Using Ski Press to Die Cut

[OnDeck]

I remember someone asking about this a little while ago.

To confirm; it can done. I loaded small die into the press lasy night, layed down some backing under the base material, and switched the air on. After exprimienting ewith air pressure i was finally able to make a partial cut, then chase the remainder with an exacto knife.

It takes some screwing around to get the presure right (I broke the die when i took it over 50psi) and I'm not sure it's really time effective, but it can be done.

[wlathchan]

So it means that it could be done successfully? In measuring the time to consume in doing it, it couldn’t be a wise thing to use. Maybe using some other techniques would be better.

[a.badner]

hey, it was me asking

and how did you make the die? was it a long proccess?

and aprently with a sharpened steel rule, you can cut the base with a hammer. it alot longer time tho

[OnDeck]

I ended up using a hammer. The press works for really small dies but anything larger and the cat-tracks form around the die and the pressue is too uneven. I ended up using a hammer, chasing with an exacto, etc. A total pain the ass, actually.

What's the opposite of this emoticon?

[sammer]

I think you mean this

sam

[Alex13]

What sort of backing on the base material did you use?

I imagine a hard foam would work well, something that you can cut in to but won't deform too much.

Can you post a pic of your die?

I don't really think this method would be useful unless you're doing production runs, but it's interesting nonetheless.

[OnDeck]

I used a 1/8" lexan plate from home depot. apparantly it'll chip under higher pressures, but for me it worked fine. Had to keep it small to make everything fit in the press.

The die was an experiment; a 10mm X 40mm rectangle, and another larger one. The shapes i kept simple to keep the cost down.

Conclusion: Meh, i might try it again if I need a simple, small, die cut graphic, but it really didnt seem worth it.