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Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Sept 2, 2016 5:57:39 GMT -9
Hi all!
I've been thinking about how much I depend on my cutter for minis, and I couldn't imagine carving minis out without one. Edging may take more time, but the results are really gorgeous. Not everyone has the resources for a cutter, so I was wondering...
Is there anyone interested in getting the benefits of a cutter with a much lower cost of entry? I was considering whether I could share some time on the machines I have. If this is an OK thing to offer here, then I'll share my plan, and see if anyone would like to give it a go. I *could* be convinced to edge and glue as well, but that'd be a bit more expensive...
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Post by mproteau (Paper Realms) on Sept 15, 2016 11:10:46 GMT -9
Ok. I got no takers on the idea of sharing my cutting time. I'll take a stab at kind of outlining what my thoughts were. The intention wasn't for me to milk the community - it was to let people who don't have a cutter maybe try out getting some minis cut by a Silhouette machine.
So, here were my thoughts.
Suppose you'd like to take advantage of my machine(s). You would need to print your pages of minis *with approved registration marks* and mail them to me in a mailer. I'd be more than happy to help clarify what "approved registration marks" are, and if they aren't available, I would be more than happy to teach anyone how to adjust their pages prior to printing so they include the right marks. If there are cutfiles publicly available for the figures, I'd need a link to the cutfiles. If they aren't available, but I own the product you're printing, I can make cutfiles at a cost. If I don't own the set, I don't think I can make cutfiles reliably from the printed page, and I am not the kind of guy who'd want to share files under the table. You'd need to include a self-addressed stamped envelope that could accommodate the cut figures. One or two sheets isn't very bulky. Five sheets of minis may not fit into a tiny envelope. Large sized minis would obviously need something, well, larger. I'd probably prefer a similarly sized envelope to the one that contained the original paper, in case of returns/issues. I'd recommend putting some rigid cardboard on both sides of the paper to avoid any bending in transit.
I don't want to get overloaded with requests for cutting, so I'd limit the number of pages I'd allow. I wouldn't want someone going to Staples and printing every Okumarts mini, and having this massive pile of paper arrive on my doorstep. I'm playing this by ear.
There'd have to be a cost for doing the actual cutting, too. There's wear and tear on the machine, the blade and the cutting mat. It's not a huge cost.
So, what can go wrong during cutting that would screw things up? The paper could slip during cutting, ruining a lot (possibly all) of the page. The reg marks could get misread, possibly mis-cutting the whole page. I could somehow screw up the cuts - loading the wrong cutfiles, aligning the page wrong etc - ruining the whole page. The reg marks might not read correctly, leaving the page uncut. The print itself might be skewed or stretched, leaving the page uncut or mis-cut. If I didn't personally make the cutfiles, I can't guarantee the *quality* of the cutfiles. They're not all created equally, but they're all typically adequate. Some might require more edging than others.
Those are the sorts of things that can go wrong. Things don't usually go wrong, but there's a reason I know these things CAN go wrong... I certainly wouldn't charge someone for a page I can't cut, and I wouldn't charge someone for a page where the cut got screwed up. I can send back the uncut sheets along with the cut pieces (assuming a large enough return envelope was provided). Alternatively, I can hold onto the return envelope, and you could reprint the pages that failed, and I could try again.
Let's say $1 USD for up to 2 pages cut. 50¢ per page, but I don't have to deal with coins. If you need cutfiles made, I can only do this if I own the product in question. We'd have to work that out ahead of time, and we'd have to agree on a price based on the complexity of the page. I'd estimate it being between $1 - $3 per page. If you want minis edged, they will be edged in black, and it would be 50¢ PER piece, minimum 2 pieces. If you want minis glued, they would be glued using Super77 Spray Glue. It would be $2 per cut page. I would strongly discourage having the pieces glued without edging.
So, we work out an order through a PM (or IM chat). We'll agree on where to send the printed pages and how much cash to include. I can let you know as soon as I get the package, and I'll let you know when I get them back in the mail.
This is not a big business, and it's not meant as a source of income for me. I've got a day job and a family... I'll have to estimate the time it will take to complete a job on a per-job basis. Simple cutting will be much faster than edging and gluing.
