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just finished Oracal 851 test results
well I’ve had my first experiance of 851 and all i can say is what a pain.
Maybe i don’t weed right, or my settings are not correct, but i found this to be such a pain to weed so thin it just ripped as soon as i used my blade to lift a piece off the backing paper. Took me 4 times as long to weed as the same graphic in 751 does.
I need to sort something out as i have 400 a month to do!
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12 Replies
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most cast vinyls are that bit thinner lorraine.
why do you have to use cast anyway? is it a colour thing… ide say the 751 is as close to a cast as you’ll get. 😀
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why don’t you screenprint, if you have to do 400 a month?
Nicola
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Lorraine,
I can’t comment on 851 specifically because I’ve not used it but I wondered if you have got everything right. Sharp blade, pressure, cutter settings etc. Did you weed straight away or leave the cut vinyl over a weekend before weeding?
Was the vinyl cold or at a reasonable temperature? If it’s cold it’s more likely to be brittle and tear, but if the temperature is about right I would expect a cast to stretch quite a bit before it breaks.
I don’t think it can be anything to do with the thinness of the vinyl as one of the easiest and nicest things to weed is ruby film, and that is ridiculously thin.
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We used to use 751 but it kept coming off it’s for cases which have a dimpled effect so you can’t screen print them to high enough standard, and for the fact they are rather large.
The 751 didn’t conform around the dimples very well even with heating so we tried 851 which worked a treat.
The vinyl was cut and weeded straight away, the blade was a brand new smart blade from harry.
I think maybe my problem is the cutting strip, I have a new one here but,
I can’t budge the old one to put the new one on!! -
Well i had another go at weeding these today and they were actually much nicer to weed having been left over the weekend!!
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glad to see it worked out!
i did not know what was involved, it was the amount every month, that got me thinking.
being screenprinters you just asume, ditch the vinyl, lets print!!
Nicola
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Well now you mention it something i hadn’t thought of was maybe using the 851 in clear if they do it and screen printing that, trimming down then they can stick them on, would still be nice and conformable too!
Will have to look into it
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Well after plenty of hacking last night I managed to get the cutting strip off, bloody super glue!!
I have a nice new one now and am ready to have another go at cutting the 851 with new blade as well!
(hot) so exciting
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Hey Lorraine,
I read this post and thought that I’d better replace my cutting strip. What a cut I now get. How did yours work out? -
it definately makes all the difference, the old one was well and truly hacked up!
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A hint , nail polish remover (acetone) removes super glue (and attacks plastics – so be careful) , it’s always better to buy Acetone from a chemist rather than use nail polish remover as the NPR has scents and lanolin in it , you will also find what a rip-off Nail Polish Remover (NPR) is cos its about 30x the price of Acteone and is the same thing!!!!
Another hint — Vinegar Removes silicon sealers (Ascetic Acid) which some folk use to mount perspex letters (we love clear marine silicon sealer – the same stuff they use to build fish tanks) as it sticks just about anything to anything with a VERY strong bond.
Use the white vinegar – best of all you can flavour the chips whilst you work 😉 -
I may be the odd one out here, but we use a slightly blunted nail in an exacto blade-holder (called a pin-vise in USA). I just call it a spike, and prefer it hands-down for weeding, to any blade. Sure it doesn’t cut, but it doesn’t draw blood if you slip either! It has enough of a point to grab & let you lift the vinyl without slicing into the backing.
And about the screenprinting- definitely give it a try, on clear cast vinyl. We used to do about 200 small names a month in vinyl for a local machinery manufacturer, now we screen them and charge him half the price, taking us a quarter of the time or less.
Best wishes
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