[Gert du Preez]

Why use a 3mm bit? A 6mm will last way longer, and is not that much more expensive.

We process huge volumes of both 3 and 4mm ACM. A single job can sometimes consume a couple of hundred sheets of ACM :yikes:

I primarily use a Belin 6mm Solid Carbide bit for cutting (single pass) but also cut some items with fine detail with a 3mm Belin single flute. (also single pass)

We get very good life out of the bits. The 6mm bit I feed at 100mm/sec (6m per minute) at 24 000 rpm. The 3mm I feed at 30mm/sec (1,8m per minute) at 16 000rpm. (Both cases using Aluminium Cutting Oil in the mister)

I think it is the Perspex / Aluminium cutting that wears out the bits rather than the ACM. And, MDF absolutely MURDERS a bit. I keep some dull bits in the tool tray for cutting MDF. Better to do a bit of sanding than replacing an expensive bit.

[Gert du Preez]

David,

I’m also a CNC nut, but have to say:That machine you are looking at, seems to check all the boxes for hobby / occasional / light use.

Certainly things like wood, engraving laminates, acrylic etc will be no problem. Don’t know how rigid it is, but even alu should cut fine, given correct feed parametres. I also like the flexibility – you basically decide size and specs.

@Steve: At home my hobby machine is also an Isel, also with USBCNC breakout board, also with Toshiba 6600 chipped drivers. Only difference, I use 8x microstepping, and drive my original 2A per phase Isel’s steppers at 3.5A (1.75A per phase) @ 44.9 Volts.

I’m using the original Isel power supply. Ripped everything else out of the C116 controller box, and replaced as above.

Mine has 16mm screws with 4mm pitch. And the brilliant double supported Isel rails. Size about 585 x 970 cutting area. (and a Kress Spindle.)

BTW, do you perhaps have a contact where I can source linear bearings and ball nuts for the Isel (Gantry 1 system) – I have been unable to find any in Southern Africa.

Sorry for the kind of hijack, David :lol1:

[Gert du Preez]

Why matt vinyl? Surely it will look the same as gloss if applied under water?

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Steve,

What kind of 3d work do you want to do? Do you want to do 3d relief engravings / lithophanes and that sort of thing?

There is some options if you want to do that sort of work. There is a free download – BMP2CNC or some such. Google it…. It can convert photographs to 3d reliefs.

I do a lot of that kind of work in my free time. Lots of fun, but not really commercially viable. But it does earn me some beer money 😀

I did these with USBCNC, but BMP2CNC is quite similar

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Attachments:

[Gert du Preez]

We gave it a try last year, but was totally underwhelmed.

In the end we just got somebody to develop our own quote / stock / production software

[Gert du Preez]

You telling me, John….

About 250 litres of diesel, 1 overnight in an expensive tourist type establishment, 2 days "out allowance", 10 hrs normal overtime, 10 hours double time for Sunday, wear and tear on vehicle, site team (2 guys) delayed for 2 days, with accommodation cost, overtime, etc…..

The information was right in front of me. Another tick in the "assume" box of school fees….. 🙁

[Gert du Preez]

I had a similar bit of Oooh Fu….. this afternoon.

One of our rigging teams is on a job about 1200km away from home. ACM fascia for a bank, going around corners of the building etc.

I had a VERY detailed set of site photos and a site survey. Made the fascia….but "overlooked" the one wall was a inside measurement between coloumns. (all others were measured OUTSIDE measurement)

Now the fascia is about 1000mm short. Couriers can only pick up Monday, and deliver Wednesday 😳

So, a trip of 1200km each way for one of our guys tomorrow. Or rather, there tomorrow, and back the day after.

The bossman was strangely quite this afternoon…… 🙄

[Gert du Preez]

We also tried a few options, the last one being Sign-VOX.

Not happy with them. So we contacted a local programmes (works at a bank) to write us a programme.

Works a treat. Handles Quotes, prints Jobcards / Manufacturing Sheet / Invoice checking sheet / Delivery Notes (and partial delivery notes) etc.

It also maintains the client database, payment terms etc – For both Debtors and Creditors, and maintains the stock-keeping.

Had a few bugs early on, but now it is a HUGE production aid, especially since we do a huge number of quotes per day, and maintain a very extensive inventory (We are a 40+ person company)

Looks to me like the 3rd World operators are more likely to find tailored / in-house solutions than our compatriots in the Developed world 😀

[Gert du Preez]

David,

Is the machine a Stepper or Servo machine? With closed loop systems, switching on with the bit zeroed on the material will serve no purpose…. (on a normal stepper system it will work, BUT only if the machine does not scan for the limit switches on startup)

My home-use cnc (Techno Isel with USBCNC control) I can zero by turning the Z wheel until the bit touches the material, but then the display should either show Z: 0mm before I start, or I can turn it until it touches, and then zero on the software. (ie, with the bit touching, the display should read 0mm.)

Try zero-ing with the software, and have a go

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Martin,

Nope 😀 Almost the same, but the "petals" don’t curl all the way round. I’ll take a picture and post it.

@Ewan: Yes and No. The real VHB (there are a few others with the same claims but dubious performace on the market) is very good, and lasts for years, even with freezing cold etc. My opinion is that VHB, correctly applied, is a suitable method. However, our Architects and Engineers in the 3rd World have to compensate for "less than perfect" installation / materials. That is why they normally request for a "safety" fixture to be included.

BTW, we do full building cladding with ACM, the biggest thus far being (I think) about 15 stories high.

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Stuart,

Almost. The ones we have opens up in a "petal". I presume it is almost the same thing, protected by different patents 😀

The example you illustrated should work as well

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Simon,

Just had a look in the store. Sorry. All inscriptions on the box is in Japanese……

The manufacturer is " JAPAN DRIVE-IT CO LTD" …. Being a listed company, you may be able to find them with Google.

The part number is: SD-52-SW-MK 30263-10X0901. The rivet size is 4×12, but they open up inside 3mm ACM. A normal rivet gun is used.

Hope this helps

[Gert du Preez]

We use a special rivet that opens up inside the ACM, i.e. no visible fixture from the front. It requires a special drill that limits the drill depth as well. Used with Wurth Power Bond adhesive.

We always use 2 fixing methods – 1 chemical and 1 mechanical. Overkill is the Bossman’s middle name……

[Gert du Preez]

Sorry for the late reply, but things are hectic……

Few pointers: Yes, you can use thick MDF, but I normally use 12mm. I have noticed when milling 32mm MDF, I can still feel suction through it. If the 12mm sacrificial is included, that is more than 40mm of MDF!

You HAVE TO skim both sides. Firstly, it prevents the MDF from curling up, secondly, the smooth/gloss surface also restricts the flow

Our cnc’s got 2 HUGE pumps, but small stuff is still a problem. I normally use scraps of cheap 3mm ACM and staple it around the workpiece to prevent it from moving.

Keep the filters clean.

Beware of oil contamination. It "blocks" the MDF. For this simple reason, I now mostly use only alcohol in the mister, and only use oil on 10+ mm thick Alu.

Do a regular "fly cut" – smooth surfaces work better with bleed through systems.

