John Lacey
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We’ll get through it 😉
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Surely the easiest way to colour foamex is to flood coat it with vinyl? :smiles: :smiles:
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maybe this is the classic example of the difference between a sign maker and a desk top designer. I think generally sign makers see ‘the bigger picture’ and a graphic designer sees in a4… Dunno, crap design either way
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quote Pane Talev:quote John Lacey:quote Chris Windebank:not accurate enough John
Photo, scale and draw the outline in Illustrator :smiles:
I’ve never done this perfectly on the design line from first attempt. The lens of the camera does her own thing.
I’ve done this for a fleet of berlingo’s.
Few meters test cuts with old vinyl and 4-5 attempts later…impeccable results.[/quoDo you use an iPhone camera or a DSLR? The smartphone lens is rubbish and distorts the image but a standard 18-55 lens on a dslr has worked for me.
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I thought a thrupenny bit had 7 sides? Not that I’m old enough to remember 😉
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Illustrator CS5 for me and going to fight tooth and nail against the subscription idea. FineCut plug in is great for plotter work (thanks Jamie) 😉
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…prob best to print on mirror, I’m no expert….
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quote Beej Curtis:quote John Lacey:Why not print the fades on clear and then flood coat the mirror vinyl? Might be more cost effective than an expensive print receptive mirror material?
Thanks John,
Do you mean cover the Foamex first in mirror vinyl and THEN put a clear vinyl over that with print on??
Wouldn’t that be more expensive? Plus there would be quite a few areas I guess where the mirror would be covered, so not sure what you mean mate?Beej
Yup, print on clear then apply over the mirror, might be worth a try, just a thought…
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Why not print the fades on clear and then flood coat the mirror vinyl? Might be more cost effective than an expensive print receptive mirror material?
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Yup, looks like Silver anodised Panatrim Standard – with 25mm face, 12mm hanging strip to face of panel:)
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Hey Sign Shop Isle of Wight, hello from sunny Botley. Have you tried Hampshire Flag in Pompey?
https://www.hampshireflag.co.uk
They do bunting and not too far from you (as the crow flies)
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… and ‘guuaranteed’ don’t look right either?
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Also, i’m not 100% but i think Soffit has two ‘f’s?
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Open both up in Illustrator and colour pick both to make sure the CMYK values are the same – Them blues aint even close?
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Now thats a real signmaking talent, knocks spots off of sticking coloured plastic sheeting to other stuff!
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You guys are overthinking this whole cutting thing – my method is the simplest and has the best finish :tongue: :tongue:
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quote Wayne Maxwell:Why not order your boards cut to size. That’s what I do 🙂
Tricky for one off quick jobs though. And some suppliers charge saw time…
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quote Robert Lambie:£12 from Amazon and B&Q
I have one of those de-burring tools but could never get on with it. I couldn’t stop it from digging into the very thin sheeting and taking chunks out. I have a better feel using a file but then i was mostly an ally sign fabricator for the first 15 years of my career. I guess we all have different ways of getting to the same conclusion :smiles:
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I’m not so sure you need to score both sides, i never do because its quite tricky to get both cut lines in exactly the right place you see what i mean. You could end up with a slightly bevelled edge. I use a Stanley knife, try and get quality blades because the less scores you have to do makes a cleaner cut in the long run. Its the tidying with the plane that makes the difference. Once you’ve squared off the snapped line with a sharp plane you just have to remove the slight burr thats left over with a fine file. Just remember to add a ‘smidge’ onto your cut sizes to allow for fettling afterwards..
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Since i don’t own a table saw I’ve gotten quite good at this. 3 or 4 swipes along a straight edge, hang over edge of bench, quick snap so as not to distort the sheet, hand plane to remove rough edge and finally a smooth off with a file both sides.
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That is a pretty special wrap! :claps:
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quote Jamie Wood:No problem, if you send me your address details, I’ll post it off.
Well what can i say, there are good people on this planet, many thanks for your help over the last few days Jamie 🙂
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Nah, just give ’em Chaparral they won’t know the difference 😉
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quote Jamie Wood:No problem, if you send me your address details, I’ll post it off.
Cheers Jamie, much appreciated! make sure to include a return address so i can send you a drink mate!
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Maybe?
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quote Jamie Wood:I could burn a copy a nd post it to you if it helps.
Thank you very much – That would certainly help me out as i should be able to then download the update from the site and get me up and running again (and i wouldn’t have to learn new cut program)!
