# cardboard rhinestone templates with a laser



## jemmyell (Jan 26, 2010)

Hi,

I went to the NBM show at Long Beach this weekend. I saw an interesting method used to create a rhinestone template with a laser. They simply vector cut the holes all the way through some cardboard stock. They then glued another piece of card stock to the back. No weeding at all. I don't know what they glued with but I expect contact cement would work good. This was in the GCC booth BTW.

-James


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

I cut some of my rhinestone templates from an oilboard stencil material. After the holes have been cut I use a spray adhesive and spray the back of the template then I glue it to a piece of cardboard for a backer. I cut a lot of my custom design orders from this material and save the Hartco 425 for my designs or custom design that will be used again. A 6" x 12" sheet is only $0.15. I purchased 100 sheets for $15 from Klic-N-Kut.com - Computerized Cutting systems and supplies.


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

Laser cutting is a great way to do it,, as a matter of fact most motif makers in China uses this method


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

BlingItOn said:


> I cut some of my rhinestone templates from an oilboard stencil material. After the holes have been cut I use a spray adhesive and spray the back of the template then I glue it to a piece of cardboard for a backer. I cut a lot of my custom design orders from this material and save the Hartco 425 for my designs or custom design that will be used again. A 6" x 12" sheet is only $0.15. I purchased 100 sheets for $15 from Klic-N-Kut.com - Computerized Cutting systems and supplies.


How thick is oilboard? I have a laser and have been wondering if it might be a good business to offer a service cutting rhinestone templates. Would 1/16" acrylic work as the template sheet and then apply a backer of oilboard?


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

Any oil board would work as long as its not over 25 mill in thickness and that goes for acrylic also.


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## ashamutt (Feb 22, 2008)

BlingItOn said:


> I cut some of my rhinestone templates from an oilboard stencil material. After the holes have been cut I use a spray adhesive and spray the back of the template then I glue it to a piece of cardboard for a backer. I cut a lot of my custom design orders from this material and save the Hartco 425 for my designs or custom design that will be used again. A 6" x 12" sheet is only $0.15. I purchased 100 sheets for $15 from Klic-N-Kut.com - Computerized Cutting systems and supplies.


 
The hot fix tape is easy to pull off of this stuff? (oilboard)

If so, I would love to start cutting some of my RS-Templates out of this and save my expensive hartco. (_and, Accugraphic is only about 11 miles from me so no shipping_)


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

The only problem with cutting oil board with a cutter is you may see yourself running through blades, I think laser would be the best application for this method


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## ashamutt (Feb 22, 2008)

oooh...didn't think of that.


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

plan b said:


> Any oil board would work as long as its not over 25 mill in thickness and that goes for acrylic also.


25 mil ..meaning .025" . That's pretty thin. 1/16 acrylic would be .0625 or 2.5 times as thick. So, that being said, the acrylic would be too thick..right?


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

I cut quite a few templates from oil board and it worked great! Your Groove-E has a LOT of power and cutting oil board works just great... definitely easier on a blade than that wicked chipboard that some of my scrapbooking customers want to cut! lol In fact, I tried to persuade a few of them to stop cutting chipboard and cut oil board instead, but the smell of oil board is a BIG turn-off! lol Plus, I doubt that it's acid-free / lignin-free, which is of concern to scrapbookers.

Anyhow, definitely give it a try. But also, get something of a contrasting color to put behind your oil board templates. I made the mistake of using chipboard and then I couldn't easily see which holes were filled with stones. You need to use a color that contrasts with your template material so you can tell if all of the holes are filled.


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

I think the oilboard is .015 thickness. The rhinestones catch real nice and the acrylic transfer tape peels off really easy. As far as going through a lot of blades. I have used at least 175 sheets 6 x 12 sheets of the oilboard and have only gone through 2 blades. So cost wise I have spent less than $60 dollars on blades and oilboard and have made a lot of templates. 

I did recently purchase a roll of the Hartco 425S material and it is very nice to work with but expensive. I will use that material for my stock designs and any larger run custom designs but for the small run custom orders the oilboard works great and you can't beat the price!