I don’t worry much about blocking exposed areas on the bed. I only open the vacuum handles as wide as the stock is. (ie if the sheet is 1200 x 2400, I don’t block the 600mm exposed on the end. The vacuum pump can flow large amounts of air. The limiting factor is not flow rate. The vacuum pressure stays damn near the same.

TBH, I prefer mechanical fixing to vacuum. Done correctly, it is the safer option. The only reason I use vacuum is because it keeps sheet stock nice and flat, making for accurate grooving. On my hobby cnc at home, I use screws, staples, or double sided tape. At work we typically process up to 30 odd sheets per day, so there the speed of the vacuum system helps. At the cost of the odd spoiled cut…….

[Gert du Preez]

We have an identical Teckcell router to the one in your picture.

The picture you posted is NOT the sacrificial board. A sheet of MDF goes on top of that, and the vacuum "bleeds" through the mdf…..

It is made from a product known as Comaprint in the local trade. Easy enough to drill and pocket with a cnc.

[Gert du Preez]

I used to do all the digital printing for a sign company in a neighbouring town. (and they did all my laser engraving on their Chinese engraver)

Then they bought a Chinese printer……..

I did not really notice a drop in their orders from me. The machine was ALWAYS having an issue – motherboard, power supply, alignment, drop out, and just plain "fail to go…"

The cutters, laser engravers and even (some) cnc routers are workable, or at least a decent stepping stone. The large format printers and flatbed printers seem to be less usefull items…

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Dereck,

We run one of those. Its a Roland, so it works…. We have the CMYK LcLm setup.

Ink consumption is the same as any other Roland Ive had. So it should be the same as your Cadet.

Speed (with our ink setup) is roughly 4 square metre per hour. Surprisingly slow, since even the old SP managed 3. With dual CMYK it should be faster, though.

I must say, the older generation SP540v is still my favourite printer. They keep on and on and on – the harder you work them, the less problems they give. The Cadett is the same machine. You will miss it…..

[Gert du Preez]

I just made the post about the Stika to show it can, in a pinch, be used to make signs. Much like one can, in a pinch, walk across the Sahara…..

Rather look for a bigger, decent cutter in the used market. The Stika will restrict you, and frustrate you. It is FAR more difficult to make anything on it than a decent cutter. Like I said, I had about 7 years experience at the stage….

Another problem is, you credibility using such kit will be out the window, and other signmakers (rightly or wrongly) will consider you as a Fly-By-Night or Fleabay Warrior. With reason….

[Gert du Preez]

Martin,

Slightly off topic, but about 14 years ago me and a mate started a sign business. We wanted to buy a GX24 (I think) Roland, but all was out of stock. All they had was the Roland Stika STX8. That had a cut area of 250 wide, max 1000, long just to get started.

We used it for a few months, and actually managed fairly decent production. Bigger text was plotted on paper, joined, and cut by hand. Ditto for reflective.

I had one advantage, though. At that point I had 6 or 7 years experience already…..

[Gert du Preez]

LOL, about 10 years ago I flew from Johannesburg to Durban with them.

The airhostesses wore Jeans and T Shirts……With t!ts, complete with nipples, printed on them 😀

These lovverlee young things pranced about pushing their trolleys, SELLING small bags of peanuts, foamalite cups of coffee, and beer in a tin. If you wanted, you could get a plastic cup.

…….almost like BritRail….. 🙄

[Gert du Preez]

Gosh, I’ll be the odd one out….

The TALLEST letter is only a shade over 200mm, only 2mm thick, and with a thin stroke. That "monster" is going to weigh in at what? 60 grams? 80 grams?

IMHO, it is very very unlikely that the paint will fail, and even in the 1 in 10000 chance that it does, an in the 1 in 10000 chance that somebody walks past in time for that wee thing to hit him topside of the head, and the 1 in 10 000 000 chance that this individual has a skull as thin as an over inflated balloon…….. Nope, I’ll "risk" it with the VHB 😀

[Gert du Preez]

Nick,

Select the item you want to copy the fill to, then click on "Edit" – from the drop down menu select "Copy properties from…." – that will open a new menu with check-boxes for Outline Pen, Outline Colour, Fill, and Text. Just check the box "Colour" and then click on the object you want to copy the colour from.

[Gert du Preez]

Ive been using a colour chart I made up with ALL the pantone colours in the Corel Library for the past few years. There is 1144 colours on that ‘un……

Printed on Vinyl, PVC, Reflective and Photo Paper. Use that to find the colour, open the Corel file of the colour chart, copy the relevant colours, paste into the Corel file Im working with, and copy properties from my swatch coulour.

Sounds long winded, but actually only take a few seconds!

[Gert du Preez]

Wot I do is to cut through the composite with a normal 6mm endmill (CNC router) along the edge of the composite. For the cheaper 3mm (Koma Alu) I "clear" 6mm wide and 2.5mm deep. After routing, the remainder of the plastic material is trimmed away to the alu with an NT cutter. This leaves a 6mm "lip" of the thin alu skin, which is then folded over the side, and a little over to the back.

Folding (or rather, Rolling) is done with a piece of Perspex, running along the side and folding over.

It is easier with the cheaper composites with a thin skin. It becomes a PITA to do it with the better quality material like Alcopolic or Reynobond, but it can still be done.

I must add I mostly do this on smaller signs, like Fire Safety signs. On the bigger signs, a normal groove and 25+ mm returns are used to make a tray.

[Gert du Preez]

The resin I use comes packed in Nitrogen filled foil packets, and it is advised to store them in the fridge (NOT freezer!!)

A possible cause can be if you dome only a very short run or singles. The 2 components don’t mix proper for the first ml or so. I discovered this after noticing the first 1 or 2 namebadges I domed in a batch remained tacky, while the rest cured perfect.

The first squeeze now goes into the waste paper bin…

[Gert du Preez]

Were closing on Sunday at 17h00……

…..But I’m likely working until Tuesday Night sometime.

Wednesday at my mom’s, and then me and the wife and kids are going on our first "holiday" in 3 years……from Thursday until Sunday 😮

I’m going "walkabout " in the Namib desert. I’m praying that I will NOT see another human being. Four delicious days of drinking beer, and exploring the oldest desert on earth with my wife and kids. And me 4×4… 😀

After that I hope the batteries will be charged for the year ahead.

I think I work to much. 14 – 16 hours per day, sometimes for up to 5 months on end 7 days a week. And then after 1 Sunday at home, it is 7 days a week again for a month or 2.

Some time ago my daughter told me "one of her teeth are loose" – Next time I saw her awake there were 4 or 5 teeth missing 😮 Is it worth it??

OK, Depressed rant over! Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you all!

[Gert du Preez]

Gee Whizz. No wonder the British Empire shrunk from encompassing half the globe to an island slightly bigger than my grandpa’s farm. If you argue about this, just think how bad any political argument will get….

I’d hate to be a politician in your country!

All this arguing about a simple statement, perfectly understood by me, made by David.

