sleeper

yes at the time of starting this model I only had the 12" cutting mat hence the two halves I've since purchased a 24" x 12" mat 

Thank for the info guys, I've made a start on designing the model in Inkscape and cut out some parts. I'm using a Portrait Cameo 4 now whereas previously I used a portrait 1 which hasn't been used for a few years and I can't find my usb disc player so I'm unable to download the program from the CD disc I have.  

The cutting mat that came with the machine is 12x12 and so I've had to split the sides into two halves and join them by staggering the joins, not an ideal setup but needs must, I see Cricut make an A3 cutting mat so I'll invest in one of those for future use in the meantime I've cut the parts and assembled them into the basic carriage. 

I have taken an idea from the 4mm coach by Stephen Williams and built the interior as a separate unit so that it can be inserted into the coach once finished. I got a bit carried away and forgot to take more progress photos but here's a few to be going on with. 

I'm really interested in your post. I have in the past made quite convincing 4mm models out of the grey card you mentioned earlier, I particularly like your idea for the roof, I laminated several layers of card reducing gradually in size and then sanded these to shape, it's surprising how resilient this material is when it comes to sanding the roof.

I sprayed mine using acrylic model paints with a coating of plastic bumper primer from Halfords to seal the card first. This was some years ago and I'm just getting back in to this with an SR droplight coach in 7mm scale so good luck with this particular medium.

Hi,

I haven't been doing any modelling for some time but I'm just getting back in to it. My first project is going to be an O gauge SR 3rd open carriage, the parts of which I will cut out in cardboard using a Silhouette cutter. I have had considerable success with this method previously, so just need to brush up on my skills.

I am at present just researching the model and my question is;- what height is an O gauge carriage sides from base to the underside of the roof  'eaves' . The overall height from the top of the roof to rails was 12' 4" or 86.8 mm in 7mm scale.

O gauge carriage wheels are 19mm in diameter? is that correct? and 59 feet length is 413 mm in 7mm scale including the corridor connections is that that correct for an O gauge carriage?

I would be very grateful if someone could impart their knowledge on me please

Thanks in anticipation   

you have many projects on the go Rob so forgive me for getting confused, being easily achieved now in my advanced years. This I believe is your self designed model, cut with the silhouette machine. I love the detail you always seem to get into your models, this one is no exception, looking at the second photo down. Well done mate, hope the cold gets better soon.

Roly

Thanks Jason and Mike for the info, the video explained it wery well I thought

I seem to remember way back in this thread someone mentioned printing an image on to card and then using the silhouette software to cut round the image. As this thread now has 56 pages it will be hard to find that post.

I want to print some logos on decal paper and cut them out. In short is this possible using the silhouette software?

regards Roly

Rob, excellent work again, it amazes me how you seem to be able to include all the little plates and brackets, hinges etc that go to make such detailed models, well done

That looks good. Another line of experimentation.

 

My big problem of CAD dxf to Drawplus and then svg from DrawPlus to SSD3 has a solution.

 

For reasons unknown the svg file from DrawPlus arrives at SSD3 6.25% too large. Drawplus only allows coarse resizing but the CAD programme is more precise. So I prepared my line drawing in DeltCAD, measured it at 240.09mm x 101.05mm and then scale it down exactly 0.9375. Saved it as a dxf file. Loaded it into DrawPlus and coloured it in. Then saved it as an svg file with the inkscape option. I loaded this into SSD3 and checked the dimesnions 240.09 x 101.05, spot on!!

 

 

David, I'm glad you seem to be coming to the end of your myriad of problems with your software (s), it sort of reminded me of a bees nest!  As my recent work has been of cardboard construction too, (see my blogs) I look forward to seeing your results, because your methods appear to be very different from mine, how you will achieve compound curves for example. Don't forget to post up some progress photos, good luck with it.

I didn't know Dilma could skate!

Hi Pete

Sorry to hear of the lack of response to your blog, it seems endemic. I have felt the same as you about this, I tried posting here but got no more response than in the blogs, but fingers crossed I hope it goes well for you, I shall certainly be following.

