A Guide to using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter

[MikeTrice]

Believe it or not, last night I planned the topics I intended to cover as part of these posts about using the Cameo cutter. Some will take me a while to do and my time is limited over the next few days. Rather than keep everyone waiting I will present the last topic on my list instead as I have already prepared for it!

 

As will have been seen earlier cutting through on 10 thou styrene is very successful. Even if it does not cut through entirely, it is relatively easy to clean up and pop out the offending chads. I had originally intended my LNER Toad B to be produced using 20 thou styrene but after a very long evening of trying to get it to cut through decided it would be much easier and quicker doing it in 10 thou instead and laminating the various layers together. So the topic here is to do with laminating cut styrene.

 

I have learnt to my cost in the past that some liquid solvents are too agressive to laminate without causing the styrene to warp (see http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/81902-completing-the-4mm-ner-6-wheel-coach/&do=findComment&comment=1352809).I have now standardised on using d-limonene on all my styrene modelling. To date is has worked out cheap, does not evaporate if the lid is left off overnight, and smells of oranges to boot.

 

Here is my sheet of 10 thou after being removed from the cutter. A standard Silhouette ratched cutter was used with a depth of "3", a cutting speed of "1" and a force of "33" with a double cut. Most of the cut lines are all the way through to the extent that one of the pieces has gone AWOL for the photograph:

 

Here are some of the items already laminated comprising 6 layers of 10 thou styrene. With laminations it is possible to add further detail or design features. For example with the inner end the back of the windows are rebated for glazing:

 

The scribed panelling is done using a scribing tool for the Silhouette which I will cover at a future point in time (I meant it to appear before this one, but hey ho):

 

The various layers have been broken out and cleaned up with the panelling layer at the top and 5 identical inner layers:

 

When cut out the blade rises a burr along the edge. This is taken off with a small wooden block to which I have glued fine wet and dry. Care must be taken not to bend any small projections in the styrene. Failure to remove these burrs may make aligning the various layers difficult:

 

I find it easier to laminate layers in pairs initially. The two layers are lined up and potentially clipped until 100% happy then a small amount of solvent run along the edge. Once the solvent grabs the remaining edges can be treated:

 

The completed pairs are then placed under a ruler and a weight placed on top until they cure:

 

Individual pairs are then laminated together as appropriate until all layers are in place:

 

As an aside at the moment I have only laminated 5 layers to the side as it appears to be thick enough already. I do still have a spare 10 thou side if this proves to be needed.

 

Interestingly I find the lamination process quite fun to do rather than a chore. I appear to be ending up with what looks like a conventional wagon kit.

[DesertPackRat]

I think that this method is the one to use for styrene modeling with the cutter. Thanks for showing it. The versatility of the layering adds a lot.

Now, where to get the 'glue'.

[Buhar]

Now, where to get the 'glue'.

Andrew at Wizard/Comet sells it. Otherwise an eBay or Amazon search will turn up suppliers.

[Buhar]

Hi Mike, are you only applying solvent to all the edges and then relying on capillary action to take it further or do you brush some on the faces of the larger parts?

[MikeTrice]

Hi Mike, are you only applying solvent to all the edges and then relying on capillary action to take it further or do you brush some on the faces of the larger parts?

For these parts only the edges. For larger parts I have been known to apply to the surfaces. d-Limonene dissolves slower than some solvents, being less agressive so applying on the surface can work well. I do not include vent holes and do NOT layer in odd numbers believing it unnecessary. So far with d-Limonene I have not had any problems whatsoever short or long term (I will probably regret saying that and find it will start warping all over the place).

[MikeTrice]

Back to my planned sequence, time to look at cutter blades.

 

The main types I will covering here are shown below. These are from left to right the Silhouette ratchet blade, a CB09 blade holder, an Amy Chomas etching/engraving tip and a Silhouette Pen holder:

 

The standard Silhouette ratchet blade comes with a cap which also acts a "spanner" to rotate and adjust the blade depth. The blade is 0.9mm in diameter, is only available in a 45 degree angle and cannot be replaced in the holder. Once the blade is spent, the whole unit is thrown away (don't though as explained later). The blade can be set to depths ranging from 0mm to 1mm in 0.1mm increments:

 

Once in use dust gathers at the tip and if allowed to collect can impare the rotation of the blade resulting in inaccurate cuts. The clean out, the tip of the white end unscrews thus:

