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Good evening, tomorrow I've got to cut a few angled cuts on a pre-painted sheet of DiBond. Ya think running a piece of masking tape will be sufficent to prevent scratching from my little Bosch skill saw? It's for a beauty salon. Black background with 3M Metalic gold lettering. That's what she wants. I tried to sell her an outline, different design, but she wants what she wants. The best part of the this job will be when I sign the check and make a deposit.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3816 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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-------------------- You ever notice how easily accessible people are when they are requiring your services but once they get invoice you can't reach them anymore
posted
Transfer tape is a pretty good idea. I also tape up the bottom of the saw plate or even put an old sock on it. Sometimes I will flip the whole thing around and cut from the back when possible. I always leave the material masked too. Just don't forget to take it off before you apply lettering! Love....Jill
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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I use vinyl masking too. If you need to see well through it the clear masking works great. When I use the paper masking I double it up, seems my skil saw plate likes to bite through it sometimes. Or you could put masking on the bottom of your plate as well.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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posted
Transfer tape here too and if I have my helper with me I have her blow air as I cut to keep the little bits of metal from getting between the plate and the DiBond.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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-------------------- Len Mort Signmaker1.com 11 Juniper Drive Millbury, MA 508-865-2382 "A Good Business Sign, is A Sign of Good Business"(1957) Posts: 811 | From: Millbury, Ma | Registered: Dec 2006
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posted
Who cares? just endorse the check and send it to all of us, Kiddo!
Seriously, use a fine blade and cut from the back. A metal file will clean it up nicely and remove any burrs.
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1552 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote:Originally posted by Si Allen: Alicia ... cut from the back side!
Unlike table saws, skil and sabre saws cut up, and leave a ridge.
Unless you are lucky enough to find a down cut blade. I love them, but they are hard to find.
-------------------- Dana Blair Blair Signs Wooster, OH www.blairsigns.com
If sign makers go on strike, is there anything written on their picket signs? Posts: 835 | From: Wooster, OH, USA | Registered: Jul 1999
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posted
Alicia, I have put a couple of strips of velcro on the bottom of my Bosch sabre saw (the fuzzy side of the velcro) and don't use transfer tape. I haven't scratched any sheets yet this way. I have found using transfer tape that the saw blade wants to bunch up the tape making it harder to keep on the line that you are cutting.
Transfer tape isn't very sticky anyway, so just leave the protective plastic on it while you are cutting. Cutting on the back side is great advice and will be better for the finished look.
I've had those velcro strips (about 1" thick on both sides of the blade plate) for several years now and they are still stuck! When cutting dibond or any aluminum/pvc material, I always have to take a piece of masking tape and clean the little metal fragments off of the velcro when I'm done. Good Luck and see you in DANville.
Sign-cerely, Steve
-------------------- Steve Luck Sign Magic Inc. 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 (618)466-9120 signmagic@sbcglobal.net Posts: 870 | From: 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
You can buy little pen-sized tungsten de-burring tools which do a great job of cleaning the edges easily, though so does a file.
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Lotta good masking tips you received here. My only concern would be with the choice of vinyl. Gold metallic isn't very long-lasting & will begin lifting in a couple years. An edge-sealing may help. Will this be an outdoor or indoor sign? Had someone last year looking to get a replacement sign since his was old & all cracked vinyl remnants remained. He pointed to one made of black background with gold metallic which was severely lifted & couldn't believe he said he wanted it just like that one. I personally would refrain from using gold metallic unless it's for something temporary. Guess it's time to go back & see if he wants Signgold instead (& maybe redo that other sign too - not mine originally).
-------------------- Bill Cosharek Bill Cosharek Signs N.Huntingdon,Pa
bcosharek@juno.com Posts: 703 | From: N.Huntingdon, Pa, USA | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
It is pre-painted black. That's why I don't want to scratch it. I didn't get to cut it today, I got too busy on another job. Plus, I took a three hour lunch with my husband and some friends. It seems as if the things I dread doing take me the loonnggeesstt to do. If I knew how to use my ShopBot, I be cutting it with that. I just got a 220 hookup for my dust collector, last week. I still got to hook it up to a computor. Been kinda busy this summer.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3816 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Oh.... You have a ShopBot. I would cut it with that. Leave the protective film on the panel. Set the panel good side up. Use a spiral downcut endmill bit.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7404 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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