You must let me compensate you for your time though..
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Of course, sorry Iain, was in no way implying you would copy it exactly when applying!
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quote Robert Lambie:I know what it is, but I never used one. the only engraving I have ever done over the past 30 years was with a CNC router and that was a learning curve in itself. I love seeing old machines like this. I visit sign companies now and again and it’s great to see some very old machines still being used today. I remember being in William Smiths some years ago and they had old “circular” sign metal sheers that came down and cut out circles for road signs, and still in use.
we still have an ancient 3 metre wide Morgan Guillotine we have bought second hand about 20+ years. noisy but never misses a beat. we would be lost without it.During my apprenticeship, I used the old Gerber 4B vinyl cutter every day and for probably 10+ years after. This machine changed the world of sign making for sure…
The ‘people upstairs’ got one of those Gerber things in 1984. As mere sign makers we weren’t allowed to go near it.
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http://www.green-magic.co.uk I use these people for POS stuff – very reasonably priced..
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Anyone else notice the RS isn’t centred in the stripes – does anyone else notice stuff like this on vehicles everyday and moan about it to the person next to you or is it just me being anal 😆
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One things for sure – if you use a third party ink you will at some stage be covered in it. Stick with the genuine cartridges if you can afford to (but check the dates!)
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Have you thought about sanding down a 2mm sheet? 😆
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I agree that this is a hardware issue. It seems to me the pinch rollers are not clamping the vinyl correctly. Perhaps there is a small piece of vinyl stuck to the grit roller allowing the vinyl to ‘skid’ at certain points in the X-Y feed? Dunno, just an idea..
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In the 13 years that we’ve been going i’ve only ever had 2 non payers and only one of those was because of bankruptedness. Whats worse, i had a long standing relationship with the customer, he had bought many thousands of pounds worth of signs from me over the years. He knew he was going under and still ordered the signs! My wife always tells me there’s no such thing as friends in business – Luckily it was only a couple of hundred quid so i count myself lucky…
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quote Robert Lambie:quote John Lacey:are there any other SignMasters here from sunny Southampton?
😆 😉
Well that went down like the Titanic (which also sailed from Southampton) 😆
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❓ ❓ :thumbsup: :yikes: :yikes:
quote James Boden:quote Phill Fenton:Ah..that would have been the secret initiation ceremony involving a goat and a monkey ..Ah Phase 1 Phill, I remember it well. Wait until you get to phase 3 with the Sperm Whale, Dolphin & raspberry jelly
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Thanks again for the welcome – are there any other SignMasters here from sunny Southampton?
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quote Chris Windebank:not accurate enough John
Photo, scale and draw the outline in Illustrator :smiles:
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Is there not a ‘vehicle outlines’ library? I used to own one on CD’s that had most scaled vehicles…
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Good lord, i just noticed i joined this site in 2007 and i don’t remember, mind you a lot of water has passed beneath the bridge since then..
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Hi, i have tried in vain to upload a photo, i have emailed you one if thats ok, sorry for being a technophobe (i still use a jigsaw and file)..
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The PVC curtains won’t stop a lot of the noise, better in a partitioned room with a bit of lagging in the stud space to keep the other workers happy! Otherwise the whole workshop has to wear ear defenders when its in operation. I have tinnitus from operating routers, engravers and cutting aluminium on a chop saw in the 80’s – wish the firm had been more rigid about ear defenders at the time, suffering now..
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Eww, not to my liking. Wasn’t there a gold wrapped lamborghini in London recently (again urghh)
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Thank you for the warm welcome – i can see theres a lot of expertise on this site!
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yeah id say the white reflective could be classed as silvery (ish)
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You have the same cutter as me – mine was supplied by a bloke called Anthony Rinburg about 13 years ago – i’m trying to contact him so i’ll let you know if he’s still about..
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Looks like a lot of individual bulbs – imagine finding 1 not working when you’ve packed up for the day!
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Thanks for the advice, suppose i just need to get it working more and stop moaning about it eh! Just wish i’d researched a bit more before coughing up the dosh, oh well live and learn 🙄
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Cheers Brian but already set the cleans to 24 hr intervals, its when i start the machine up that it pumps through the most amount of ink, sometimes it will throw out about 5mm up the bottle worth in 1 go. I have been known to shout at it while its throwing ink away during start up 👿
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LOL Thanks 😀
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Hey, thanks for the warm welcome everyone!! Looking forward to posting (and prob annoying a bit) 😀