Making the Carlyle Elysium SMG

[scornflake]

Is the print being reloaded into a secondary cutter via target marks? There seems to be a consistent shift to the left before cutting. The yellow one would work fine because you can trim the white from the left hand side but the other small one seems to be cut very close to the C. This is nitpicking of course because at anything over a foot away they will look wonderful. Question on the first batch of printed ones, the dashed lines throughout would likely mean the image was printed at a lower dpi than the image you provided. Possibly a conversion step is dropping the quality? Again, only going to notice with one eye nearly touching the plastic but it is there

The Siser does read those marks, yes. Not sure why the shift, I might recalibrate it and see if different. Like you say, not visible from more than a bit away (lets say, 1m, because metric

The first black/white prints were my home (CHEEEAP) laser printer. 2nd washed out color set were a friends laser, 3rd set was "done by adults" at a printing shop.

I've also now gone and added more black around the triangles. I dunno if I can get the siser software to undercut those (I prob can, but then I have to split the job into two parts blah blah and not sure I can be bothered)

 

[greenmachines]

The Siser does read those marks, yes. Not sure why the shift, I might recalibrate it and see if different. Like you say, not visible from more than a bit away (lets say, 1m, because metric

The first black/white prints were my home (CHEEEAP) laser printer. 2nd washed out color set were a friends laser, 3rd set was "done by adults" at a printing shop.

I've also now gone and added more black around the triangles. I dunno if I can get the siser software to undercut those (I prob can, but then I have to split the job into two parts blah blah and not sure I can be bothered)

I was laughing so hard I hit the wrong emoticon at first

 

[greenmachines]

Ya I often take my final run to the copy store for the high quality machines they have. When I ran my print and cut for ring top and badge face images, I placed a row of the same image side by side (like 5) and then moved the cut, starting from the center one, a little farther to the right on the right and left on the left. Progressing more shift on each one. Inevitably, one would be perfect and it was mot usually the center, unadjusted one.

Same on sizing. When needing the final run, one paper is still the same cost so I load it with different sizes of the same image just in case the print guy does something funky to scale my print. It is exceptionally common that they do "scale to fit" instead of 100 percent.

 

[scornflake]

When I went to the print shop, I got two done. One I have clear coated before cutting, just to see if it has any effect. That's the reason for the two copies of the label on that test part (those with hand written C are matt coated)

 

[greenmachines]

When I went to the print shop, I got two done. One I have clear coated before cutting, just to see if it has any effect. That's the reason for the two copies of the label on that test part (those with hand written C are matt coated)

Laser printed will be far more defensive against chemical cleaners but more fragile to abrasion. That always led me to clear coat regardless of ink type. But, if you want to weather it to match the original maybe don't protect it.

 

[greenmachines]

My vote is print shop version for each one and only need to trim the yellow one if any black edge shows some white. You can cheat by making the black border wider. But beyond that they will certainly pass as original at 1m. The images themselves look great. Your sticker cut single colors already get my vote as finished.

 

[scornflake]

Sooo. Image in left is me forgetting to change cutter from plotter to tool (I did half weed it, trying to get letters to stay in adhesive)

. Dunno if it makes a diff. Next one is the 65 deg tool.

it seems to struggle with tiny lettering. Dunno if there’s much I can do (set force, slow it down?) or just reaching physical limitation on vinyl.

 

[greenmachines]

Sooo. Image in left is me forgetting to change cutter from plotter to tool (I did half weed it, trying to get letters to stay in adhesive)View attachment 1911526. Dunno if it makes a diff. Next one is the 65 deg tool.

it seems to struggle with tiny lettering. Dunno if there’s much I can do (set force, slow it down?) or just reaching physical limitation on vinyl. View attachment 1911527

Slowing will cut smaller and will cut thicker with higher success. If you hit a point where it is so small that you are constantly lifting out the smaller pieces, you can half cut. When the sticker is not slit completely. Then you go to weeding with the toothpick method. Pick one edge up and then reach underneath the lifted edge and stab it a second time from beneath (or grab with needle nose pliers. You will be purposely tearing the sticker along its not fully cut edge.

Another odd way to a successful ultra small sticker (lettering) is to purposely remove the positive, the letters you are keeping, and set them aside on an empty sticker backer. Lift up what you would have weeded and then put your postives back. There should be a clear outline of the image in the backer paper to realign the letters. Then transfer tape.

If you need to do the half cut process and deepen the cuts with xacto, get the very thin blade. Having the original cutter lines almost all the way through allows you to use them as a guide.

But at a certain point, only a laser would do it and not sure that would either.

 

[scornflake]

I might even just smudge some white paint there - those letters are just 1mm tall

 

[greenmachines]

I might even just smudge some white paint there - those letters are just 1mm tall

OK, officially too small. That is the work of greeking. A single hair paintbrush cut very short to place the blotches where they need to go.

 

[scornflake]

Yellow stock, sprayed with same gold paint. It’s not exactly like the original gold prop. But I think … close. Can always recolor after

 

[joberg]

Ya I often take my final run to the copy store for the high quality machines they have. When I ran my print and cut for ring top and badge face images, I placed a row of the same image side by side (like 5) and then moved the cut, starting from the center one, a little farther to the right on the right and left on the left. Progressing more shift on each one. Inevitably, one would be perfect and it was mot usually the center, unadjusted one.

Same on sizing. When needing the final run, one paper is still the same cost so I load it with different sizes of the same image just in case the print guy does something funky to scale my print. It is exceptionally common that they do "scale to fit" instead of 100 percent.

Yep, same here; always going to my local print shop to ask them "Heart-attack induced projects" That's what happened with my Pan Am 2001 A Space Odyssey food tray! White lettering was a pain to get, the blue was another PITA to match! It's paramount, of course, that you get "like-minded" people doing the work for you. The person at the print shop is always laughing...I think...when I push the door with my arms full of paper rolls and such

 

[scornflake]

I couldn’t help myself. Woke this morning and thought “I wonder if that stupid software can bleed”.

So. I split the art into white/black border groups and did 2 imports. Result is a cut through a bleed. So even if cutter is slightly off it’ll look better.

Recalibrated cutter. It was offset. It’s better now but still off a tiny amount. This should fixy fix fix it. Well. Hide it

 

[scornflake]

Well. Tried calibrating again with a finer marker and did a number of test paper cuts to check. But it only gets so good.

 

[greenmachines]

Well. Tried calibrating again with a finer marker and did a number of test paper cuts to check. But it only gets so good.

With the variations between each run, you will get good ones of each.

 

[scornflake]

Latest is a rework of the GKR. Because of cooooooooourse I didn’t measure the previous run to see that’d fit. Oh no. That would have been far too sensible. Sigh.

This time I’ve painted the media beforehand. Even under-sprayed to get a speckled look which more closely matches the prop.

Let’s hope it cuts ok!

 

[scornflake]

Pre weathering. Some stickers!!!

I am impressed with the siser Juliet. While its print and cut doesn’t have the accuracy I want the rest of it is amazeballs.

Check the 750mj. It’s been able to cut the star. That’s insane detail.

 

[scornflake]

Ofc I’m impatient. I transferred some vinyl to the gun before using my test piece. Behold. The Block of a Testness. Primed. Painted. Same as gun body (320 grit)

Soooo. I should probably be “responsible” and go test wet sticker technique. I mean. That’s was the plan.

GKR to go right? There’s still hope?

 

[scornflake]

New GKR logos.

 

[scornflake]

Because. I can’t stop.

V2 GKR logo. Interestingly, as far as I can tell, there's no GKR log on the LHS of the model. ..... oooooookay