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## ashamutt (Feb 22, 2008)

BlingItOn said:


> I think the oilboard is .015 thickness. The rhinestones catch real nice and the acrylic transfer tape peels off really easy. As far as going through a lot of blades. I have used at least 175 sheets 6 x 12 sheets of the oilboard and have only gone through 2 blades. So cost wise I have spent less than $60 dollars on blades and oilboard and have made a lot of templates.
> 
> I did recently purchase a roll of the Hartco 425S material and it is very nice to work with but expensive. I will use that material for my stock designs and any larger run custom designs but for the small run custom orders the oilboard works great and you can't beat the price!


 
Thanks so much!
I think that I will try this.

Ok...I KNOW that this is going to be a REALLY stupid question....so for those of you who want to laugh at my ignorance, have at it. 

Would a "laser" catch the oilboard on fire?


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

to actually see how this is done, they (the Chinese companies) use a yellow backer board and a laser system that just screams out the templates as they don't use setting machines, they are to slow, they also have a pretty neat way to register the templates..

Also interesting enough they use corel draw macros for designing


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

ashamutt said:


> Thanks so much!
> I think that I will try this.
> 
> Ok...I KNOW that this is going to be a REALLY stupid question....so for those of you who want to laugh at my ignorance, have at it.
> ...


No, the laser would not catch the oilboard on fire with proper speed and power settings. A laser will cut paper and matboard no problem.


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

ashamutt said:


> Thanks so much!
> I think that I will try this.
> 
> Ok...I KNOW that this is going to be a REALLY stupid question....so for those of you who want to laugh at my ignorance, have at it.
> ...



I think that there is a video on you tube (not sure which company does it) where they use an oilboard to make their templates. That is where I got the idea from.


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

ashamutt said:


> Thanks so much!
> I think that I will try this.
> 
> Ok...I KNOW that this is going to be a REALLY stupid question....so for those of you who want to laugh at my ignorance, have at it.
> ...


I don't know about oilboard, but a laser most certainly can catch paper, cardstock, and chipboard on fire. They cut by burning and must be watched constantly. I had a customer buy a KNK three years ago after her house burned down from her laser cutter. She walked out of her office while it was cutting and moments later her entire inventory of paper was on fire and it quickly spread. She and her husband both landed in the hospital attempting to save their pets and most of their home was lost. Very sad story.


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## ashamutt (Feb 22, 2008)

SandyMcC said:


> I don't know about oilboard, but a laser most certainly can catch paper, cardstock, and chipboard on fire. They cut by burning and must be watched constantly. I had a customer buy a KNK three years ago after her house burned down from her laser cutter. She walked out of her office while it was cutting and moments later her entire inventory of paper was on fire and it quickly spread. She and her husband both landed in the hospital attempting to save their pets and most of their home was lost. Very sad story.


 
Oh my....what a terrible thing to happen.

I thought that "lasers" could possibly do this, but then thought "na, not possible".
Thanks for the warning!

(what is the "oil" part of the oilboard?)(what kind I mean)


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## ashamutt (Feb 22, 2008)

LB said:


> How thick is oilboard? I have a laser and have been wondering if it might be a good business to offer a service cutting rhinestone templates. Would 1/16" acrylic work as the template sheet and then apply a backer of oilboard?


 
Please let me know if the oilboard works on your laser cutter.  (if you try it)
I am curious now.

Do you have a GCC laser cutter?
If not, what brand do you have?
How do you like it so far?

Do you have a regular cutter as well?


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

ashamutt said:


> Oh my....what a terrible thing to happen.
> 
> I thought that "lasers" could possibly do this, but then thought "na, not possible".
> Thanks for the warning!
> ...


I believe they use linseed oil. You'll recognize the smell... it's the same board that's always been used for stencils and I remember the smell from when I was a kid. 

I'm happy to send you some samples! In fact, I'll do it today because I killed a scorpion by the front door this morning and was planning to send that today, too. They can travel together!