BTW, David, thanks for introducing me to my new favourate say-thing. "By the power of Greyscull" – LOVE it. 😀

I’m going home now. I’m afraid Ill get lost. The roadsign, coming from the South, points to the right. The direction of my house. But coming from the North, it points to the left…..Does this mean I will have to circumnavigate the globe to get to my house, or is it still only 15 miles away 😕

[Gert du Preez]

quote Chris Wool:

you have just done some zx6r stickers for me but you have done them the same, i want one for the left and a reversed one for the right. the R is at the wrong end.

In years gone by I was a very active biker. And had developed something of a national reputation for "back to original" bike graphics. It started with a mate’s bike, then a few more restored classics……eventually I was producing rip-off Suzuki and Honda decal sets for the official dealer in town (they waited too long for the originals!)

One day a bloke comes in with a lovingly repaired and polished Yamaha XT500 tank. And a small picture from a late 70’s bike magazine. "Can you do this?"

Me: No problem. Give price, and tell him to collect the tank in 15 minutes. It is only a black vinyl cut decal.

Client picks up the tank. Smiles from ear to ear. It looks EXACTLY like the original! Then he turns the tank around, and his face drops. "This is wrong. The "Y" should be at the front of the tank, like in the picture – and the other side"

I thought he was joking, but soon realized he was dead serious. "You read from left to right, sir" still did not do it. I then took him outside where my Suzuki was parked. "See, one side the "s" faces the front, and the other side the "I" faces front"

Client (now fairly blown-up. "THIS IS FOR A YAMAHA, NOT A SUZUKI"

I am not one for conflict. So I told him to come back 15 minutes later. I mirrored the righthand side lettering. Client looks, and you can see him blush red. "You were right the first time. So I tell him once again to come back in 15.

But I did charge him for 3x the original quote…..he paid, to ashamed to complain 😀

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Martin,

I wasn’t about to experiment, keeping in mind I only have 2 stainless cutters!

The cutters were sent by the manufacturer of the router (and has the same brand name)

I came upon a printout of e-mailed instructions by the manufacturer. The feedrates etc were copied from that, with the only difference being they suggested 3mm per sec with a 6mm cutter. I was using 4mm, so dropped the suggested feed by a third as well.

On the next job, with better cooling, I’ll give it a shot to try higher feedrates. Either way, keeping the stainless sheet under, and the bit IN, cold water, may just be the magic bullet.

I they order these polished letters again, I’m going to laminate silver Anacoil on some 2mm alu and cut that.

They wont even notice the difference 😉

[Gert du Preez]

Job done 😀

What I did was:

a) Cover the backside of the Stainless with application tape.

b) Glued the application tape side to a sacrificial sheet with Wurth Bond and Seal

c) Used a 4mm 3 flute cutter @ 6000rpm. Plunge at 1.5mm/sec, feed at (!!) 2mm per sec with the mist coolant delivering about 125ml of alcohol in 4 minutes. And kept spraying the contact point with a water bottle.

Early (about halfway through the 1st letter) the bit got red hot. From that point on I just kept spraying water just about non-stop. The first "incident" did damage 1 of the 3 cutting edges, but I just plunged 1.5mm deeper to keep a "clean" area of the flutes in contact with the stainless.

Towards the end (13 letters about 250mm high) the bit did dull a bit, so there was a continuous red glow at the contact point. But it still cut fine.

First job done, and no broken router bits!

For the next job I’m going to do things different. I’m going to use Komatex as a sacrificial, and back the stainless with vinyl rather than application tape. Then I am going to edge the 8mm Komatex with 25×25 alu angle, and seal it off. Then I’ll flood the entire surface with 5mm or so of water, and turn off the mist coolant. That means the bit will be cutting under water. Voila, perfect cooling!

In Afrikaans we have 2 relevant sayings: 1: ‘n Boer maak ‘n plan, and (2) Nood leer bid. Translated, it means (1) A Farmer (Afrikaner) makes a plan and (2) Crisis teaches one to pray 😀

[Gert du Preez]

We do have 2 routers – The bigger 3000 x 2000mm machine (with the spindle as described above) is equipped with a vacuum hold down system thet bleeds through an mdf sacrificial sheet. So flood cooling is not an option.

The older 4x8ft Teckcel is equipped with a flood cooling system, (@ 100 litres of water per minute!) but it has a smaller 2,2kW Perske spindle. (The stainless sheets are 4x8ft, so bed size is not an issue)

Maybe I run it on that router. Praying the smaller spindle will have enough grunt at low rpm to cut the stainless.

I pride myself that I almost never break a router bit. I’m thinking that reputation may be in for a beating in the next couple of days!

[Gert du Preez]

Yes, Martin, I hear you loud and clear. I have pretty much the same reservations as you have.

For starters, I would have liked 1500 rpm better than 6k….

The spindle produces peak torque from 6000 – 12000 rpm, and peak power from 12 – 24 000 rpm.(Effectively. There is a small – less than 10% – drop at peak rpm) Power being Torque x RPM, this means that torque drops off proportionate to speed above 12k rpm, and power drops off proportionate to rpm below 12k rpm.

The spindle is rated at 7,5kW continuous, and 9kW at 60% duty cycle.(12000 rpm) At 6000rpm I thus have 3.75kW continuous / 4,5 kW at 60% duty cycle available. Power / Torque is not an issue here.

Heat is the problem. I’m thinking of glueing the stainless to a sacrificial sheet of Komatex, and will assist the mist coolant with a handheld spray can – like you use for spraying insectisides.

The letters will be mounted on 5mm Black Perspex, with a 6mm contour showing. I will glue 10mm dia 10mm thick Perspex pieces on the back, and tap them with a 6mm tap to accept 6mm stainless thread rod as pegs. On the second job the stainless letters are use to face Perspex build up letters with halo illumination.

I have always used mirror Perspex for jobs like this, but these 2 jobs are both "C.I. Spec" – deviating from their stated methods / materials can cost us loosing a contract, or having to drive a 900km round trip to re-do.

…….And I am curious to see if it will work or not :lol1:

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Liam,

I dunno how much of a problem expansion and contraction due to ambient temp fluctuation is in the UK, but here darkest (warmest) Africa it needs to be taken into account.

Also, use 5mm Perspex 050, not 3mm on a large box. You can glue the 2 pieces of Perpex together with Acryfix or Tensol or similar, but leave clearance for expansion at the sides of the box. This of course assumes you have a light tray that drops in from the top. If you have to remove the Perspex to service the box, you may have a problem with a 4m piece of Perspex (especially with a join, which is the weak spot) Imagine removing that on site to replace tubes…….different than fitting in the workshop!

WRT the number of tubes: I measure the distance where the tube is closest to the Perspex, and use double that amount for the spacing between the tubes. The deeper the box, the less tubes you need, and the more even the illumination is.

[Gert du Preez]

quote koniunktura:

quote Gert du Preez:

Man, I love those building wraps! Only problem in my country……….a job like that will cut the GP margin of even a fairly large company in half!!!

Nice going. Some seriously impressive projects there!!

hmm i do not understand 100% what u write, please tell me more

LOL, what I mean is, in our country (3rd world "middle income" country with less than 2 million people) most companies will NOT be able to afford branding spanning 12 stories high by 60 odd metres wide….