Come to think of it I might have a word with my two followers---------------- 

No, but one could draw the lines over length to achieve that.

Personally I let the software do that for me rather than end up with varying lengths of overcut let alone the extra work it makes overdrawing the lines.

On a completely different subject I think it worth mentioning something that happened this morning. I drew up some panels for the louvres on my D16/2.

These were different sized rectangles created by duplicating the cutouts in the sides I'd produced previously. I  drew a series of horizontal score lines spaced at 1.5mm to fill them. The rectangles in red, the horizontal lines in blue ( red for cutting blue for scoring) and saved them, together with a bunch of 1.7mm strips for the louvres, as a DXF file.

I opened the file in Silhouette, scored the blue lines first then cut the red ones second. Problem! the score lines and cut lines didn't line up correctly.

I went back to the DXF, everything lined up, on checked the Silhouette file more closely using the magnifying tool, bingo, the two were out.

When I import DXF files they always despite altering the preferences, 'as is, etc, load off of the page and have to be dragged into the page for cutting. This is where the problem occurred. On some previous occasions the images have been imported ungrouped despite being grouped in Inkscape and have had to be grouped in Silhouette in order to move them. Lately this hasn't happened and so I've not bothered grouping them.In this case though, despite being 'grouped' on import they separated, when, I suspect,  I set up the (coloured) cut settings and somehow moved slightly .

The moral is, 1 make sure they're grouped when first imported and 2 magnify the page and check everything's tickety boo before cutting, lesson learnt.

Hi Rob,

Yes I can see your dilemma, like many things in life there's no going back!  

Thanks very much for the info on the louvres. I assumed rightly or wrongly that the diagram you have shown is a front elevation not a plan, that the square rod is horizontal front to back of the louvre panel with its face end 'cropped' at say 60° with the strips glued across the face. This is the best I can describe what I mean, hope you interpret it correctly.

I used the term 'cropped' as I noted in one of you other posts that you possess one of these excellent devices, there is a certain very skilled modeller in another Forum who uses one of these to spectacular effect.

louvres.pdf  This may explain what I have visualised.

Roly

 

 

I was dissatisfied with my earlier attempt at producing the stainless steel trim for the Mailcoach Coronation side. I made the mistake of using the thickness of the moulded trim to fix the width of the cut trim resulting in something looking too heaver. This time I adjusted the thicknesses to something approaching the scale 1 3/4" width, which can be seen on the lower side. Much happier with this:

IMG_4721.JPG

 

If anyone looks closely at the enlargement there is evidence of my initial attempts to line the trim in silver paint

Mike,

I did note that the trims' depths looked slightly 'heavy' but didn't like to criticise a clever idea, the later ones do look much finer.

The one thing that stood out to me with the original version was the sheer depth of the moulded plastic trim plus the Fablon 'frame', no doubt exaggerated by the light.  It made me think that, maybe either the moulded plastic trims could be excluded in favour of the Fablon ones on their own or that another layer of panels could be inserted between the trims to reduce their depth. Due to distortion problems caused by laminating plastic card though, I would favour the former over the latter.

I like your nice neatly placed items on the Fablon sheet by the way.

Hi Rob, 

I'm sorry you're having problems with the silhouette software, unfortunately I've had no experience with the designer version, I'm sure there will be some advice forthcoming from some of the other more experienced members soon. Personally I don't really see it's an advantage to be able to import SVG files directly from the CAD program, being as it's very easy to create a file, save it as an SVG and then save it as a DXF file as well, which silhouette opens with virtually no problems.

There has been some discussion recently about different coloured lines for scoring/cutting, see post numbers 1083 onward for import settings and post number 1094 onwards for cut settings.

I've found it is easier to go back and edit the original DXF file rather than try it in silhouette studio. I close the silhouette page, open the DXF, modify it, save it, then re-open it with silhouette. I might be doing it all wrong but up 'til now it has worked for me, maybe someone can set me right with this.