 

The dust can now be removed. I tend to buy packs of cheap toothbrushes from the pound stores for this:

 

And after cleaning:

 

Whilst the blade is exposed here is a view from the business end. As expected the blade tapers from the fine edge up to the 0.9mm diameter. This is why as mentioned earlier the deeper the cut, the wider the cut line:

 

Silhouette blades are quite expensive in comparison with third party blades and holders. Here is a CB09 blade holder together with separate blade and spring. Unlike the Silhouette blade the cutting blade itself can be replaced working out a lot cheaper over a period time. Blades are also available in 30 degree, 45 degree and 60 degree angles. Other users have reported that the blades appear to last longer than the Silhouette blades:

 

When blades are supplied they usually come in set of 5 with new springs in little boxes. The ones I have to hand are 0.88mm in diameter so close enough to Silhouette's to not have to worry about a 0.01mm difference in offset. The red "caps" protect the blade:

 

I find the easiest way to assemble is remove the black cap from the end, and thread a new blade into the holder. There is a bearing at the back into which the blade pivot fits and the bearing is also slight magnetic:

 

Now I slip the spring over the blade:

 

And finally screw on the cap. The blade depth is adjusted by turning the knurled nut on the other end. Note that unlike the Silhouette blade there are no graduations on the blade holder and you will find that the blade can be wound up to protrude a greater depth than the Silhouette blade. Use the technique described previously of plunge and drag on scrap material to set the blade depth:

 

Interestingly comparing the depths of the two blades side by side the CB09 appears to be slightly longer than the Silhouette in the body. This can cause problems in certain circumstancies with scratch marks in thicker materials caused by the blade not being lifted high enough to avoid the surface:

 

The simple solution is cut some spacing washers in 10 thou as shown. It is also worth rounding off the edge shown with a file. Some people find the diameter of the CB09 is fractionally too wide to fit in the Silhouette machine however several rubs with wet and dry around the barrel of the CB09 resolves:

 

For the LNER Toad B shown previously I used an Amy Chomas etching/engraving tip to scribe the planking:

 

Unlike a standard cutting blade there is no offset involved so when cutting the blade type needs to be changed to "pen". For my engraving I used a speed of 1, pressure 33 and double cut:

 

The final item is a Silhouette pen holder (Amy Chomas also do one):

 

The idea is to allow a pen to be inserted and locked into position so that the cutting machine can be used to draw instead of cut. Again with no offset care must be taken to set the blade type correctly before sending to the cutter.

 

I mentioned earlier not to throw away old Silhouette blades. The reason for this is there are many instances of people drilling out the blade itself and then using the remaining barrel to make their own engraving units or pens.

 

[JCL]

Morning Mike, here are a couple of things I've noticed.

 

In the craft store over here in Canada I saw last week that there is a new blade. I didn't investigate past noticing that it was twice the price of the blade you have, and the legend on the packaging says lasts 3x longer.

 

Not all Silhouette blades have a white screw off end to allow you to clean effectively. I had some once where all I could do was blow out the dust. It could be that these were an older design.

 

When putting a pen into the holder, you want to get it as vertical as you can using the two screws, otherwise your pen tip will be slightly offset. Not always important but might be a pain in certain circumstances.

[MikeTrice]

Thanks Jason. There are actually lots to choose from as you will find here: http://www.silhouetteschoolblog.com/p/silhouette-blades-explained-cb09-and.html. Perhaps the new blade you saw will be described here.

 

I suspect it is the new(ish) Premium Blade that they are quoting as lasting 3 times longer. It appears identical in usage to the Black Ratchet blade described above other than it comes in white. Interestingly at the point of writing this Silhouette are stating it is out of stock in their online shop. Must be popular. I also assume it is still thrown away when a replacement is needed.

Edited September 22, 2016 by MikeTrice

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Mike,

 

Interesting to see that you are doing a brake van. I have been considering that very thing myself recently albeit that I plan on one of the 4 wheeled NBR ones with two enclosed verandas. Similar to this with doors at both ends and slightly shorter (I think).

 

[MikeTrice]

Thanks for that Rob. Having seen a large amount of Silhouette based 7mm builds from you any advice on cutting for 7mm would be gratefully received.