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Post by uptrainfan89 on Sept 15, 2016 18:50:52 GMT -9
I always wanted to get a cutter at some point, they're just kind of expensive at the moment, plus it ends up being another thing to buy supplies for lol, but it would make cutting out groups of Minis so much quicker. Especially when I need to get a bunch of Kobolds and Skellys and a couple others done and keep putting it off lol. Definitely sounds interesting though for people wanting to give cutter files a try without diving head first (or wallet first lol).
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Post by cowboyleland on Sept 15, 2016 19:58:11 GMT -9
I don't own a cutter and your prices seem very reasonable. As a role player, not a wargamer, I don't usually have a need for cutting out large numbers of figures. But I will keep your offer in mind in case I have a crazy idea.
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Post by Vermin King on Sept 16, 2016 4:35:02 GMT -9
My main time I'd like to take advantage of this would be on some of the large projects, with fiddly parts, but then it would be needing to match the parts with the original file, so I'm not sure it will work for me. I do think that you are very reasonable on the costs
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Post by nolabert on Sept 17, 2016 5:45:06 GMT -9
I've never really considered a machine cutter. I like cutting by hand. To me it feels part of the craft. I watch D&D Youtube channels while I craft (DM's Craft, Nerdarchy, Drunkens and Dragons, Black Magic Craft, sometimes DMGInfo and Wyloch). I also use a bone folder rather than scoring fold lines with a knife. From what I've gathered here on the forum not too many people use bone folders.
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Post by Christopher Roe on Sept 17, 2016 10:46:16 GMT -9
mproteau: Those prices sound pretty reasonable to me. It's generous of you to offer edging and gluing as services on top of that.
nolabert: I love bone folders! I don't use them for models, but they're amazingly awesome for handmade boxes, cards, and stuff like that. I got a Scor-Pal Eighths scoring board and an Ek Tools ergonomic bone folder earlier today (heavyweight plastic instead of real bone, but feels very quality made) and I'm in love with them.
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Post by Vermin King on Sept 17, 2016 11:05:11 GMT -9
I found a new scoring tool/ old something else when I was cleaning out the cabinets in the bathroom. When I bought the house off my folks, I told them they didn't need to dispose of all their junk they'd collected, but I'm only recently trying to get rid of the unnecessaries. Well, here it is, but I'm not sure what it is It really scores well
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Post by chiefasaur on Sept 17, 2016 11:15:49 GMT -9
Looks like a real score to me
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Post by Christopher Roe on Sept 17, 2016 12:19:27 GMT -9
Vermin King: My go-to when scoring stuff by hand used to be a dental wax carving tool (a LeCron #5, I believe) which had a dull blade on one end and a sort of flat, rounded spoon-like thing on the other end. I stopped using it because it was giving me finger calluses. It made nice, tight scores, and the spoon-like end was great for burnishing glue flaps. That thing you found looks like it has a more comfortable handle.
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Post by Vermin King on Sept 17, 2016 12:27:10 GMT -9
Much more comfortable than the tool I'd used for five years
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Post by Punkrabbitt on Sept 17, 2016 15:43:24 GMT -9
I prefer cutting and scoring by hand. Having it done by machine would be like having one of those prepainted model airplane kits.
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Post by nolabert on Sept 17, 2016 16:07:49 GMT -9
Christopher Roe, I also have an Ek Tools bone folder (also made out of heavy-weight plastic). Why don't you use it for models? Just curious.
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Post by cowboyleland on Sept 17, 2016 16:13:38 GMT -9
Is it possible some kind of cuticle tool? I score with the back of my x-acto blade. Does that make me a bad person? I do feel there is a danger of absentmindedly pressing on the sharp side of blade on the other hand the risk of injury makes the hobby more manly;)
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Post by Christopher Roe on Sept 17, 2016 16:32:45 GMT -9
Christopher Roe, I also have an Ek Tools bone folder (also made out of heavy-weight plastic). Why don't you use it for models? Just curious. I use a machine cutter most of the time, but when I cut by hand, I prefer cut scoring or using something smaller like a wax carver. Bone folders score too wide on the kind of small parts I design for many of my models.
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Post by okumarts on Sept 17, 2016 18:23:28 GMT -9
I like cutting everything out by hand myself.
edit: I also score with the exact knife, but not the back side, the sharp side. It's all about the touch.
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