I've recently been working through your rolling stock workbench and am finding it very interesting and admire your skills. I'm intrigued by the van shown above. Presumably this is cut from plastic card. The louvres are of particular interest as I'm just about to create some in card for my D16/2 project. Did you cut these yourself or are they etched brass stuck on?

Roly

I've had a silhouette for a few months but I've been sitting on the sidelines while I concentrated on the laser.

 

But prompted by a friends efforts I've dug it out this evening and my first item cutout is below.

 

Can you guess what it is??

 

image.jpg

As stated above a Mk1 carriage window.

This is, judging by the size of the wood grain in the background, a cruel close up, and I suspect the bars are only around 1mm wide, if that, particularly the verticals between the upper windows. It can be seen that some distortion has occurred, although I doubt this shows when not viewed in close up.

I seem to remember way back in this thread some discussion about this particular problem. If I recall correctly, one option was to create the rectangles not with the rectangle tool but as a series of 4 separate lines. This way the blade lifts, turns and plunges for the next cut as opposed to turning while still plunged into the material and therefore creating distortion.

The silhouette cutter has a mind of its own when it comes to cutting order, diving from one place to the other, so personally I think I would either separate the parts into layers, or use 3 different sets of coloured cut lines which can be turned on and off in the (advanced) cut menu, first cutting the four small openings in one colour, thereby ensuring plenty of material as support, surrounding the cuts . Next a different colour for the large opening below them and finally another colour for the extreme outside cut. If the final cut produced some distortion it might be easier to rectify or might even be lost if the frame was sitting inside an opening. 

I agree with Burhar,  to look more realistic though, maybe you could open the angle of the tabs slightly and then, in a vice, put a bend across the width of the plate parallel with the front edge of the tender but nearer the engine, so leaving enough clearance for the tender to pivot, leaving the fall plate resting flat on the floor of the tender. In short the tabs would be vertical, the end part of the plate horizontal and the 'corner' cut off at an angle. Sorry this is the best I can describe it.

 

 in theory, if you got one of those cheap place mats you could make your own by masking the edges and spraying 3M repositional mount on it.

 

I've only had to reglue the long one once following it's altercation with a long haired dog

 

 

Jason,

going back a bit you thought 3M spray mount could be used to replace the 'tack' on the cutting mat.

• How did this work out in practice?

• Which 3M spray mount did you use?  

Regards  

Roly

.

Henrik that's beginning to look like a good model, I like the way you have planned the score lines to act as a guide for the hinges etc.

On a different vein, my cutting mat has lost its sticky, I remember back earlier in this thread someone used a spray of some sort to re-proof their mat but can't remember what it was, has anyone any ideas? Would the stuff you use to mount photos be any good?

Roly

It's a bit expensive at $399, that's around £265

A great job Neil, considering how prolific a modeller you are the paintwork on your models is absolutely first class, well done.

If you hadn't said what it was I'd never have guessed it was a buffer, looks more like a UFO. Beam it up!!

http://www.silhouett...lhouette-studio

note the comments about printer alignment, particularly the HP printer, mine has an alignment check whereas the Epsons I've had in the past didn't. If the print alignment is out would it affect anything on the cutter?

Jason I too have experienced the problem you have had with grouped components line thickness showing as 0.000. Thanks for the heads up on the newest update, I hadn't realised there was one, where does one obtain this info and would I have to go to the Silhouette website to download it?

On the question of blade angles, would it be that the 60° cutting edge is longer than the 45° but that the two blades are equal length overall, has anyone measured this? It's my suspicion that this is the case hence the marginal difference in cutting ability.

I haven't bought a new blade yet, do they come ready fitted in the carrier or separate? Why I ask is, on looking down the carrier I can see what looks like a brass collet of some sort. If this is so and it sits in a groove in the blade, I wonder if it would be possible to have the groove modified by someone with a lathe so the blade sits lower in the carrier by say 20 thou thereby increasing the cut depth, just a thought.

The newest model is called the Curio. Apparently they are going to bring out a deeper cutting blade to fit the earlier models. If the Curio cuts 2mm deep that will be great, no more warped laminations