The consumer base is too small for them to consider such grand marketing projects. Pity, I’d love to do a job like that….

[Gert du Preez]

Man, I love those building wraps! Only problem in my country……….a job like that will cut the GP margin of even a fairly large company in half!!!

Nice going. Some seriously impressive projects there!!

[Gert du Preez]

Nothing wrong with those, mate! (exept getting close to copyright infringement here and there 😉

I see you bought a known brand cutter in the end.

I see no wrong with somebody buying their own cutter to produce graphics for their club / business. Even we, as professional signmakers, frequently buy equipment to lower expenses. Think about buying spray painting equipment to paint inhouse, welding equipment to weld inhouse, carpentry tools to keep that inhouse……… Not to mention doing our own designs rather than using a Graphics studio. I don’t think we can "blame" somebody for cutting his/her own vinyls if WE also take work away from the Painter, Welder or Carpenter in the quest to lower cost and/or shorten lead times. Just my 2c worth.

[Gert du Preez]

Gloss for Vehicles, Matt for everything else.

Matt lamination (or Matt vinyl cut lettering) looks much "richer" and more upper-class IMHO.

[Gert du Preez]

Floyd, for a possible supplier closer to Zimbabwe, try this lot:

Company : NATIONAL SCREEN AND DIGITAL SUPPLIES
Telephone : CT (+27 21) 551 3300 JHB (+27 11) 624 2642 DBN (+27 31) 569 1049

Maybe the Zim Secret Police thinks it is spy-equipment to "subject da bruthas to oppression" if you try and import from the Queen’s Island….. 😉

[Gert du Preez]

It looks like it could be a useful tool to have if it comes with a decent price. Should make fitting a kitchen sink a breeze!

What I’d like to know, why does ShopBot need to look for social funding of only US$ 125k to kickstart this project? I mean, they are not "that" small? (Look at the number of people involved in this project alone. Not like they are a 1 or 2 man business) Heck, if each of the employees responsible for this tool contributed just $20k, they could have financed it "inhouse" With the added benefit that the people who design and make it, have a vested interest in the project.

[Gert du Preez]

The Sino machines usually comes with a rip-off / pirated software package, but the higher spec machines ship with UcanCam. (Domestic Chinese developed software)As far as I can gather this is not a rip off, and based on video tutorials etc. I saw, it looks like a decent package.

For sign work just about anything can work. Even flimsy DIY machines made with MDF and thread rod lead screws can outperform anybody with a manual jigsaw / palm router!

BTW, I run a fairly high spec pair of routers made by Tekcel in Australia. The big machine has very powerful dual vacuum, drawing through a sacrificial MDF sheet. Works a charm on big stock, but small stuff I still staple to the board.

Cutting 3mm Perspex, I find the perspex always "climbs up" on an upcut bit. I only use upcut bits, so the solution was to run 2 passes – the first 2.5mm deep (with 1 x 3mm tabs) and the second cut then plunges 3mm, but only cuts the 0.5mm remaining. (once again with 1 x 3mm tabs) Problem solved.

Getting a router to move is no more difficult than using a vinyl cutter. The skill comes in determining cut rates, DOC etc for the wide variety of materials you cut on these. Search the web, lots of info on this. DONT follow the lead of 95% of Youtubers. Those guys grind away with 2 flute cutters at 20k rpm at 6mm per sec with a DOC of 0,2mm 👿 Rather look for the info on the websites of good cnc router bit manufacturers. Start conservative, and work your way up to find the sweet spot of the machine. And please dont run the spindle at 24 000 rpm just because it can! I do most of my work (perspex, DiBond, Aluminium, MDF) at 12 – 15 000 rpm.

CNC routers are a hobby and addiction all on their own. I even started using the phrase "cnc perfect" since using them. Its so bad, that I neglect all other work in favour of cnc jobs! Then, when I get home, I tinker on my Isel router (standing in the dining room….on a cnc made table!) or I watch cnc video clips on the web, or browse cnc forums. It really is that much fun.

[Gert du Preez]

quote Robert Lambie:

Bonnybridge is the world’s number one UFO location[/b], with an average of around 300 sightings a year[/i]

and is only a few miles from my house! :lol1: :lol1:

There must still be a lot of lead pipes in the plumbing over there…. 😮

Or may the consumption of that famed locally distilled products have an influence on those sightings 😉

[Gert du Preez]

quote Phill Fenton:

Using complex image enhancement software first developed by NASA, you can see that there is indeed something out there 😕

No, Phil, you are WRONG !!

Anybody who knows anything knows that UFO’s only fly in the Desert States of the USA.

Maybe their craft does not have wipers?? 😀 Maybe them aliens are afraid of the cold? Maybe they don’t come to Africa because their delicate equipment may get stolen or broken?

But Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada…….Its their home away from home over there!

[Gert du Preez]

As I read this, I glance over at the "Quick Reference Guide" on the notice board next to me…… 7 Year Vinyl N$ 331.50 / square metre. On 600 wide, that equates to 12 Pounds per linear metre 😮 (This is for the Vinyl with Application tape, but excluding the roughly 14 Pound per hour installation rate)

I have to add that I now work at the 2nd largest sign company in Namibia, and that we specialize in Corporate Identity work, like just about all the Banks, some of the petroleum companies etc etc. So our prices are industry related in the domestic market.

Wish we could sell 600 wide vinyl cut graphics at 120 Pound per metre 😕

[Gert du Preez]

I was cutting some 3mm brushed alu letters yesterday.

Since it was a mix of large and small letters, and me being a lazy sod, I decided to cut all at a slower (25mm per sec) federate at 12000 rpm.

Load the sheet, and run the program. I just hang around for a minute or so, adjusting the mist nozzles etc, and then go outside for a smoke.

Now, the first part of the program was hog cutting the insides of the letters, then the male cuts followed…….

When I come back after my smoke, I hear the machine sounding "different" while cutting. It turns out that I accidentally entered 250mm per sec, not 25! Fortunately, the specific tool – 6mm single flute – was set to a max federate of 100mm per sec. (With the Tekcel Enduro with ATC you can define max rpm, federate, acceleration etc for each tool)

Still, cutting 100mm per sec on just 12k rpm is seriously hauling arse! Maybe with a less powerful spindle (It runs a 9kW HSD spindle) or a less rigid gantry there would have been problems. Today I experimented with cutting at 16k rpm, and 50mm per sec, and it worked a treat. No chatter, and shiny, smooth cuts.

[Gert du Preez]

quote Cheryl Smith:

nice squirrel Phil….

Well…….he couldn’t post a picture of his Beaver now, could he 😛 🙄

[Gert du Preez]

The older versions of Coral Draw could also do it.

Trace by Wood Cut or some such. I have C14 on the work computer, and C15 at home – neither has the function anymore. Corel 12 had it, possibly X3 as well.

[Gert du Preez]

Did you get the sign in yet?

I would put a 3mm piece of rubber in the hole first. Should prevent the granite chipping…

Then use 3 slings. Make sure the "centre" sling is offset by 50mm or so. Then cut the sling closest to the centre sling. It will now be almost balanced on the centre sling.

Tip the sign into the hole on the on the side you cut the sling, and then take up the slack on the opposite sling. Now cut the centre sling.

