I apparently lied when I said I was going to bring out a different camera for the next videos. For this quick test of a suggestion from the "Tips and Tricks" page on Craftwell's home page I am indeed using the infamous Bloggie. It is just SO convenient. And, I'm not trying to prove that I'm Cecil B. deMille. My only goal is to get things up here quickly that will make your life with your eCraft a LOT more pleasant.
And, this suggestion from Craftwell will do just that.
The suggestion is to layer a thin piece of paper over a moderately heavy cardstock and use a pressure setting of around 2. To test this suggestion I naturally turned to our old friend the 3" Tree #1 on the Fundamentals #1 SD that came with our machines.
As a control, I first attempt to cut a tree from standard 20lb bond like we used in our inkjet printers. And, then, without pausing the tape I will immediately try cutting 20lb bond after layering it over a piece of very inexpensive 110lb Staples cardstock.
Here is the test:
As you can see the suggestions works very well. But, we did have some lifting of the lighter paper at one point and we had the highest tab density and tab width settings that make it a bit more difficult to remove the shape. So, I plan to test this same technique with just a couple of different twists.
The first change is to tape the top and bottom edges of the paper and cardstock together. Since tape is out of the cutting area, it should only serve to hold the lighter paper down flat. If my guess is correct we should be able to lower at least the Tab Width andmake it easier to extract the cut shape.
The second experiment will be to use the Xyron and apply a repositionable adhesive to the cardstock. "WHOOOAAAA!!!", you say, "Isn't that using a mat after all?" W-e-l-l sort of... But, with this one difference. It's MY CHOICE. And, I can cut right rhough it all if I want to.
At any rate, we'll see how it goes the next time I get to test this. And, just because you questioned me about the "mat" I'm going to sit in that same noisy chair and use that same focus hunting Bloggie!!! That'll fix ya!
11 comments:
Ha Ha - seeing me of your character now Tom - and I like it! Lol
And didnt that cut out well? Wow - am super impressed - just made it a lot more likely that I will be buying one now. See - am still not quite there yet!
Oh - and the squeeky chair and the camera were just not noticeable as I was focussed so much on the video! ...so there!
Rx
So there??? SO THERE???
Mess with me and this chair can get REALLY squeeky!!! Every video will be like fingernails on a chalkboard.
The ONLY thing that saves you from this screeching fate is that you said something that is important for everyone. This blog is not about selling the eCraft. It is about communicating about tools and evaluating tools so that users, like yourself, can choose the right tool for them. I LIKE the fact that you are still on the fence and saying so. Because that holds Craftwell's feet to the fire to come up with more Tips and Tricks or improvements to overcome your hesitancy. And, that is a good thing.
Having said that, I WILL remember that "SO THERE!" Or... maybe not. My granddaughters have long learned that PopPop's threats to remember ANYTHING beyond 40 seconds are HIGHLY unlikely!
OK. Since I couldn't count on remembering, I had to get my revenge right away, so I added a Non-Crafting Links category and linked to two of your blogs.
Once people read Monkey, Monkey you will be FORCED into continuing it and your life will no longer be your own! THAT should do it!
By the way folks, Ruthie's blogs are VERY clever and a LOT of fun.
They're great for children!
The deleted comment was due to the fact that I can neither type nor spell more than three words in a row. And, apparently, also cannot proofread before pressing the "Publish Your Comment" button. Only, AFTER pushing that button does the proofreading section of my brain re-activate.
And, as far as I know, there is no after-the-fact editing of comments. If you know the secret, please let me know.
The "This post has been removed by the author." seems so sinister!
Oh Tom - you made us all chuckle here! I WAS a bit worried about the screechy chair threat!
I might get in trouble if I start Monkey Monkey again - he was very like someone else's blog (I asked her if I could use the idea before I did and she was ok about it!) - but then my Monkey started getting a bit famous (he was in some filming we did at the library for the BBC!) and she got a bit het up! Due to the fact that it was related to our library service, I didnt dare continue in case it brought us bad publicity! Hence Monkey's trip to China! However, he HAS started to appear on Dexter's blog so you never know! I have toyed with the idea of keeping him on a personal level so this might just be the shove I need!
Thanks for the shout out on your side bar! I think Dexter might have to put up a post about that in the next few days!
Rx
Hey! The squeeky chair threat is almost as bad as that huge sound LRAD sound machine Japanese whaling ships use to destroy the ears of the anti-whalers.
I want more Monkey!
Hi i was thinking about getting the ecraft pro. I don't want it for scrap booking tho i like to make t-shirt designs out of freezer paper i don't know if you know how the concept works. i get an image out of the internet and would like to convert it through the ecraft software and have it cut it out on the freezer paper. it would save me an hour or 2 on my projects. Could you give me your opinion if this is the right machine for me?
Hi Reynas02,
The eCraft can certainly cut freezer paper. But, If it involves, as it appears, precision Print & Cut the jury is still out on that topic until we see the new patch.
So, I would NOT go out on a limb and claim that it can do what you want. I'll simply ask you to remind me to revisit this topic after the software patch is released. We should know better then. And, if there is a web site that explains the process that will be even better.
Thanks for asking and I'm sorry that I could not be more helpful. It WAS in intriguing question. :)
I LOVE your blog and videos! ;-)
My eCraft is on the way! I'm a newbie to all of this and so I'm so excited! YOU are a wonderful coach, and teacher. So Very Ecouraging! Thanks for sharing.
I just bought the ecraft machine and have been trying to cut stencils on freezer paper (unsuccessfully so far). I was wondering if anyone has been able to create stencils this way?
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