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## Mistewoods (Jul 7, 2007)

What!?! You were going to send a dead scorpion to Mrs. Bacon? Did she ask for it or are you sending a message????


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

Mistewoods said:


> What!?! You were going to send a dead scorpion to Mrs. Bacon? Did she ask for it or are you sending a message????


I would NEVER send Mrs. Bacon a scorpion unless she told me she wanted it!  And she most definitely does.


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## Mistewoods (Jul 7, 2007)

SandyMcC said:


> I would NEVER send Mrs. Bacon a scorpion unless she told me she wanted it!  And she most definitely does.


I figured as much, it just struck me as so funny. 

Thanks for all the info you post here!

Steve


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

You're welcome! 

Mrs. Bacon found it interesting and a bit amusing that I hunt scorpions at night and said she had never seen one before. Thus, the reason I'm sending her one... actually, I'm sending her a second one because she misplaced the first one. Good thing it was dead!


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

SandyMcC said:


> I would NEVER send Mrs. Bacon a scorpion unless she told me she wanted it!  And she most definitely does.


LOL LOL LOL LOL!!! That is so funny!! Thanks for the laugh Sandy!! 
I am glad you are sending a dead scorpion and not the live one. Now what Mrs. Bacon wants with a scorpion I don't know, but I'm sure it has something to do with she lives in Florida and I don't remember ever seeing one in Florida before. Luckily we don't see many here in Arkansas, but we do have them. Definitely not my favorite creature to see walking around. I am also glad that you warned her you were going to send it to her with the oilboard. That could be a surprise to find in the box if you weren't expecting it even if you had asked for one. Thanks again for the laugh!! 
And it was good to see you around Michele, (correction, Steve, you wrote again before I could get mine posted) I haven't see you post in a while but I just may not have been in the right section you have been in.


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## ashamutt (Feb 22, 2008)

SandyMcC said:


> I believe they use linseed oil. You'll recognize the smell... it's the same board that's always been used for stencils and I remember the smell from when I was a kid.


Oh MY! Linseed oil?

I just watched a GMA special on this.
“DIY Danger: Linseed Oil That Can Self-Combust”
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ConsumerNews/summer-safety-diy-dangers-linseed-oil/story?id=11328546

Could my “oilboard” do this?

I am very interested in this now concerning “lasers & oilboard”.




SandyMcC said:


> I'm happy to send you some samples! In fact, I'll do it today because I killed a scorpion by the front door this morning and was planning to send that today, too. They can travel together!


LOL!!!!
I am sorry that I lost the last little guy(dead scorpion) you sent me.
He is in some land fill now, I guess.
Thanks for sending again!


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## VividImages (Feb 7, 2008)

*makes mental note not to upset people that hunt scorpions and send them through the mail*


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

ashamutt said:


> Oh MY! Linseed oil?
> 
> I just watched a GMA special on this.
> “DIY Danger: Linseed Oil That Can Self-Combust”
> ...


I don't know about anyone else but we have used our laser to cut oilboard for several years and have never had any issues with them. We have not had any fires or any other flame related issue. We do however have a blower on our laser that blows air when it is cutting so it helps prevent fires with more flammable materials. 



ashamutt said:


> LOL!!!!
> I am sorry that I lost the last little guy(dead scorpion) you sent me.
> He is in some land fill now, I guess.
> Thanks for sending again!


Are you really sure that the little guy was really dead and not just playing dead and made his escape??? LOL. I still think this whole conversation was hilarious!! Thanks again for the laugh!!


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

Oh, I didn't say it wasn't possible. Any cutting operation with a flammable material needs to be tended. My machine uses air assist which prevents flaming. Anyone that cuts materials with a laser and doesn't exercise proper safety precautions (as with any machine) can open themselves up to problems. Maybe I need to clarify my statement to No, it won't set the oilboard on fire if proper settings and air assist are used. Any vector cutting operation should not go unattended. 
Also, in material that thin, it might be possible to raster engrave the holes and that eliminates the flaming possibility.