The sign will now have 1 side in the hole, and the other side out. (50mm to bottom?) Now cut the last sling, and let ‘er plonk into the hole. The rubber "should" prevent any problems.

If not, consult your insurance company regarding the replacement 😀

[Gert du Preez]

If the guys learn to make signs in prison, does that mean you have a bunch of ex-cons working in the sign trade in your area?

At the rate tools and materials disappear at work, you would swear it was the case here as well 👿

I’m all for prisoners working. But it should be public service. Cleaning road verges, manually digging graves, sweeping pavements, washing council / government cars etc etc.

Here in Namibia it used to be common for schools to have a work-gang of convicts to clean the premises. As a matter of fact, I am registered as a "Volunteer Prison Guard" – this means I can go to prison early morning, and "draw" a work gang for the day. But the rules state they may NOT do qualified work (i.e. a qualified electrician may not be used to do electric work etc). You may ONLY use the work gang for hard, physical labour. The rules are old, but still in force. When I have a gang, I have to call them to a "loo-parade" Everybody line up, all unzip, all "water the garden" , tools back in pants, on with work 😀

When it is cold, according to the rule book, the convicts may not make a fire to keep warm or stand with their hands in their pocket. The rules state "the guard must work them hard enough so they don’t feel cold"

I love it! 12 guys cost me only 3 pound sterling per day. For the LOT 😀

[Gert du Preez]

I now I’m a couple of weeks late in replying….

Wot the others said are all possible causes. I would like to add 1 more possible cause. If you are cutting in 2 passes, it can also result in the router bit clogging, especially with multi fluted bits. If you can, cut in 1 pass, and keep the feedrates up. Good chip loads actually cause the heat to be carried away in the chips you are cutting.

My choice for routing Ally (and composite, and Perspex ) is a 6mm single flute upcut bit. Use good quality (like Benlin) I cut at 30mm per sec (1800mm per minute) at 16 000 rpm. Ally up to 3mm is cut in 1 pass, 4,5 and 6mm is cut in 2 passes. With the thicker alu the heat still dissipates sufficiently.

Use a mister! If not fitted to your router, Q20 or the likes can also be used. Just expensive for volume work!

[Gert du Preez]

When printing graphics for lightboxes, black sometimes look green.

The 100/100/100/100 (or 75/100/50/100. Seems to give the same result) gives a better quality black when backlit.

[Gert du Preez]

I also do it like Chris Windebank, the only difference is, once I’ve got the cutline, I give it a 2mm (varies) outline, with the outline set to have round corners. Then convert outline to object, and delete the "inside" path afterwards.

This gives a 2mm contour on the cut, with rounded corners. The rounded corners work well with the T shirt flex, as well as with domed vinyl badges.

[Gert du Preez]

……..had a quote request from a builder earlier this week. He forwarded the Arci’s specs…..

Peg mounted letters. Laser cut from 5mm Stainless…….

Now, those of you who know Namibia, will know the closest thing to 5mm stainless in this country is likely to be the 3mm K Bar knifeblade I want to plunge into somebody’s chest……

Not to mention that the most powerful laser is maybe a 100Watt glass tube job…..

Quoted on 4,5mm Alu (we have in stock, and can cut) with the option of 5mm stainless (source from RSA) and have them plasma cut. (also local)

Doubt the "draw-me-a-nice-building guy will even know the difference.

[Gert du Preez]

..simple stuff like lettering not straight, overlapping text cut rather than welded…..list goes on……

Oooooh, I just HATE that (hot)

[Gert du Preez]

Hmmm, how long before we be can do a proposal, get approval, and output built up letters at the click of a button….

No more routing letters, waiting for fabricators to make the returns, said fabricators not coming to work / coming to work with a hangover (babelaas for Rodney and the rest of us in the civilised world… 🙂 etc etc. Not to mention re-cutting spoils….

This is a technology that will find easy acceptance in our trade. We as sign blokes are a group who (mostly) embraces technology, and push it forward with our demand. When I started out 20 years ago, I had "what if" dreams about printing on vinyl in a cost effective manner that does NOT involve darkrooms, screens, pressure washers and chemicals….

Producing 500 full colour contour cut decals today takes 2 hours…..20 years ago, including the time to have dies made up, it was a 3 week process….

Well done Simon, for making something useful on your "toy" !

[Gert du Preez]

I always support my customers. Partly because we have a working relationship, partly because its easier to look up contact details on my computer than finding the Yellow Pages…….

……..and partly because it usually ends in a cashless barter deal, to everybody’s benifit 😀

[Gert du Preez]

In 2013 I hope to make good on something I promised the last 2 decades……..

……Its the year I’m actually going to take a client to the back and kill the baastid, not just talk about it 👿

[Gert du Preez]

Or…..

"Is this what you do for a living.."

NO, Idiot! I professionally breastfeed Smurfs 22 hours a day, and as soon as I get those suckling little blue buggers of my nipple I grab a paintbrush to vandalise a wall…

Is asking stupid retorical questions what YOU do for a living??

[Gert du Preez]

quote Mike Grant:

I often use the phrase “all the gear and no idea” 🙄

I always say a toolbox does not make a mechanic, or a scalpel does not make a surgeon… 😀

The sign trade is like getting married: Looks good from the outside with other people doing it, but hellsbells, dont think it will be like it looks if YOU do it :lol1:

[Gert du Preez]

I put a little aluminium angle in the corner (inside) glued in place with Power Bond.

Grooving depth is important. Too shallow, and the bends wants to open, or they are difficult to bend. Too deep, and face damage can show. I groove panel thickness -1mm, i.e. on 4mm material the groove is 3mm. 90 Degree groover.

Also, consider making double returns on the sides. The panel becomes much stronger like that.

[Gert du Preez]

@Simon,

Are you familiar with Tekcel routers? They are Australian made 😉

We have 2. The smaller 4x8ft machine is 8 years old, and the bigger 2000 x 3000mm machine is 1 year old. Very very reliable and solidly built.

The older machine is now temporarily retired. I want to use for development work, but it has to be upgraded first. ( it does not have a vacuum pump or tool changer)

The other machine runs 12hrs per day, 6 days a week.

I had a look at the shopbot for home (hobby) use, but I think I will rather buy a South African made machine for that. They are about GBP 6000 for the 1200 x 1200mm router.

BTW, we use Profile Lab, and I design in either CorelDraw or Inventor.

[Gert du Preez]

For flat mount perspex letters (and a few other things 😀 ) I use Power Bond made by Wurth. Expensive (about 60 odd GBP per tube) in our part of the world, but it sticks like crazy, and it stays like that for years. Some cheaper adhesives eventually harden too much, leading to failures.

VHB? Hell, that stuff is used to stick on double glazed windows, so methinks a perspex letter is no worries

[Gert du Preez]

Tim,

Dit lyk heeltemal gaaf! 😀

Kan darem my Moedertaal se herkoms daar sien 😉

Edit: I told him it looks nice!

[Gert du Preez]

Im just thinking out loud here……

You guys live on a relatively tiny island… If you have to look at something, go and look….

