Vinyl Projects
Vinyl is a very versatile product with many uses; it is just up to your imagination to see what vinyl projects you can come up with. However if you are having a case of crafters block we have many vinyl projects on our site to help you get those creative juices flowing again. Vinyl projects can be anything from simple lettering to multi layered signs with lettering and graphics to stencils for projects where you desire to use paint.
Before You Start Cutting
The first thing you have to do to get your vinyl projects going is to decide what your going to stick your vinyl to, you will also want to choose the appropriate vinyl for your vinyl projects. You will want to use outdoor vinyl for any outdoor vinyl projects that you want to last for more than a year or two. You can use either Cricut vinyl or outdoor vinyl for indoor vinyl projects. Once you have that down you will want to choose your colors. Expressions Vinyl carries over thirty choices of colors and transfer tape. Then you will want to determine what size to make the lettering or graphics for your vinyl projects.
Cutting The Vinyl
With these things determined you are now ready to get down to business. Depending on your vinyl cutting machine you will either need to get your computer fired up or load the cartridge you want to use to make your project. Choose your first color and load it into your cutter. Set up your lettering or graphics for the size you want and then start cutting. When the cutting is complete you can remove the vinyl from the machine and then weed out the extra pieces of vinyl you don’t want in your finished project. When the weeding is done you will want to apply transfer tape over the cut vinyl and the backing. The transfer tape will then allow you to move all the cut vinyl elements from the backing to the projects surface all at once. This will keep everything where it is supposed to be in relation to each other.
Once you have moved the vinyl projects pieces to the finished surface you can then rub it down and remove the transfer tape. Once you have the transfer tape removed your project is complete. You are now ready to get started on your next vinyl projects.
A Simple, Useful Project
One of the most useful vinyl projects is etching glass pans. To do this you will want to create a stencil. Most people will use their family name to mark there pans with. Usually a ¾ to 1 inch tall letter is sufficient to mark your pans with. It doesn’t matter what color of vinyl you use for this or whether it is indoor or outdoor vinyl either, as it is just a stencil and will actually be thrown away. Use your craft cutter to cut out your desired lettering, and weed out the letters themselves to produce a negative. Give yourself about an inch on all sides of your letters and use some transfer tape to apply the stencil to your pan.
If you are doing this to an unused glass pan you can use a glass etching solution available from most craft stores. If the pan has been heated in the oven before it undergoes some sort of change that makes it impervious to the etching solution, however you can sand blast the etching into an old pan too. The sand blasting will work for either one, and will also work on metal pans as well. With the etching process complete you can remove the stencil and you’re done. Now you are ready to get going on all the other vinyl projects you have thought of now.