I had thought my 20" vinyl printer/cutter and GF meant there was no need for a craft cutter in my arsenal. However, after this thread and some additional research, I ended up buying a Silhouette Curio today mostly for the embossing and stippling features.
I hope you also got the larger base. The base that ships was a little petite for my taste. The larger base is worth every cent in my opinion. I took the plunge on their black Friday sale and stocked up on consumables. 40% off is amazing for the quality. I went ahead and got their embossing paper last week (at full price - yowza) but haven’t tried it yet.
Yes, I got the larger base. I don’t think there would have been much value for me with the smaller base.
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Stumbled onto this post again today. @johnwills. Do find you use the Curio much? I got it early on and wasn’t very satisfied with embossing and the way the mats work. I wasn’t able to get the stippling blade early on because of shortages. I went back to the Cameo and ever tried stippling. Its recently been moved to the basement. Does stippling and etching work OK? If so, I may get a blade and give it a try.
I have a Graphtec ce5000-60. I bought it new in 2009, and it has been a great machine. I use it for personal items. Here is an example of a brass headbadge I use the plotter to etch: https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3816/11375795025_50e0583db4_c.jpg
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Nice work. I’ll have to look up that machine.
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I don’t use it a lot. I have done some experimenting but not enough to feel comfortable with it. I have a couple embossing experiments that came out pretty good. I really should get back to experimenting with it.
Thanks for the response. I don’t think this machine was received very well. This and the Mint stamp making machine seem to be discounted quite a bit. Although the Cameo 3 looks to have some nice updates,I’ll stick with my Cameo 1 until it dies. Hopefully I’ll be able to do some of cardstock cuts on the Glowforge and use the Cameo for vinyl decals.
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How did you do that with your Graphtec? Did it drag an etching tool directly or did you make some kind of mask and then etch with blast or chemicals?
The level of detail seems too high for vinyl masking, assuming that thing is dogtag sized. Very curious how you made that since I have a KNK cutting machine. It’s no Graphtec but it ain’t bad.
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Same question. I searched for info on rhe machine and didn’t see any metal etch info.
First I clean the brass really well, so there are no fingerprints or anything to mess up the adhesion.
Then I use the plotter to cut the mid grade Oracal vinyl to be used as a mask.
Weed out the holes that will be etched. Apply the masking.
I mask off the back side of the brass too.
I use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and Muriatic acid to etch the brass for about 10 minutes
I rinse the brass in a water baking soda solution to stop the chemical reaction
oh yeah, use rubber gloves and a face mask or goggles! Doing this wrong will create a violent reaction tossing the acid everywhere. Look it up online for better instructions.
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Here is a gallery of my stuff, where you can see other examples of the brass etching. That first example is larger than a dog tag, and was really difficult to weed!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/39956471@N06/
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Thanks for the info.
Very nice etching work. I didn’t know so much detail was possible. I do some vinyl work and agree that weeding can be a pain. Especially with this much small detail.
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I use an Exacto Blade for weeding. It really gets in there 
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This is a laserable mask film for etching. If it is resistant to the chemicals you use, you may be able to 1) stick it on 2) laser 3) etch.
http://www.rayzist.com/store/LaserMask_Laser_Engraving_Film.php/100ft_LazerMask
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ooh, that is cool!
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I like the dental pick - also when having to apply a tine tiney piece back onto glass ( for sandblasting mask).
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I have some that I haven’t used ( saw it at the NBM show in Long Beach and picked up a sample). I definately want to try it with the GF, but would have to be flat piece ( not a glass or vase).
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