Jump to content
 

  

858 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you currently own a cutting machine?

    • Yes
    • No, but I want to in the next 12 months
    • No, I have no plans to buy one
    • I'm undecided at the moment


Recommended Posts

Enjoy your holiday.

I'm going on holiday next week, but don't have a working printer that's small enough to take with me. But my Portrait would be the ideal size to use in my van :). I'd just need to install the Linux Inkscape add on!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Second attempt.

 

Made slight change to design reducing the bellows to 3 panes rather than 4 in Canford black paper. As before front plate and rear plate in 20thou black styrene and small snippet of cheap bin liner:

post-3717-0-78208000-1489510139_thumb.jpg

 

Bellows folded up and slotted together:

post-3717-0-31585800-1489510140_thumb.jpg

 

Bellows are glued to rear plate with UHU Solvent Free and he bottom edges aligned:

post-3717-0-20002700-1489510141_thumb.jpg

 

When glue has set the front plate is glued in position. Note that it is fixed slightly lower than the rear plate:

post-3717-0-00055800-1489510142_thumb.jpg

 

The top cover is glued in place with the UHU then trimmed to be flush with the front and rear plates. Here is a unit on a Hornby Railroad Gresley:

post-3717-0-70480800-1489510142_thumb.jpg

 

And on a Bachmann Thompson. Note that the top cover causes the unit to spring out further at the bottom than the top and looks decidedly odd:

post-3717-0-27422300-1489510143_thumb.jpg

 

Ideally we want it parallel:

post-3717-0-89708300-1489510143_thumb.jpg

 

To resolve a thin strap of additional bin bag is fixed to the bottom of the two plate limiting its travel:

post-3717-0-57629000-1489510144_thumb.jpg

 

Now in its uncompressed state all looks good:

post-3717-0-47844000-1489510145_thumb.jpg

 

Studio file and Inkscape svg attached.

LNER Vestibule.studio3

LNER Vestibule.svg

  • Like 5
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Very nice Mike, clever design and well executed.

 

The opportunities seem to expand the more I think about it. When I first got the cutter I thought the scope was pretty limited, as it was only 2D after all. Then it dawned upon me: The hundreds of etched brass kits out there are also only 2D.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Mike,

 

Having purchased a similar product from a well know site I tried one of these bellow units between two clerestory coaches.

I noted that on anything less than a 3rd radius ( used as a trial ) they caused the coaches to push outwards. Have you encountered any similar problems at all ?

Now I've got the cutter I will be trying your method which will save any further purchases which is another bonus in my view.

 

Regards

Grahame

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Try thinner paper? Hobbycraft do a 80gsm black pad.

Mike,

 

I also thought about that too, I will give it a try in the near future and see what difference it will make.

 

Thank you.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

On the offchance that I'm not the only one who had issues with it, I've now persuaded the cameo3 and Inkscape to play together nicely under Arch Linux using this plugin https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-silhouette.

 

The most recent version of inkscape appears to be necessary (there was an update to it last week, prior to which it didn't function properly). There is still the caveat that the autoblade doesn't work and only one of the toolholders can be used. The registration also appears to be off quite badly - I had to give it a manual offset of y=-106mm and x=5mm in order to hit the correct spot on the page.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I hope someone can help with a problem I'm having with a Portrait machine.

 

Since getting the machine i've been successfully using it and cutting 10thou sheet without issue.  Since replacing the blade no matter what cut settings I use even after 2 cuts it will not clean cut 10thou sheet.

 

Either a) I've got a duff blade or b) I've changed somethong in the settings that I'm not aware of.  With thickmess set to 33. speed 1 and the blade dialled up to 10 it just won't cut whereas previoulsy I've managed to cut through the mat as well as the plastic.

 

And advice or suggestions welcome.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Either a) I've got a duff blade

Have you tried cutting card with it?

 

I think the blades come with protective plastic on the cutting tip - if so, have you removed it?

 

...R

Edited by Robin2
Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 

Have you tried cutting card with it?

 

I think the blades come with protective plastic on the cutting tip - if so, have you removed it?

 

...R

 

 

Thanks for this - Mike, yes - I have that page bookmarked and use this when setting up, hence my surprise at the problem.

 

Robin  - it won't cut card consistently.  I don't think the blade has a cover but I'll check that when I get home tonight. 

 

I might also remove the dust cap and give it a clean but as it's a new blade I don't expect to find much but who knows.

Link to post
Share on other sites

So as a follow up, what blade are we talking about here as there are now several options? Secondly if you extend the blade and manually try cutting through the styrene/card, does it cut all the way through?