Its not like where i live, where "extremities" of the country may involve (depending on where you live) a drive of up to 2000km, each way. Sometimes on gravel roads……

PS – I NEVER buy without meeting the seller, with the goods, cash in hand. We have become so "spoiled" by the virtual world we live in, that we forgot how things are supposed to be done, ie Viz-A-Viz

[Gert du Preez]

At least half those pictures was met by a "so what" response here at work 😮

We are catching on w.r.t. safety, but mostly….let me say my European friends will faint at what we do!

I only realised how slack Health and Safety implementation was in this country after doing some work on the uranium mines in Namibia. They conform to ISO 2000 and something. A real pain. So many do’s and donts, you hardly can get your work done 😀

No pictures, but our last similar insident was a month ago. We manufactured a 8 story garbage chute in 2m sections. Saving on crane costs, we installed the topmost one with threaded bar and chemical anchors. The crane left. Our guys were inside this frame (2000 x 1200 x 600mm) with a pulley system, pulling up the other frames. Once the frame was pulled up to butt against the top one, the guys climbed down into the 2nd frame to attatch it to the wall, with the frame suspended by the rope alone…..

The safety officer for the site was happy. Our guys had hardhats, safety shoes, and harnasses (atatched to the frames that were going up)

Africa is no place for sissies 😉

[Gert du Preez]

LOL, Mike,

I see you took your bestest toolbox to site for the camera 😀 😀

Why do we sigwriters carry our tools in cardboard boxes, and use milk crated to stand/sit on, is beyond me.

Oh, sorry, I use empty beer crates :lol1:

[Gert du Preez]

quote KevinGaffney:

I started out with an epidioscope projector and a set of brushes. Doubt if that piece of information will interest too many today

I started out with a Roland PNC 950. Later lusted after these newfangled printer things.

Once I had my hands on a digital printer, cnc router and laser engraver……..I started doing brushwork 😀

I seems everybody and his mate thought signs is an easy way to make money, and bought the (cheaper and cheaper) printers. So nobody left to do hand painted signs. At one stage I did painted signs over weekends and in the evenings, and had work for every single spare hour in my life.

Dont do it (hand painted signs, that is) anymore, but at least I can if I have to. (BTW, I frequently charged way more for painted signs than what a signboard with digital print would cost, but the older, more conservative customers still preferred it. And just about every site I worked, resulted in somebody stopping to ask me to do a job for them as well.)

[Gert du Preez]

David,

Maybe the standards of the builders is better in the UK than Africa, but I have burnt my fingers many many times by pre-cutting film. Even in supposedly modular complexes the sizes of an 850 x 850 window can mean just that, or 850 x 860, or 840 x 865, or 865×855, or….. you get the idea!

If I pre cut, I normally add appx 20mm all round. Its easier to apply if the film is slightly smaller than the window, but rather safe than sorry!

I pay the same for window film as for frosted vinyl, so cost them the same. Per linear metre, with a slight discount if the offcut is usable. It usually is’nt… 🙄

[Gert du Preez]

LOL, I’ve had a customer and his helper (tow truck drivers…) in the workshop for the past 3 hours. Maybe another 2 or so, and the jobs done.

At least these are nice guys to chat with – like having some friends over 😀

And they do a lot of work with us, not to mention they drive a 400km round trip because they dont want anybody else working on their cars.

This is the exeption. The rest are told to sod-off.

[Gert du Preez]

quote Robert Lambie:

Welcome to the boards Fran, great intro post, so thank you for taking the time to post that. same with loading your picture, really makes all the difference for those reading.

please feel free to keep posting your questions via relevant forums on UKSB.
I am sure you will find the answers via us lot, as we have a great community here.

As for the exhibition question.
the must go to for next year is FESPA which will be held in London…

Sorry for the hijack, but……

I recently updated my account info, and wanted to load a picture of mu ugly kisser that more accurately depicts my current age. 😀 The old avatar pic is gone, but the new one with the grey in the beard does not want to load?? Am prolly just doing something daft…

Oh, and HI to Fran :lol1: You’ll enjoy this lot and their advice!

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Jody,

We also run a RS 640 and SP 540 vie Versaworks. I just spoke to the designer – he said he printed a wallpaper graphic a few weeks ago, designed in PhotoShop, that was 3.3 GIG in size 😮

He left it overnight to rip, so no telling how long it took. It printed fine once through.

The measurements were 12.5 x 3 metres. Printed in 10 panels, but the original file was sent through full size.

I must add we sometimes do get a stoppage while printing. After a cold boot of the computer, just re send and it prints fine.

Try closing all other programmes running while printing. Also disable your anti virus. Cant remember which one, but one of the antivirus programmes interfered with printing.

PS. I see you from RSA. We run both our printers on SA manufactured bulk ink. NuTec ink, manufactured in Cape Town. Been using it for about a year now, no problems. Even better colours than the OE inks, and faster drying times. Worth considering once your printer is out of guarantee. In the 1 litre bulk packs it works out at 3x cheaper than Roland ecosol max……

[Gert du Preez]

We use A4 size numbered estimate/quotation books in duplicate.The original copy becomes the jobcard later on… Quotes etc. are written out at reception, and the original goes to whoever has to work out the price. Usually me or my partner. Then to reception again, who updates the duplicate in the book, and fax’es or emails the quote.

Goes in a box at reception until accepted.

E-mailed requests / jobs quoted via e-mail get printed out, and is attatched to a jobcard as well.

Once accepted, it is marked as such in the duplicate book, and it comes to me. If there is engineering or special stock purchases involved, I do the drawings and give it to the guys in the "noise" shop downstairs, and / or order special stock.

Then goes to designers, who also operates the printers. Simple vinyl cut jobs go to the cutter operator for design and cut. (We have a dedicated "plotter guy")

Once the prints are done / vinyls cut, it goes into the application area, and the jobcard into their box.

The completed job goes to dispatch, and the jobcard for invoicing.

If we need to install on site, or brand a vehicle, the job goes to dispatch, but the jobcard to the workshop controller to arrange installation, plant hire, book vehicle etc. Then the JC goes for invoicing.

Each guy in the line keeps a book, writing down the date, time and person he received the jobcard from, and the same for passing it on. Papertrail……

Quotes not accepted are scratched out on the duplicate book.
Jobs done have their invoice number written in the duplicate book. This means you can page through the duplicate book, and follow up on quotes gone cold, and track jobs down that were accepted but not invoiced.

This way nothing falls through the cracks. It sound complicated, but once everybody is used to it, it actually goes quite smoothly with a minimum of effort and fuss. We do too many jobs to keep track in your head. Anything from 10 to 50 jobs per day, some small, some requiring several days or even weeks to complete.

[Gert du Preez]

quote Martin Cole:

I bet they are pleased the link has been posted.

Had the email through a few times now..looks good.

I’ll have to make my big 10 gallon water containers redundant at this rate 🙁

LOL, Martin, youre lucky. Only 10 Gal water containers….We use 44 Gal drums 😮 They are to heavy to load on the truck, so we load them empty and fill them on the vehicle. With a 4 Gal bucket filled in the kitchen, through the workshop, into parking area, into drum…..

