 651, it happens on different designs.

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how small are the pieces. Some times it's just the size and there's nothing really you can do other then weed very carefully. If you're doing the install, some times you can do the weeding after installing depending on the size of the piece you need to pull off.

 

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Show us what you are cutting.  Once you set your blade correctly, you don't have to keep adjusting the blade depth.. Maybe the force a little bit. Add some overcut in your cutting software. I use an exacto knife to make my own weed lines between larger areas. I do a lot of small and detailed work. Run your cutter slow for small pieces.  How small is small?

To start with, you should set your blade depth correctly, by taking the blade holder out of the machine, and firmly cut across a piece of scrap vinyl, you will be cutting. You should only be cutting the vinyl and barely a mark on wax paper backing, Adjust blade to get there, Then put the blade holder back in machine, and use the force of the machine to get there, same results, only cutting the vinyl and barely a mark in wax paper backing. You should barely see and feel the blade tip out of the blade holder. Regular sign vinyl is only 2-3 mil thick. You only cut with the very tip of the blade. When you think the blade is so far in the blade holder, that you think it would not even cut, that is probably correct. 

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I’ve adjusted speed, pressure and blade a bunch of times and I’m not sure what else to do.

A few pieces of my decal keep wanting to come with the bigger piece of vinyl.

I’m using 651, it happens on different designs.

Please share a photo of the artwork and a zoomed in cutting line done on the vinyl. Also, I guess it may be beacuse your cuts may not be closing properly. A zoomed in image of the cutting line done for a small shape will clarify

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Welcome to the community!

It would be helpful if you posted a pic of what you're trying to weed, and if it's a close up, put a coin or ruler by it so we have something to reference for size.

Another means of weeding, which some crafters and hobbyist do, is to weed what you can, tape it up, and then weed the rest from the application tape. I am not a big fan of that personally, but admittedly there have been times where I thought I weeded it perfectly, only to find out that there was something I missed, and needed to weed it off the app tape. It happens :P

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I attempted to capture the cut lines close up.  I’ve been cutting at 100g and 400ms. I’m open at any and all suggestions. I’ve been using a silhouette cameo for over a year, but I’m a noobie with these kinds of machines. It had done this with more intricate designs, but this one I’ve done a ton of times on my cameo 4 and it’s never had difficulty. I’m sure it’s user error with this new machine.

thank you guys for responding :)

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It looks like you're getting some really clean cuts.

First and foremost, make sure you have the correct blade depth. Follow Skeeter's directions that she posted above, and then go from there.

It's a bit hard to give you a precise setting to use, as every machine will be different, as well as, type/brand of blade, age of blade, brand of vinyl, age of vinyl, and sometime vinyl color (yes, even it's all the same Oracal 651, or whatever brand and series you use).

Try to weed your vinyl shortly after cutting, as there have been instances if you don't weed it - the adhesive can bond back to each side across the cut line. I will generally weed within 48-hours, if not immediately after cutting. If you're not going to weed it immediately, make sure that the vinyl stays fairly cool, so the adhesive doesn't get gummy and re-bond across the cut line.

If when weeding, if it seems that the blade has not cut through the adhesive, then you might need adjust your blade depth and/or pressure. In your case, it looks like pressure, since you're getting some clean lines. Not going to lie, when I got my first machine, the US Cutter guy told me that the starting pressure for my machine was 120. That was the quickest way to cut through the vinyl, the adhesive, and almost clean through the paper backing. It took a little trial and error, but the sweet spot for pressure for my first machine was between 86 - 105 (depending on vinyl age, brand, and color). As long as you're not cutting through the paper, you can up the pressure a little at a time. Once you start to see the blade cut into the backing, then you know you need to dial it back a little. There have been times that I have cut the vinyl, but not the adhesive, and it's a total pain to weed because it just wants to pull everything up :mellow: 

You can use the control panel on your machine to do test cuts. If I'm not sure about a setting, I will run test cut, after test cut, after test cut. I will know the sweet spot when I weed it all up and see what how well the paper backing was scored (or not).

Last, but not least, take your time weeding. I will typically use a skinny bamboo stick with a rounded point while I'm weeding, just in case there are pieces that want to lift as I go. I just hold down the size that's wanting to lift to hold it down. If you're having difficulties weeding because what you're trying to remove is kind of big, then you can cut boxes around areas to make them smaller and more manageable.

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Quite possible, it might be the vinyl itself. Either it might have gone post its shelf life or exposed to heat or sunlight making it hard to score using vinyl cutter.

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Quite possible, it might be the vinyl itself. Either it might have gone post its shelf life or exposed to heat or sunlight making it hard to score using vinyl cutter.

Very true. If the vinyl feels a little crispy/brittle/stiff, then  while it might still be usable (for personal projects), it'll make for some challenging settings to cut. :P

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