AlbertD

On 8/9/2020 at 9:49 PM, GazzaS said:

I have Frisket film, and I have Cricut Transfer tape which is clear...  The Frisket film is much tackier than the Cricut Transfer tape.  Given a choice, I grab the Cricut.

I bought some Cricut Transfer tape from my local craft store and it works great. Being able to see through clearly makes it super easy to place accurately. 

2 hours ago, Kevin Futter said:

 

Apparently it used to be an upgrade feature, but it's definitely there in my bundled free version.

 

Kev

Thanks Kevin. I think I'll spend my quite time on Sunday morning playing with the software. My only real project for the Silhouette so far has been new numbers for my mailbox.

On 12/16/2020 at 9:37 PM, Kevin Futter said:

I've found that if I import the images as PNG files instead of JPEGs, I get a much better result with auto-trace. I use Photoshop to convert, if required.

 

Kev

Is auto-trace a function of the standard software or does it need to be upgraded?  I need to just spend a good quite day playing with the software to see what it can do. If needed I'll be happy to upgrade it. It sounds like it might be well worth it.

On 11/8/2020 at 2:03 PM, denders said:

Thanks, Mozart. I suspected that you probably have a Cameo 3 but I didn't know if you perhaps had the bluetooth adapter.

 

The "4" comes with bluetooth built in, Windows sees the "4" but their software doesn't see the "4". I've found a number of others online who evidently have the same problem. It just would be convenient if it worked. I'll just have to drape the USB cable across the floor when I want to cut. Their software sees it just fine with the cable. Even with an extender, I'll have to see how it prints with the extender.

 

Sounds like I should have a spare cutting mat and probably a couple spare blades, just in case too.

 

 

Funny you should mention having a spare mat. I just bought a Cameo 4 just a couple of weeks ago. The first thing I did was drop my mat sticky side down on the carpet, and we have a dog that sheds. You know the rest. It sure would not hurt to have a spare mat and blade. I have not tried the bluetooth because mine is close to the PC. I do plan to give it a try though. It would be good to have the option of using it right next to my modeling desk.

4 hours ago, Mozart said:

I just use the standard blade supplied with the machine. What’s vital is not so much the blade type but the settings that you do just before you cut. I think your blade is set too deep, ie too much blade protruding from the holder, or your cutting with too much force. For Oramask 810 my blade is set to 2, force 5/6, one pass, speed 5. Hope this helps. 

I just made an absolutely perfect cut using your suggested settings on Oramask 810. Every bit as nice as store bought masks. What I didn't realize is the the blade depth needs to be set on the blade itself. 

Thanks for your help. 

So far I have only used the Auto Blade that came with my Cameo 4. I'm still learning how to set everything up and I've actually cut into the Matt at least one time. So far I have only cut some old drafting film and some Tamiya masking sheets. With the masking sheets there seems to be a fine line between cutting through and not quite cutting all the way through the masking tape and not the  backing. I bought a pack of 2mm blades but have not tried them yet.

What blades do you guys use for cutting the Oramask 810 stuff? I just got a bunch  but have not tried it yet. I hope I get a good feel for blade adjustment so I can start putting this new tool to good use.

Well, here is my first try. I brought the image of the scanned Phantom seatbelts into the Studio software and figured out how to trace. It was easy once I figured it out but don't ask me to explain how I did it. Then I just sent it to the machine using some old drafting applique film I had from my old drafting days. I think this might just work. I've ordered some matt grey vinyl to try it on too.

If this looks useful to anyone I can upload the file into the sharing section.

5 hours ago, Kevin Futter said:

I look forward to seeing the results of your experiments, Al. I'm a little dubious personally, but it wouldn't be the first time I was proven wrong!

 

Kev

May not work but I'm willing to waste a little time trying. I enjoy working through problems like this and drawing on the computer so it's a perfect project for me. I'll keep you guys posted no matter how it goes.

I have some 1/32 modern jet seatbelt buckles on the way. I was originally going to try making belts from tape or something like usual. When I was looking at the Silhouette cutting material at the store I see they have some good colors like tan, grey and olive green and others. I'm going to give cutting some seatbelts a try. The machine should even be able to replicate stitching. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

It's been too long and busy a day to open the box but tomorrow morning I'm gonna start playing with it. I bought some mask sheets at the store to learn on but also ordered a bunch of Oramask 810 sheets that should be here next week. I'm sure I'll have questions but I hope I'll be able to contribute to the site soon too.

Al

On 7/27/2020 at 1:12 PM, Jagdtiger46 said:

I tend to use AutoCAD (2005, not LT), quite frequently, and was wondering if my drawing files could be easily interpreted/converted by the various cutter software programs.

 

Thanks a bunch,

I don't have my cutter yet but have been playing with the software. I have Design CAD and have been making drawings in that and exporting them as JPG files which open right up in the free Silouette program with no upgrades. I used to work with AutoCAD but don't remember if it will export JPG.

28 minutes ago, Kevin Futter said:

For personal use, you can pretty much do whatever you want. But I'd say if you've scanned a commercial decal sheet and turned it into a cutting file for masks, then it's probably best not to upload it here. If you've used it as the basis for a custom design, or used just a specific element on the sheet (like the shark mouth that you mentioned), then you can probably get away with it.

 

Kev

Thanks Kevin. I'll keep that in mind. I don't want to cause any problems with the forum but I would like to contribute if I can.

I've been playing with creating files in Design CAD which I am familiar with and saving them as JPG files. They seem to open up and work just fine in the Silouette software. It's pretty easy to scan and trace in Design CAD so it should be pretty easy to convert a decal sheet. Is it OK to use files converted from decal sheets here? I don't want to have any copyright problem's. I wanted to try to do some off a P-40 decal sheet with a good old shark mouth.

Thanks Max. Stuff like this will sure  be a huge help to get a good start when I get mine. I can hardly wait.

11 hours ago, Mozart said:

Good to see you here Albert, you won't regret going down the Cameo route, it's the best modelling decision I ever made, and for more reasons other than just markings.

Thank you. Seeing you guys paint on the great markings pushed me over the edge and want one. Builds like the above Mustang just look so much better than decals. I have used store bought a couple of times but it can be hard to fund just what you need. It will be nice to be able to just cut a new mask when one gets messed up too. I hope I can eventually contribute to the library on here.

It's beautiful work like this that convinced me I need a Cameo machine. That Mustang is gorgeous.