Printing Stencils for Etching Steel: Cricut Maker v Brother PT700

[@randallrun]

That was all explained very well, good job!

[@JimmysCanal]

This is really a very informative comparison between the two machines and their results on the etching process. But there is one more way to etch your touch mark - logo and this is sandblasting. Vinyl withstand sandblasting up to a certain point, I think. Thanks for sharing my friend! All the best Dimitris

[@Ukenick]

Thanks for that. Interesting.

[@joels7605]

Yup. Sandblasting works great. My girlfriend does transfers for glass cups and mugs, then I take them out to the shop and sandblast them. It works unbelievably well. I've found you need to reduce the pressure slightly on the sandblaster or it eats through the vinyl and destroys the print. Reducing to 80 PSI with an oddball mix of junk abrasives works well.

[@Ukenick]

@@joels7605 Thanks for that. What kind of sandblaster do you use. Bearing in mind that logos on blades are quite small. Keen to know more.

[@joels7605]

@@Ukenick KZbin ate my comment because I included links to the sandblasters. I sent you an e-mail. Long story short it should be able to do small stuff like that no problem.

[@SquishyThing]

Ur voltage is way too high, thats what causes the edges bleeding on the brother stencil. I'd try half of what ur currently using

[@haruny]

I think you should use a proper etching head which would provide equal pressure and less liquid. This way you can get better results from bother.

[@NicoGGV]

Hey mate thanks for the info, really helpful!👌 do you know the name for stencils on the brother printer, for some reason the link isn’t working for me, thank you very much mate!

[@bellthasanon2892]

Hello, I want to know How can salt water pass through label paper? Please help clarify this for me. Thank you.

[@henrykleyn3423]

Another question if it is OK, Approximately how small could the vinyl printer cut numbers and letters with good finish for metal etching? Cheers Hendrik.

[@Ukenick]

Well, Henry that is a very good question. In my experience you can cut pretty small letters, although I would go smaller than approx 5mm in height. The reason is not the accuracy of the vinyl cutter, bur more the font you choose. 2 reasons: 1, it can become very tricky to pick out the vinyl to create the stencil and 2 it could lose sharpness and look a bit of a mess. As you can see in the video you need to pick out the bits of the letters you want etched. The smaller, the harder it is to do well. Hope this helps

[@henrykleyn3423]

Hi, would a very thin layer of petroleum jelly behind the printer tape, before you stick it down, maybe help prevent leeching?

[@Ukenick]

Hi Henry, thanks for getting in touch. I see where you are coming from but I suspect the jelly would be very hard to control and would seep into the actual parts you want to etch. However it might be worth a try if you have the Brother.

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Thanks for sharing! I have the Brother primarily for its labels, the transfer tape is just a bonus. All types of (compatible) tape cassettes can be had for a fraction of the price from the Far East selling sites, and up to press have performed for me every bit as well the the genuine tapes. I've only used the stencil tape a couple of times, but it meets my modest needs. It's interesting to see how swapping the polarity and using AC affects the etch. I've found adding a little citric acid to the brine creates a different effect too. Anyhow, you've a new subscriber 👍 🇬🇧

[@Ukenick]

Thanks so much. I will try the citric acid. Thanks so much for the sub too.

[@bamslife2812]

add some brass black to the etch and that will darken it some more. looks really good though

[@LockBits-ts6eo]

I added vinegar and it works better and I'm thinking a spray adhesive on the brother tape might work?

[@Wangsium]

Hi may i know the voltage and current used ?

[@arillb1010]

Thank you! This video was perfect as I was trying to decide between these two methods. I think the brother will suffice for my needs.

[@Ukenick]

Hi, I am so sorry I missed your comment. So glad I was of help. That is all that matters. Good luck.

[@howder1951]

Cool, my younger daughter bought one of these and I had no clue what it was or what it could do. Thanks for the enlightenment, cheers!

[@Ukenick]

Isn't that funny. She is clearly etching her blades :)

[@firewamare3789]

How can i make textures please...

[@madbugshadeseeker8727]

Is that as small as they print?

[@wingsofmind]

I need some more Ideas to etch the metal at homemade things.. could you pls give a demonstration about that?

[@Gabrulo_knifemaking]

Could using a double sided tape helps to reduce the area of the stencil made with the brother? So the etch wouldn't bleed making those ugly spot, cause at the end the quality of the print isn't that bad

[@Ukenick]

It might I guess, but the problem remains that the material the tape is made from is not as resistant as the vinyl. Also I have noticed that Cricut are now selling the Maker 3 which is why the one I am using can be bought pretty cheap second hand. Worth bearing in mind. But thanks a lot for the suggestion.

[@Gabrulo_knifemaking]

@@Ukenick the tape would be one time use for sure, but to me it looks faster to make and etch than the vinyl. If i had to make more than one knives at once i would print one stencil for each knives. The vinyl however is much better if you need to make bigger and elaborate marks, even drawings. Well, since amazon sell the p-700 i will get it a shot, if doesn't reach my goal i can always give it back

[@davidparker3346]

Great video I was trying to decide on which one, this really helped.Cricut for me.

[@Ukenick]

Thanks so much David. Glad it helped. Also new models of the Cricut Maker have come out making the last model much cheaper and reasonably common second hand. Good luck.

[@TheDogWalksTheDog]

great informative video i am getting the speckles to on the brother pt i was lookng to see if that is standard and your videos shows that it clearly is thank you so much.

[@Ukenick]

Thank you Tim

[@dennyskerb4992]

👍👍

[@chandranponnana1177]

Greats sir

[@PipoCollins]

I got both printers and this is exactly what I needed , thank you.

[@Ukenick]

You are very welcome

[@PipoCollins]

I did my etching on a piece of steel, I see what you mean with the excess water and the lil tiny holes around it, the second time I wrap it much better and it came so much better zero holes, I proceeded to put it on my blade spine and is pretty clean for my first one, once again is very much appreciated, I'm proceeding to find better ways to wrap the stencil , to be continue.@@Ukenick

[@dkironworks4037]

Try Gatorade for your etching solution. Basically the same stuff the professional store will sell you.

[@victorneto6014]

Gatorade you mean the drink?

[@dkironworks4037]

@@victorneto6014 yes

[@victorneto6014]

Thank you mate. Another question. Just any vinil will do or we need some special vinil?

[@dkironworks4037]

@@victorneto6014 I use a small cricut with their permanent vinyl. Good adhesion to your product is the most important part. So it doesn't bleed under the vinyl. Type of vinyl shouldn't really matter overall as long as the edging is on it well.

[@victorneto6014]

Thank you Sir. I just bought a cameo and i have been looking for this info. Best of luck to you mate

[@jaxxdoe6767]

What etching machine are you using?

[@Ukenick]

I'm just using a 12v car battery charger.

[@markalbrechtsen]

Here is a link to build your own that uses AC and DC: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJTKZot4lNh6Y5o

[@wingsofmind]

Really nice experiment 👌

[@Ukenick]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@richardquebec5850]

Superbe idée mon ami merci beaucoup.

[@Ukenick]

C’est gentil. Merci beaucoup.

[@robco6997]

From a safety point of view I would not recommend having the clamps live when dipping into the water. The cotton can be pre-wet before going live.

[@azertyytreza8947]

It’s 12v… you can’t do any damage even if you wanted to…