Mike - It;s a silhoueete blade and yes, blade extended it;s possible to cut clean through the styrene

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ok slightly ambiguous question I asked. There are several different types of blade supplied by Silhouette. There is the black blade normally supplied with the machine, and a newer premium white blade. There is also a fabric blade, a deep cut blade and an auto adjusting blade. I assume you are referring to a black blade?

 

By blade extended what I should have asked is, if adjusted as described in my referenced post does it cut all the way through the material when manually used? When doing it manually we are bypassing any aspect of the cutting machine itself with its pressure limitations. Don't assume that a setting of 3 on one blade is the same as a setting of 3 on another. I have found this not to be the case so always manually calibrate for a given blade. So assuming the blade is set correctly then try it in the machine. The thickness setting in the software should be 33 with double cut. A speed of 5 should be fine. Does the styrene have one face glossy? If so mount it glossy side up on the cutting mat.

 

It might be worth doing a test piece, perhaps drawing squares at various points across the cutting bed. Does the machine cut evenly? The reason I ask is there can be a degree of flex with the middle position being slightly lighter than the edges. If there is still a problem can I recommend upgrading to a premium blade.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Another one rolled off the bench today, just for those who thought that I had forsaken the Cameo.

 

The tar tank now has all it's underpinnings and just needs weathering to complete.

 

I am particularly pleased with how this one turned out because it was really just an experiment that wasn't meant to go further than seeing if I could make the riveted tank. Which in turn was a trial for creating cracked tar spillage....

 

IMG_3719_zpsfqaleuag.jpg

 

IMG_3726_zpsh2nao2w3.jpg

 

IMG_3734_zpsyh0hohq0.jpg

 

IMG_3740_zps1l6ry2as.jpg

 

IMG_3747_zpstwctbvpi.jpg

 

IMG_3753_zpsaazcgmxy.jpg

 

IMG_3761_zpsrdypqsuo.jpg

 

IMG_3767_zps3pzkhjpj.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Another one rolled off the bench today, just for those who thought that I had forsaken the Cameo.

 

Quote ..."The tar tank now has all it's underpinnings and just needs weathering to complete.

 

seeing if I could make the riveted tank."

 

 

Really nice work Rob, may I ask how you produced the rivets please ? i.e. Blade type, depth setting, plasticard thickness ?

 

Grahame

Edited by bgman
Link to post
Share on other sites

Really nice work Rob, may I ask how you produced the rivets please ? i.e. Blade type, depth setting, plasticard thickness ?

 

Grahame

 

Thanks Graeme,

 

It was a standard blade (approx 12 months old not a new one), depth 1 pressure 33 and 10 thou styrene. 

 

I must confess that although  took advantage of one of the Yolo offers and bought one of the 'better' quality blades (sorry I can't remember the exact description) so far I don't get the same results and I haven't used it enough to figure out what I need to do differently to get what I need from it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Graeme,

 

It was a standard blade (approx 12 months old not a new one), depth 1 pressure 33 and 10 thou styrene. 

 

I must confess that although  took advantage of one of the Yolo offers and bought one of the 'better' quality blades (sorry I can't remember the exact description) so far I don't get the same results and I haven't used it enough to figure out what I need to do differently to get what I need from it.

Thank you Rob very much appreciated, I will give it a try.

 

Grahame

Link to post
Share on other sites

Rob sorry to be a pain but could you just run through just how you drew the rivet detail for the tar tank, I don't know if I missed it if I did please steer me to the right post.

                                                 Steve

Link to post
Share on other sites

Not a problem Steve, they are nothing more complex than a series of small circles lined up to make the required pattern. The rivet itself is a by product of the shoulder that's created by the knife blade as it cuts - the shoulder is a pain when creating plank lines but works in our favour for this.

 

I can send you the svg file if that would help?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't have a cutter yet but in the future is like to get one but I want to print out the destination boards for a virgin voyager on acetate black leaving the lettering see through for leds to show through orange but would someone be willing for a fee cut them out. I know there is some facility if you print marks on the paper the cutter recognises and cuts around it?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Not a problem Steve, they are nothing more complex than a series of small circles lined up to make the required pattern. The rivet itself is a by product of the shoulder that's created by the knife blade as it cuts - the shoulder is a pain when creating plank lines but works in our favour for this.

 

I can send you the svg file if that would help?

Thank you Rob I would appreciate that, I'm sending you a pm with my email address. Steve

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reference :) just noticed your Thompson thread which i'd shall be taking great interest in in the very near future. I had the same trouble with my concertinas which I had use some string to keep them at bay. Also out of curiosity how do your coaches tolerate curves with this amendment? 

Edited by Sylvian Tennant
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...