I’ve been meaning to buy a hosepipe for 3 years, but always only remember about it when the guys are busy loading up to install in a waterless area.

Did make a "note to self" again. Will forget about it by the 2nd cup of coffee…. 😀

[Gert du Preez]

Quenton,

Yup, a few close calls. And I smoked a cigar when I heard my wife is pregnant again………

…….only to become so drunk in my head I had to sit down! And, 2 days later, we hear the pregnancy was a false alarm 😮

It is dangerous now. I feel like I can have one, and will be O.K. But I know it is dancing in the fire with a petrol soaked jacket….

So, I will continue my "pink lung society" membership!

[Gert du Preez]

quote Phill Fenton:

Personally I’m very dissapointed….

When I read the title of this thread I was expecting to see a really good rant. Turns out it was hardly a rant at all.

I reckon the quality of ranting has gone downhill on this forum these days 🙄

Well, Phil, then write us a good rant about the deteriorating quality of rants here (-)

[Gert du Preez]

LOL, Dave, kids will be kids…..

But I must say this type of thing is starting to take positive effect in my country. When I was a youngster, maybe 60% of high school seniors smoked. And in a school with 1000 students, we had 1, maybe 2, pregnancies per year. Heck, we could get permanently suspended from school if you were found with condoms in your posession….

Now maybe 20% of the kids smoke, but condoms are handed out free of charge, and 1 in 10 girls get knocked up before completing school.

Not to mention the level of recreational drug use. Almost ALL kids do it. In my time, I was one of only 3 or 4 students I know of that occasionally rolled a spliff. Now its cocaine, ecstassy, and what not.

BTW, I’m still not smoking, and (reluctantly) cut back to only 3 or 4 pints of beer per day. Any more, and the flesh becomes weak……..
😀

[Gert du Preez]

I wish I had problems like that – Clients who know what they want, and remember where their wallet is………. 😛

[Gert du Preez]

quote Jill Marie Welsh:

In Corel, I bring in the photo I’ve taken of the existing building or sign site.
(after cleaning it up in my photo program)
I then superimpose the layout I’ve done in Corel over the photo.
You can add a transparency or a drop shadow.
These can be really fun to do.
After a deposit, of course.Love…..Jill

😀 😀 Why? Ever did artwork for somebody who did not order from you (?)

[Gert du Preez]

Hehehe, Neil,

I did not want to say this less I offend someone.(about the "quality" of Allbright) BUT in Namibia we have some of the best beer in the world. Local beer frequently palm in international prizes. It is proper german beer, brewed according to the Reinheitsgebott. But back then, I thought ALL beer tasted like Allbright in the Queen’s domain.

We drank it because it was 50p cheaper than the rest.

(Duck)………..it still tasted waaaay better than Guiness……

But dont worry, I will sample each and every brand when I get there again. Behave like a proper lager Lout :lol1:

It is funny, but I still remember many little things. Like passing the Rizzla factory, going through a long tunnel under the water in the train, the funny little "farms" out there that will fit 100x into our sheep farms.(A sheep farm in Namibia is typically about 30 000 acres)

But I still loved it! I am the only African backpacker that never went to London. Arrived at Heathrow, took the bus to Reading, then the train to Wales. (Bridgend?? a few km from Porthcawl)

Those were the days. I travelled a lot as a youngster. Went to 5 countries with some friends on a motorbike tour, smuggled some contrabrand with UNITA rebels in Angola as weekend fun (while the war was going full force there)

At least I have some stories to tell the kids…

[Gert du Preez]

Welcome mate!

Not sign related, but…….I think Wales is a very pretty corner of the world! Even though I hail from the sandy deserts of Namibia, I worked in Wales for a short while about 20 years ago. In a quaint small little town. Porthcawl, in Mid Glamorgan.

I promised my wife I will take her there (Wales) for our 10th Anniversary (3 years left). Then I want to take a proper tour, going from pub to pub sampling the local brew .

I think the stuff I drank there wass called Allbright or Allright or somthing 😀 It certainly made me feel Allright after 7 or 8 pints! :lol1:

[Gert du Preez]

David,

If you want to do it manually, use a syringe to suck through the ink from the drain pipes coming from the cappin station.

Or you can run a clean cycle or 2. That will get rid of the air in the ink feed pipes and fill the dampers.

I use a Neddle nose Vice Grip to pinch the tube closed – that way the ink does not flow back.

The little white grub screws on the print ciarage. I dont know if they have something to do with the alignment of the heads, or if they are just retaining screws. On my printer they are well tight. So, maybe just retaining screws. Try tightening 1, noting how much you turned it. See if the print heads are still aligned. If so, then tighten the rest. It would imply that they are retaining screws, and not used for adjustment.

And please report back – That way I can know as well 😀

[Gert du Preez]

LOL, and then Governement can, after a multi-million dollar survey, have workshops to discuss the "collected data"

Eventually they can then, very accurately, mind you, make statements that say: Statistically, it has been proven that 50% of all emplyees in the country make up half the workforce. This is in line with similar studies done in the E.U….. 🙄

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Damien,

If the wipers do not go all the way, try cleaning the metal shaft on which it moves.

I find that sometimes some gunk collects and hardens on this shaft. The linear bearing of the wiper carriage then jams on this dirt.

Clean it off, and it will do its job like its supposed to

[Gert du Preez]

Youve got it all there. Dampers, caps and wipers.

All are very easy to replace. Just be careful when removing / replacing the dampers. The little "nipple" on the printhead becomes (or is??) brittle, and can break off.

Dont ask me how I know 😳

We’ve had ours since they were launched (almost 3 years ago) and replaced the dampers once, and the wipers maybe every 4 – 6 months. They are cheap enough to replace, but they serve some bloody expensive components!

PS, your weekly cleaning schedule is slightly better than ours. The printer operator sometimes neglects this simple task for several weeks. T.A.B…..(Thats Africa, Baby 😀 )

[Gert du Preez]

@ Quentin

You telling me, mate! (I smoked store bought, roll yer own, and pipe, depending on what took my fancy. There are 3 Kayser pipes sitting on my office window sill. I sometimes put the unlit pipe in my mouth. Must look daft)

Beer. Well, Namibia used to be DSWA – German South West Africa. We have a large German population, and a LOT of German culture trickled through to the local Afrikaans community. Including semi-professional levels of Beer and Jaggermeister consumption 😀

It is HARD to have my usual few litres every evening, and nothing to smoke. I console myself that at least with no smoking I can enjoy the beer a couple of decades longer :lol1:

[Gert du Preez]

Eh, Gordon,

You considering acupuncture because the smoke broke the spine of your pricker….. 😀 😀

Gee Wiz, 8 Quid for 20….. In Namibia it is about 2 Pound sterling (N$ 28.00)

When I started it was N$ 1-50 a pack. So now one cigarette costs what a pack did back then!

I’m good today. Feeling upbeat about all this. Now I just need to work on a reward for myself if I manage to pull through. Maybe import that Calmini suspension upgrade for my 4×4 if I’m clean for 1 year. (It is only 6 months smoke money, anyways)

Or maybe a 3D plastic printer. Now there is something I can play with!

