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...do you weed away from the backing or into the backing to grab your first piece? What do you do for small letters/numbers/graphics?
I'm practicing my weeding skills and when I viewed a YouTube video of someone weeding with a dental pick, the pick was pointed up and the unwanted material was being pulled away from the backing.
When I weed, my pick is pointing down, thus causing punctures into my material backing. I did not think it was an issue at first because I'm not touching the design.
However, I want to develop less harsh picking skills and be more gentle.
I use a "seem ripper" for weeding. Its not as sharp as a dental pick and its very easy to slide in between the vinyl and the backing, then I just use my fingers to grab the vinyl and finish weeding.
One other note: Each job is very different even with just letters, I always look for the "S" and "E's" and anywhere in the design that loops back on itself and pick those areas first (just loosening them for the backing). I use Flexisign Pro software and it also has an "easyweed" function that cuts a 0.1 box around everything after the final cut and that makes things easier to weed also.
Both of you have posted great tips and they make sense! Thanks bunches.
Actually, I have pointy tweezers too and you know, the more I use them, they really seem to work better. This is unless I'm taking out something from a 1/8" letter or number (which I've been doing) then the dental pick seems easier to poke it.
I really like the "easyweed" feature you mentioned in your Flexi software Mike. Would there be more cost effective software that has this same feature that runs under Mac OS X?
Both of you have posted great tips and they make sense! Thanks bunches.
Actually, I have pointy tweezers too and you know, the more I use them, they really seem to work better. This is unless I'm taking out something from a 1/8" letter or number (which I've been doing) then the dental pick seems easier to poke it.
I really like the "easyweed" feature you mentioned in your Flexi software Mike. Would there be more cost effective software that has this same feature that runs under Mac OS X?
AB
I don't know if other software has this feature, I started with Flexi years ago and have always used it. I'm sure others will chime in and say if their software has it or not.
I use dental picks to weed with, I have no isssue puncturing the mylar. I like to add he extra weed lines, this a time saver.It allows you to weed faster in the non critical ares. .... JB
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Lol.. that was me weeding..
I use that type of pic to get under between the t-shirt vinyl and the mylar.. .. Im actually challenged at times when weeding t-shirt vinyl as im so used to weeding sign vinyl.. where i use my fingers (cuse the sign vinyl sticks to my fingers.) I also use tweezers on shirt vinyl and not on sign vinyl.
With sign vinyl I use the vinyl from the first pick i make to help pick up the next few ..
I also use a pick made for vinyl weeding with sign vinyl as the dental picks are not as fat around and make my hands hurt when i weed for hours.
do you mean when pulling the outside piece off when the video first started.. If so.. that depends on many things.. One the font.. some fonts I have to do a line at a time..
Two.. if the font is ok.. the cutting depth has to be just perfect in able to do that..
Also I have much better luck going fast and kinda snapping the vinyl off then trying to go slow.. when i go slow.. It tends to lift more.. Its one of those.. grab it and let it rip kinda things.
that vinyl there was actually just a part of a huge sign that I had to do 6 of. that was 1/3 of the sign.. So You can imagine how sick i was of weeding.. by the time i got that job done lol..
and yeah thats a t-shirt forum t-shirt that gunslinger made me.. lol.
Last edited by mystysue; July 1st, 2008 at 06:28 AM.
This is not that exact sign but some we did that are along the same lines..
We do alot of these for the city. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/citysign.jpg
We did 6 of these and they were 4 feet wide by 6 ft tall on .80 powder coated alum. (thats thick alum)
Ms Blue.. Im known as the weeder wench around the shop lol.
when doing the centers on the o's and such the first one you get at an angle after than you are actually using the vinyl from the first pic to pick up the second etc.. the vinyl picking up vinyl will actually go much faster than trying to actually pic each piece. (this is with sign vinyl as its sticky)
you just have to be careful not to touch the piece of vinyl on the pick to the actual letter only to the part you need to remove.. ( I hope that makes sense)
I almost always go slow when peeling back the vinyl. I get too aggitated when the letters lift off and I cant find them in peel away lol Especially the dots for the "i"
I'll peel t-shirt vinyl that way tho. The dots dont get trashed when they are lifted.
When You Weed With Dental Picks... 
