Silhouette SD

[lashedup]

The Dells module is Nates work (with Bill Denton pitching in on the rockwork). I'm building the motel for one of our new curves. Masking tape idea is actually a good one. I'll have to give that a try.

[Dave Schneider]

The Dells module is Nates work (with Bill Denton pitching in on the rockwork). I'm building the motel for one of our new curves. Masking tape idea is actually a good one. I'll have to give that a try.

Thanks for the clarification....I think I knew that at one point. The problem with all you Mod-U-Trak guys is that all your work is so complimentary its hard to stand out in the crowd.

Best wishes, Dave

[Dave Schneider]

A little more progress on the yard office last night. Now that I have some .010 styrene on hand I was able to make some very delicate cuts to produce the entry way addition. It is great to be able to scribe in the boards and cut nice square window and door openings. To the left of the entry is the tall chimney which I made by scribing blocks in sheet stock and then overlaying them on square stock. I am really in love with this little machine and the results it can produce for a hack like me. Thanks Jamie for bringing this to our attention!



Best wishes, Dave

[Dave Schneider]

The just about finished product. I need to add a roof vent, soil stack, rain gutters and the Never Over 4 MPH sign and it will be done. This was a nice project to start with and I am looking forward to more concrete block buildings in the future.



Best wishes, Dave

[Sokramiketes]

Looks good, but next time insert those windows from behind the styrene wall so you get the look of masonary windows without the full wood frame. 

Jamie did the same thing on Tower A-68 and we made him re-do it.   

[Dave Schneider]

Thanks Mike. I know the windows are in backwards but that is because my window openings weren't very square. I use .030 styrene and it was a bit thick to snap the windows out cleanly. So like most contractors I used trim work to hid my lack of skill!

Best wishes, Dave

[Zox]

Okay, I've got my tax refund, and I'm ready to buy one of these cutters.

Except...looking on Amazon, I found this, from the same company that's selling the Silhouette:

http://www.amazon.com/USCutter-Vinyl-Cutter-Ploter-Stand/dp/B003D22H26/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&m=AQHLGH28QID4F&s=generic&qid=1298730268&sr=1-4

and the manual for it:

http://support.uscutter.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=48&nav=0

The biggest difference from an N-scale modeling standpoint is that it says the maximum cutting thickness is 0.039", as opposed to 0.012" for the Silhouette. (There are other differences as well, most notably the size and the fact that it doesn't appear to require a cutting mat.)

Leaving the $80 price difference out of the equation, can anyone see a reason I shouldn't get the larger cutter? I.e. is there some factor that makes the Silhouette more suitable for model-making purposes?

Thanks...

[Dave Schneider]

Rob,

A couple of things to think about. While the increased depth of cut sounds good, I wonder how this would work in practice. Trying to cut all the way through "thick" styrene in one pass might be tricky and lead to wavy lines and pushed up material like some of us got with the Silhouette when trying to be too aggressive. You just might not be able to get the full benefit of the extra depth. As for the carrier, one downside  for not using one could be that pieces that are cut out/through could jam the machine.  The Silhouette can be used without a carrier as well if the material is wide enough to be grabbed by the rollers. I spaced out and loaded a page sized printed cardstock into the cutter without the carrier and the window cutouts quickly fouled the machine. Finally, the larger size would be nice for big structures, but perhaps that would hamper its use for smaller projects and smaller pieces of styrene. I think that the Silhouette can cut pieces longer than page size and the 7-8 inch cutting width hasn't been an issue for me as of yet.

There is a Silhouette thread over on the N scale Atlas board and some of the folks over there have larger vinyl cutters. You might bring this up to that group as well. Also, I noticed on eBay that there are a couple of large sellers of various cutters. It might be worthwhile giving one of these guys a call to discuss what might be best for you.

Best wishes, Dave

[Zox]

Dave,

Thanks for the suggestions and advice. After getting your feedback here, and another response on the Atlas board, I've decided to pull the trigger...and get the Silhouette.

At least this way, if I have problems, I know I won't be alone...

[lashedup]

I think you made the right choice. I don't think you would gain a lot with the bigger unit and you'd just have a very bulky thing to deal with.

Dave, let's see photos of that new building you posted up on A-board...

[Dave Schneider]

Dave, let's see photos of that new building you posted up on A-board...

They are in the weekend update here.
http://therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,23457.30.html

Watching this thing scribe blocks us as much fun as watching my son shovel snow. Just sit back and enjoy!  
Best wishes, Dave

[Zox]

Dave, how did you get the mortar lines deep/wide enough to stand out like that? I just took my first sample attempt with my Silhouette and spray-primed it, and the scribed lines almost entirely disappeared--not enough relief left to drybrush them.

Are there magic settings I need to know?

Thanks...

[Dave Schneider]

Rob,

I used the Studio software with these settings: Blue cap (.1 mm blade), speed 1, thickness 5, and track enhancing. I used a very little black chalk on the walls, and then sprayed an extremely light and thin coat of Floquil grime. Hope this helps.

Best wishes, Dave

[Zox]

I used the Studio software with these settings: Blue cap (.1 mm blade), speed 1, thickness 5, and track enhancing. I used a very little black chalk on the walls, and then sprayed an extremely light and thin coat of Floquil grime. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the response--it helps, even if it wasn't the answer I was hoping for. Basically, you didn't paint it.

Looks like I have some experimenting to do...

[Dave Schneider]

Rob,

I would say that I did paint the Gibson office. It is far from the white styrene color. Here is a poor photo of my current project (the Milbrew building) where I applied a heavier coat from a Krylon spray bomb. I used similar settings as for the yard office but the blade was a bit duller and pushed up the scribes a bit.



Best wishes, Dave