[Gert du Preez]

I’ve passed the 3 day mark now. 😀

In some ways today is harder than yesterday. I think the actual cravings for the nicotine is much less, what remains is the pshycological craving……

Also, because the cravings are less, the devil on my shoulder tells me I can smoke 1 as reward for lasting 3 days. The bloody devil makes sense…..

Keep busy, and things are OK.

[Gert du Preez]

Problem: I’m a serial coffee drinker as well. Now I drink even more. Replace ciggies with coffee….

Problem is, if I had my coffee I want to smoke. Got to do something to get my mind away from this…..

[Gert du Preez]

I’ll come post here every time I get a craving. A craving lasts for 3 minutes (so the clever ones say) so by the time I’m done logging in and posting, the craving is over (-)

Well, maybe not every time, I still need to work

[Gert du Preez]

quote Harry Cleary:

quote Gert du Preez:

The red paint is about GBP500 for 5 litres,

😮 😮 I’m assuming GBP = Sterling or am I missing something?

If you were assuming, the assumption would be right 😀

About N$ 6500 for 5 litre. At about 13 Namibian Dollars to the Pound. (To put this in some insane perspective: Yesterday the Union for security guards negotiated a 30% wage increase for their members. Minimum pay for them is now N$ 5 / Hour, for a 12 hour shift…..)

At least beer, meat, smokes and Whiskey is cheaper than in the UK 😉

[Gert du Preez]

quote NeilRoss:

If cost isn’t an issue you won’t go far wrong with the likes of International yacht paint.

😮 😮 We did the National re-branding for Total service stations about 10 years ago

That stuff is GOOOOD, but the price makes you want to duck for cover. I once dropped a 1,2 x 1,2m alu panel from about 6 metres up, fortunately it landed flat on the face on some very rough asphalt. Not a mark on it!

The red paint is about GBP500 for 5 litres, no smaller sizes available here. We used it because it was specced, and quoted as such.

At least it will preventbarnacless growing on the sign 😉

[Gert du Preez]

We get 2 types of "Contravision" inNamibia.

The one is bad, the other worse!

The "econline" type is guaranteed to generate a comeback in 6 months. The normal" one (at 3x the price) will last longer.

We dont laminate, since it looks crap. The contra does not adhere well, edges curl (unless you can work them into the rubber beading of the window) , it tears the moment you loose concentration applying, the ink washes off……

I find the "forum style" cutting strips in vinyl works much better! And, when a graphic flows from a wrap on a car body to a window, it is easier to match colours with the vinyl than on contra.

Of no help to you in this case.

What we do to make it last / look better is to overprint 2x. That puts down double the amount of ink, which changes some colours, but because only half of it remains on the end graphic, the colours appear normal.

PS. If I sound "anti" it is because I did about 12 large shop windows early last year. Had to redo them later in the year, and now have to redo them again……..This has prompted me to give only a 6 month guarantee on contra, 3 months on a car window.

[Gert du Preez]

Hi, Simon,

I also have a SP540, and like you, also have a random problem with the accuracy of the contour cutting. On a previous SP 300 you could cut 1m worth of 90mm discs without it being out ,5mm, but on the 540 it is iffy.

We tried everything. Turning off the heaters works, sometimes.

The "I give up" response is to cut by hand.

If I understand your OP correctly, the problem is with the different colours on the yellow bit, when you give a bleed to cut.

You could redraw the whole thing to include the shades with bleed, and put your cutlines inside that. But I still maintain that it would be FAR more labour intensive than cutting by hand, unless you have to do a fair number of these.

I’m guessing it could would take about 1-2 minutes to cut by hand, on a size of 400 – 600mm. And despite the doubts, I think this can be cut very smoothly by hand. Sign blokes know how to use a NT cutter!

If you find a solution to get the 540 cutting "on the nose" please share! I have tried, 4 different teccies from 2 companies tried…….encoder strip cleaned, pinch rollers swopped around, less rollers, different media, etc etc. Lowering the heat helps, but some media dont like this in terms of print quality. It persists, it is random, and it is bloody irritating.

Let us know what you do with this one.

[Gert du Preez]

If only a few logos for a car, cut by hand..

Would take less time than uploading the picture and posting / checking the forum would 😀

[Gert du Preez]

I used the Windows based version of SignScript, on a 486 DX4, until 2004…..
on a Roland Camm1 cutter.

Loved it. I started working on it when I started out in the sign industry in 1993.

Used Corel3 IIRC.

I remember I had to convert everything to curves, then combine, then break apart everything before exporting. Cant remember why, just that I had to do it. It sometimes took a while to redraw the imported file in S Script, but heh, things were way more relaxed back then! :

[Gert du Preez]

You are supposed to flush all ink from the system prior to transport…

SUPPOSED TO and DONE are 2 different concepts in my world 😀 Just be careful not to tilt the printer too much. Keep it level as far as possible, and you should have no worries.

[Gert du Preez]

What I would do in your shoes…………

Look when and where the band is next playing. Go and look at them. They play the music of of the great bands. Looks like fun.

Forget about the job. You will enjoy the band more 😀 😀

[Gert du Preez]

Here in Namibia it is standard practice to put a little sticker on the lower right hand corner.

I dont do it, simply because I do a lot of work for re-sellers of signs, and it would not be ethical for their clients to have access to my details. Trying to tell the workshop which jobs go direct to the client and which is re-sold by a middleman is going to be a full time job on its own……

Also, if you do it, keep it very small. On a 2460 x 1230mm (8x4ft) sign, no bigger than 40x20mm. There is a competitor in town that puts a 180 x 120mm (VERY badly designed) logo of his company on all his "work" (if you can call his products "work")

[Gert du Preez]

It happens on new cars as well.

Once did a full wrap on a 12 seater minibus. the client came back with prints flapping in the wind a while later.

Turned out the vinyl was still firmly stuck to the paint, and the paint was not stuck at all on the body…….

Must add, it was a Chinese made van. 🙄

[Gert du Preez]

Flame polish and solvents……

We did a test with a supplier one day. The cracks appeared as if on command!

Cant remember if it was on Plexi or Perspex. Dont care, since I dont flame polish 😉

[Gert du Preez]

Usually January – March is our worst time.

With that in mind I worked very hard to get a National retail chain to give me the opportunity to quote on the branding of a new store that was supposed to open January. (opening has since beenmoved to Feb).

I thought we would have tons of time on our hands, and a nice big job will be a nice way to kick off. But……

as usual that old fart Murphy blessed me with a very busy 1st month, and 1 printer is down (touch wood, should be printing by tomorrow this time) and I’m only getting the big retailers artwork tomorrow…. (the printer that is down handles 75% of our prinnt volume.)

So, IF I get the artwork tomorrow, the signs have to be up by Friday. A total of 90m of fascia(1200 high), made with aluminium square tubing with PVC stretched over them, going around all the nooks and crannies inside the building. 😮

I could not even start making the frames in the meantime, because I only got the order faxed on Friday, after harassing them for 2 weeks for it.

No way I’ll make the Friday deadline. Maybe midnight on Sunday…….

(The official opening is Monday)

Happy days in-bloody-deed!