Sign Maker Advice


A sign maker’s toolbelt: where to start


In this article, Paul Hughes of Sign Making Tools returns to discuss another key tool for any sign maker’s artillery – the knife.


L


ast time we talked about one of the most important tools to any sign maker – the


squeegee. Now let’s talk about the equally important knife. Just like the squeegee, knives come in


all shapes and sizes, all designed to do different jobs in relationship to our trade. Again, just like squeegees there is


no right or wrong knife, everyone will have their preferred knife of choice. My advice is again, try different knives, it will become obvious to you which feels better to your style of working. Before we dive into the different


types of knives available and their uses let’s talk about knife technique.


Knife technique The first rule of using a knife may sound obvious – make sure the blade is sharp! You would be amazed how many times I have used/ borrowed a fellow sign maker’s knife to make a quick trim of vinyl, only to find the blade is dull.


A dull blade will always do more


damage to a substrate than any sharp blade will. Blades are relatively cheap and should be changed often. When we are working with vinyl film,


be it on a vehicle or any substrate, we do not want to damage the vehicle paint work or the substrate underneath. It is recommended that we try to use the edges of panels/ boards to trim against if possible. To do this we use the edge of the blade as a guide keeping the cutting edge away from the substrate. When trimming like this, always keep tension on the vinyl film that is being removed. This will produce a clean even cut. If not, the cut can become uneven and jagged. Sometimes we enviably need to trim


vinyl that is applied to a substrate. This is where our knife skills must be pretty much perfect, or else we damage the paint work/ substrate. How do you develop these skills, practice, practice, and more practice.


Knives come in all shapes and sizes, all designed to do different jobs


| 52 | November/December 2024


What to remember The first thing to remember is with a sharp blade the weight of the blade/ knife should do the cutting for you. If you are having to apply pressure to cut vinyl film, your blade is dull. This is when you run the risk of damaging the substrate underneath.


Second – we are not trying to cut


through the film, we only need to part cut it, then when removing the excess film, we start at the beginning of the cut line and pull the film along it. If we have cut through enough, the film will remove cleanly along the line without risking the substrate underneath. The third technique to remember is


keep the cutting edge of the blade at as low an angle to the vinyl as possible – the tip of a blade will concentrate the pressure into a very small area increasing the risk of cutting through the vinyl and marking the substrate.


Perfecting your skills There are a number of ways to practice knife skills. One is to take a piece of scrap gloss black ACM and apply a piece of vinyl to it. Now practice cutting, remove the excess film and because the ACM is fairly soft, it will show if you have cut through the film by marking the ACM. Another fun way to practice is to


get a latex balloon, part fill with water and then apply a small panel of vinyl to it. Place the balloon on your lap and practice your cutting skills – this focuses the mind very quickly and can be a great team building exercise in the workshop! Next time we will go into how to


use different knives including other trimming aids.


www.signupdate.co.uk


A sharp blade the weight of the blade/ knife should do the cutting for you


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