 

Here is my 4mm brake van after further assembly:

 

[BG John]

Silhouette blades are quite expensive in comparison with third party blades and holders. Here is a CB09 blade holder together with separate blade and spring. Unlike the Silhouette blade the cutting blade itself can be replaced working out a lot cheaper over a period time. Blades are also available in 30 degree, 45 degree and 60 degree angles. Other users have reported that the blades appear to last longer than the Silhouette blades:

IMG_9323.JPG

I was looking at prices on eBay, and from China they are incredibly cheap. You can get a holder and 15 blades for about the price of a replacement Silhouette unit.

 

Is any angle best for our purposes, or is useful to have different angles? I might order a holder and blades from China, as I'm in no rush for them.

 

 

The final item is a Silhouette pen holder (Amy Chomas also do one):

IMG_9339.JPG

 

The idea is to allow a pen to be inserted and locked into position so that the cutting machine can be used to draw instead of cut. Again with no offset care must be taken to set the blade type correctly before sending to the cutter.

IMG_9341.JPG

Is there any advantage for our purposes to using a pen, over a printer? I've got both monochrome and colour lasers, both of which print faster than I imagine this will work.

[BG John]

I'm drawing up some wooden open wagons, and the first one seems to be going fairly well so far. I'm wondering what to do about the bolts and rivets on the ironwork and solebars. Do I just add them later, or can I use the Portrait to mark the position, make a small hole to insert some microstrip, or something else?

[MikeTrice]

Mark the position with the Silhouette and press from the marked side with a blunt compass point against a self healing cutting mat. These have been covered before somewhere but offhand I cannot remember where. I will be using the technique on corner plates for my Toad B brakevan and will repost, probably on my Inkscape thread.

 

Found one description here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63508-wainfleet-and-havenhouse/page-22&do=findComment&comment=1305910

Edited September 22, 2016 by MikeTrice

[MikeTrice]

I was looking at prices on eBay, and from China they are incredibly cheap. You can get a holder and 15 blades for about the price of a replacement Silhouette unit.

 

Is any angle best for our purposes, or is useful to have different angles? I might order a holder and blades from China, as I'm in no rush for them.

 

 

Is there any advantage for our purposes to using a pen, over a printer? I've got both monochrome and colour lasers, both of which print faster than I imagine this will work.

Angle: 45 degree is the "norm" matching the original Silhouette blades. The 60 degree is supposed to be capable of finer work and also have greater penetration. Will be doing a comparison test in a later posting

 

Although I have a pen holder I have never really needed to use it. The only benefit that I can see is the possibility of doing a trial "cut" to test the artwork.

[BG John]

Mark the position with the Silhouette and press from the marked side with a blunt compass point against a self healing cutting mat. These have been covered before somewhere but offhand I cannot remember where. I will be using the technique on corner plates for my Toad B brakevan and will repost, probably on my Inkscape thread.

Thanks. That's fine for the ironwork, where I can cut from the back. The solebars on this wagon are flush with the sides, so I'm making them in one piece. If I cut the front, so I can scribe the planking, I can't mark the back. I suppose I'll have to do it the old fashioned way, and mark it by hand.

 

I'm planning to cut three layers of 15thou and laminate them, so I have planking on the inside. I think I want to work with an uneven number of layers in case of warping.

 

[MikeTrice]

Create yourself a template out of 10 thou then fix in place using double sided tape and use as drilling guide. Once drilled peel off the template and tape.

[JCL]

I've never used the pen holder either. Originally I bought it to see if it would take an embosser to emboss bricks into card. Unfortunately I couldn't find one to fit at the time.

[JCL]

Mark the position with the Silhouette and press from the marked side with a blunt compass point against a self healing cutting mat. These have been covered before somewhere but offhand I cannot remember where. I will be using the technique on corner plates for my Toad B brakevan and will repost, probably on my Inkscape thread.

 

Found one description here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63508-wainfleet-and-havenhouse/page-22&do=findComment&comment=1305910

Sorry, two posts.

 

The method above was fantastic. I also used if to create the rivets on the frames and radiator bolts for the Armstrong-Whitworth Universal locomotive http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/83896-a-powered-armstrong-whitworth-d9-plans-included/

 

Top is the back, I used the holes to punch rivets out of the front of the frame below.

