WoodyV

Same problem here and I've come to the conclusion that it's the nature of the beast. The adhesive appears to stick to the blade and pulls the film up. Once this starts it leaves some adhesive residue on the blade exasperating the issue. Every time I try to cut a mask, it's another problem that has to be resolved, what worked yesterday isn't necessarily going to work today. My only suggestion would be to inspect the blade for even the tiniest hint of adhesive residue to worse, bits of the mask, or try a new blade. The other suggestion would be to reduce the depth of the cut. Do you see evidence that the blade has cut into the backing paper? if so, how much? If it appears distinct, try reducing the depth. It should be faint. But none of this addresses the issue of the inconsistency of the adhesive, which has been an ongoing frustration and discussed many times. My last batch of 810's adhesive was very aggressive and left residue on the model. Then I tried 810S and its adhesive was so weak it would hardly stick to the model. There's just so many variables that seemingly change for no logical reason, it's enough to drive a man to drink. Plan B (decals) is a less frustrating alternative. Good luck.

Outstanding tutorial especially using so many pictures to illustrate the steps.

How thick is this clear acetate you're successfully cutting?

I recently contacted them too for a different issue and was very impressed with their support. Plain, simple English that even I could understand.

Here are the settings I use when cutting Oramask 810. NOTE: Since this picture was made I've increased the speed to 6. Perhaps it could be set at a higher speed but that's your decision. OVERCUT simply extends the corner cuts beyond the apex and guarantees the corners are sharp and the mask pieces separate completely.

Nice!

If your mask is pulling up the paint you just applied when you remove it, you're probably putting your paint down too thick resulting in a solid layer of paint bridging from the model onto the mask. If your mask is pulling up paint from a previous color, the previous paint was probably put on too dry. See next suggestion. If you use lacquers and you mist your paint on try spraying a wet coat of leveling thinner over it so it bonds to the lacquer under it.

I saw a post on the internet some time ago where a guy was cutting 1/32 data stencils with a Cameo 3 and his approach made sense. He claims that it's not the cutter, but the material that makes the difference. I've tried cutting small things and the problem I had was the blade lifting the 810 and kabuki off the sheet. What this guy used was Oracal 641 which is not designed for stencil making but because it's thinner than 810 and has a more aggressive adhesive the blade doesn't pull it up. Made sense to me.

Interesting idea and could help drive traffic this way. Painted markings are all the rage these days but deciding to cut your own starts out with the expense of the cutter and then there's the learning curve which is the real bugaboo.

What a clean build! Nice to see a warbird once in a while that's not weathered to death.

Now THAT is really cool!

Sorry for the late response, I don't spend as much time here as I should. Microscale's clear film is pretty consistent and that's what I used.

Another vote for Cricut Transfer tape. It's clear and the backing paper has a grid printed on it which comes in handy.

Yes and no. The decal will be so thin it will require special care to keep it from folding under itself when you apply it. Other than that, yes.

No, I'm not trying to blaspheme, but you can make the thinnest decals in the world this way. There are circumstances where masking the surface of your model is simply not going to work as I discovered during my SBD build HERE. So, keep this idea in you bag of tricks for future reference. You will need a quality clear decal film like the one available from Microscale and LACQUER paints. Assuming you have your Oramask 810 masks ready get started by painting your decals. Make extras! Carefully sliced through the clear film only leaving a small area to grip with my clamping tweezers. Do not cut the decal paper close because as you pull the paper out from under the decal you need the paper wide enough to support the width of the decal. Kinda like the slow motion version of getting a pizza off the spatula, or whatever it’s called. The decal is so thin that if you don’t support it, it will fold under itself and you’ll drive yourself insane trying to fix it. Make extras! Wet the decal from the bottom side so as not to dilute the adhesive, and removed the excess film with tweezers, but the part being clamped remains. The discarded film is that shiny thing to the top and right of the picture below. First some generous drops of Micro Set then carefully keeping the decal paper close to the model’s surface pull the paper out from under the decal. Then use a wide wet brush to work out the wrinkles the and then roll a cotton bud over the decal to work out the excess water and trapped air. You need some moisture under the decal because as the moisture evaporates the decal displaces the moisture. Setting solutions soften the decal to make it more pliable. Let it sit for a few minutes and airbrush a couple coats of Micro Sol over everything. This is typical of the results I got in all 6 positions. I chose this photo because you can see how well the decal was sucked down around the latch. So, how thin can a decal be? I defy anyone to tell the difference between a decal made this way and markings painted directly on the model. CAVEAT: Unless there is a situation like my SBD I will always paint my markings directly to the model. It's just too gratifying not to.

Well, I've been lurking here, but not much to contribute. I notice that most of the questions involve around just how to create a file for cutting and I can't be of much help there because of my 30+ years using Adobe Illustrator which I use. Cutting masks and painting markings is enticing but it's similar to 3D printing in that it all sounds so great until you actually have to build a 3D model to print. It all sounds so easy.