V-CARVE

[Guest]

HELLO and THANKS MIKE for this web address, I'm a new user.
I need help on V-Carve, I have cnc machine and it is the first time I've used V-carve software to make a sign...Had no problems in machining the sign finishing is the problem.
I used sign foam as the substrate, if there is a quicker way of finishing the sign other than useing a foam brush, please advise. ruby

[Doug Bernhardt]

Hi Ruby....latex through an HVLP or similar spray gun is the fast and sometimes easy way to get a nice slick finish. I'd lean towards a good latex brush though...might take a few minutes more but heck, you won't need to clean the gun!

[Mike Jackson]

There's another way worth mentioning.

For this one, you prime and paint your background first. After it is completely dry, apply a sheet of Gerber Mask in the areas where the v-carved letters will be. The rout (v-carve) through the stencil and into the fresh foam. When finished carving, use a small foam brush and prime the letters, followed by a finish coat or gild. Peel the stencil.

Okay, that is fairly easy, but there a few words of caution. We found it better to add some paint color into the primer that is close to either the letter color or the background color. The white primer can build up and you might be able to see a fine halo of white.

Second, your background must be comletely dry and cured or there is a possibility the stencil will dull or change the background texture.

Also, there is an extra step or option you might want to try, especially with foam. When we had our router, we purchased a spring loaded swivel knife which had a 1/4 shank. Either before you v-carve or afterwards, change to the swivel knife and let the router cut an offset outline in the stencil. After painting/gilding the letters, peel the fine outline and hand letter the outline to the edge of the letter. You can be sloppy over the mask edge, of course. Then peel the stencil and you will hae a clean, tight outline around a finished letter. This option does not work as well if you are routing cedar or redwood unless it is perfectly flat. Undulations in the surface can cause the outlines and v-carving to be inconsistent.

Hope this helps,
Mike Jackson

[Mike Jackson]

It has been over ten years since I ran our CNC machine. Wow! Anyway, you might want to find the "shallowest" v-carve bit you can find. I know they made a 15 degree bit. We had a 12 degree bit, and I would have bought a 10 degree bit if I could have found one. It doesn't take much of an angle to get the effect, whether v-carving into a panel, or adding a prismatic face to a letter. You may find the shallower cut will be easier to paint and finish, too.

Mike Jackson