 

 

You can just see the finished rivets here

 

 

All of the cutting work on this loco was done on the Silhouette, and it was built around a Hornby class 31 power bogie.

Edited September 23, 2016 by JCL

[BG John]

Angle: 45 degree is the "norm" matching the original Silhouette blades. The 60 degree is supposed to be capable of finer work and also have greater penetration. Will be doing a comparison test in a later posting

 

Although I have a pen holder I have never really needed to use it. The only benefit that I can see is the possibility of doing a trial "cut" to test the artwork.

I suppose at the price, it's worth buying a variety of angles to try. Finer work and greater penetration could be useful for delicate stuff like my building windows. I've got a lot to do for Cheapside Yard, and have a small part of a large mill to build for my planned Kent & East Sussex Railway layout.

 

I've been doing trial cuts on paper, so I have actual cut items that can be test fitted.

[MikeTrice]

Today's post is an introduction to cutting mats. I might regret this, as it is potentially a large subject. What I don't cover today I will add at a later date so please bear with me, but let's see what I can cover.

 

Why do we have them? I see them as serving two main purposes:

 

1) They protect the bed of the machine from the cutting blade while cutting through material.

2) They hold any separate pieces in place whilst the cutting process is carried out.

 

To achieve the above they comprise a plastic based mat to which is (usually) bonded a double sided adhesive pad. For the Silhouette Portrait and Cameo they have a specification of taking a maximum thickness of 0.8mm. I assume that this thickness is 0.8mm in total which needs to include the thickness of the mat when used:

 

All mats discussed here, and dimensions given, are for the Portrait machine although similar options are available for the Cameo.

 

The standard Silhouette supplied mat is the one against which others will be compared. Here is mine looking very used, a little scruffy, and losing its stick. The mat is 226mm * 344mm and 0.21mm thick with an 18mm lead from the front edge of the mat to the 12" * 8" work area. Damage will be evident where I have over adjusted the cutting blade however this mat has been used a lot. When purchased only the one type of Silhouette mat was available which had a VERY strong adhesion and a lot of people had problems with it being too sticky. Although this was not necessarily a problem when using styrene it did cause problems when using card or paper (as I know from experience). The recommendation at the time was to desensitize it by blotting an old Tee Shirt over it or repeatedly patting with your hand. In response to the many problems this initially caused Silhoutte released a "low tack" version. I will discuss tackiness in a later post:

 

The adhesive is confined to the 8" * 12" work area with the borders remaining unaffected. I read somewhere that this is so the mat can be positioned between the machines rollers without them getting sticky in use. Comparing the mat with my machine this does not seem to be born out in fact as my rollers (which cannot be moved) do run on the adhesive should I let them:

 

The Silhouette cutting mats are quite expensive, depending on how you qualify expensive and these are a number of 3rd party alternative available at considerable savings. The first one I discovered was by Artistix available through ebay (some time ago admittedly). I have used this mat a fair bit. The Artistix mat is 225mm * 344mm, 0.4mm thick (a fair bit thicker than the Silhouette original) with a 20mm lead and as a result may struggle with thicker materials. Adhesion was about the same as the Silhouette mat:

 

An alternative is to use a mat designed for a different machine, in this case a Cricut mat. Dimensions are 241mm * 355mm * 0.47mm thick and a 25mm lead:

 

Before writing this post I discovered Icky Sticky Mats and managed to get a set yesterday also via ebay. Their mats are 225mm * 345mm * 0.2mm with a 20mm lead and as such are the closest to the originals in dimensions and thickness. Their mats are supplied plain or for a few pittance more can be supplied with a printed grid at £9.99 for 3 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131921265591):

 

No doubt there are many other options including making your own (which I might cover later).

 

At the start I mentioned that my original Silhouette mat had now lost its tackiness. A search of the Internet will bring up a number of ways this stickiness can be restored. Icky Sticky Mats can also supply replacement double sided adhesive pads.

 

A more traditional approach to recharging a used mat is as I have done here.

 

First task is to clean the mat as much as possible. The easiest way I have found is the scrape a steel rule across the surface removing any trapped residue cuttings:

 

When completely satisfied the clear areas are masked up with painter's tape and given a good couple of coats of a temporary adhesive spray such as this 3M product:

 

Once the spray has been applied the painter's tape can be removed revealing a reasonably reconditioned mat:

[MikeTrice]

These posts are a braindump of my experiences with using the Silhoutte Portrait cutter and the materials and accessories I have access to. My use of the machine has predominently been for 4mm work with some 2mm thrown in and using styrene as a material. For this reason it cannot hope to be all inclusive so can I take this opportunity to ask other users to contribute their experiences as well (even if it contradicts what I have written)?

[JCL]

The only thing I can think is to reiterate that people should use repositional adhesive as per your photo. Some spray mounts, such as those used to laminate prints onto backing board for picture framing, are designed to grab instantly and not let go.

[MikeTrice]

I had intended to write a piece about styrene here (as it is the material I most frequently try and cut), but realised quite quickly that I know very little about it other than as a user.

 

My earliest recollection of it was as sold by Slaters many many years ago however over the years the supply of it from other suppliers (such as Expo, Eileen's, Javis etc) has increased. Styrene is also available under the name HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) which I assume is the same material.

 

Styrene sheets are available in a number of colours but predominently white and black with the thinner sheets principally in white. Different surface finishes are available with gloss on one side, matt on the other, or matt on both sides. The degree of gloss also varies. My preference wherever possible is to go for matt on both sides. I have seen on one manufacturer's site that the gloss finish is achieved by laminating a thin layer of a different plastic to the styrene. It might be my imagination but the gloss side seems harder to cut through and sometimes the snapping process can delaminate the board however in both cases I have been unable to prove conclusively that this is the case, it is just a feeling in my gut.

 

I have tried some cut depth experiments in 20thou styrene in the past but was unable to reliably measure the depth of the cuts achieved. Sensibly I need to set up an experiment where I cut the same items in various 10, 15 and 20 thou finishes with the 45 degree and 60 degree blades and compare the results. It won't be today though.

[MikeOxon]

........ can I take this opportunity to ask other users to contribute their experiences as well (even if it contradicts what I have written)?

It's good to see a series based on real experience of these cutters.  We 'early adopters' wrote quite a bit, in the excitement of finding a new toy, but not all of it has stood the test of time!

 

The original pen holder that you described was not very robust.  I found it was very easy to 'strip' the two alignment screws, which are threaded directly into the plastic body and couldn't grip the round profile of a pen very firmly.  There is a new version, with collets to hold a variety of pen sizes, as shown below:

 

It's not as versatile as the original holder, as the range of sizes that it can hold is more restricted but, when you have a pen that fits, it is more robust. 

 

I managed to fit a diamond dressing tool, as a scriber, in the original holder but could not fit one to the collet type.  I decided to sacrifice a holder with stripped screws, by using modelling putty to fix the scriber firmly in place,  The diamond scriber can be used to mark out metal sheet for subsequent cutting by hand.

 

I have used both 60° and 45° blades in my CB09 holder and can't say that I have noticed any difference in practice (but I'm not hyper-critical).  The blades for this holder do seem to last very well and are very good value.

 

For me, one of the best features of the Silhouette cutters is their ability to align the cutting diagram with a pre-printed design.  Perhaps you will cover this aspect in due course, Mike.

 

Incidentally, I think the 0.8mm maximum thickness refers to the extension of the knife, rather than the clearance under the feeder, which is rather greater and does allow for a reasonable thickness of material, in addition to the mat.  The Curio machine has a much greater clearance than the earlier machines.

[BG John]

I managed to fit a diamond dressing tool, as a scriber, in the original holder but could not fit one to the collet type.  I decided to sacrifice a holder with stripped screws, by using modelling putty to fix the scriber firmly in place,  The diamond scriber can be used to mark out metal sheet for subsequent cutting by hand.

Can you recommend a suitable diamond dressing tool? Or suitable dimensions. One of my problems with plastic and metal is marking out, so this could be very useful.

 

I have used both 60° and 45° blades in my CB09 holder and can't say that I have noticed any difference in practice (but I'm not hyper-critical).  The blades for this holder do seem to last very well and are very good value.

If I order a CB09 and blades is it best just to buy 60° ones then, as they work just as well as 45°, but may, or may not, cut deeper?

 

For me, one of the best features of the Silhouette cutters is their ability to align the cutting diagram with a pre-printed design.  Perhaps you will cover this aspect in due course, Mike.

This is something I'd like to read more on, as it's part of my plan to try to print colour overlays to minimise painting and lettering.