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

BML Builder said:


> I don't know about anyone else but we have used our laser to cut oilboard for several years and have never had any issues with them. We have not had any fires or any other flame related issue. We do however have a blower on our laser that blows air when it is cutting so it helps prevent fires with more flammable materials.


I don't know if my customer had a blower or not. But she did say her entire cardstock collection was right next to the laser, which was probably not a good place to store it. And, of course, I don't think any cutters should be left unattended during the cutting process. I had a customer start a huge cut and go off to Costco to buy supplies and it was still cutting when she got home. I just shook my head and shook my finger at her! lol 




BML Builder said:


> Are you really sure that the little guy was really dead and not just playing dead and made his escape??? LOL. I still think this whole conversation was hilarious!! Thanks again for the laugh!!


Well, we have speculated on the possibility that he was just playing dead! lol The one I sent her yesterday is double-bagged... two Ziplocs.


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

Yes, lasers can catch fire and burn down. It is, however, rare and can be prevented. The machine shown in this photo is (was) a $25,000 machine that has air assist. The fire occurred very quickly while it was cutting acrylic. Some materials though are more susceptible that others. I cut acrylic all the time and have never had an incident, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen if I were to get careless. 
I once left a CNC router unattended, it malfunctioned and drove the cutter all the way though the mdf I was routing. It continued to run at 18,000 RPMs and when I returned the whole building was full of smoke and flames were about to erupt. Lesson learned.


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

ashamutt said:


> Please let me know if the oilboard works on your laser cutter.  (if you try it)
> I am curious now.
> 
> Do you have a GCC laser cutter?
> ...


No, I have an Epilog EXT 24x36 bed 40watts. Regular cutter? meaning a plotter? yes, I have a 24" Ioline. 
The laser (I have owned for 3 years) will do many things and I really enjoy it.


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

I'm not saying that they can't catch fire or be flammable. Anything can be flammable or catch fire if not properly taken care of. I just said that we have been cutting them for years without a problem. I don't suggest anyone go off and leave anything electrical running (within reason of course, a clock, VCR, DVR, refrigerator, etc are fine, however even those could short out and cause a fire) when you are gone. I don't even leave my washer and dryer running when I leave the house. A house down the road from us that was only 6 months old burned to the ground because of a dryer fire. I agree with everyone else, you should keep an eye on anything paper (or with paper qualities) when you are cutting it with a laser, because the laser does in fact burn through the material to cut. 



SandyMcC said:


> Well, we have speculated on the possibility that he was just playing dead! lol The one I sent her yesterday is double-bagged... two Ziplocs.


That is good to know. At least if this one is playing dead, he will have to play a little better to escape this time. Mrs. Bacon, I hope you enjoy your little guy!! LOL!! I would probably keep him bagged for quite a while before taking him out to play with though, just to be sure. LOL!!


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## Boomerbabe (Sep 5, 2009)

It is rare to see them, but there are definitely scorpions in FL. Saw several quite large ones when I lived in the Keys and my sister had one in a recliner that had been stored for a while (discovered when she felt a sharp sting on her arm) here on the Gulf Coast. I'm more leery of the black widow spiders that seem to abound here. Not trying to hijack the thread.


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## vgary (Mar 31, 2010)

Well, I'm confused (nothing new, LOL!). Am I "hearing" this correct, that you can CUT oilboard with a GCC cutter? How do you load it? Does it roll? What blade would you use, 45 or 60? Where can you get oilboard?


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## alm_limited (Oct 23, 2008)

vgary said:


> Well, I'm confused (nothing new, LOL!). Am I "hearing" this correct, that you can CUT oilboard with a GCC cutter? How do you load it? Does it roll? What blade would you use, 45 or 60? Where can you get oilboard?


Would like more info on this as well.

Do you need to add a carrier sheet? If so what type?

Thanks,
Mark


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

I just wanted to let everyone know that this subject was talked about along time ago on here for templates,, 

And it does work,,, They smell like crazy,, but the holes do come out well,,,, 

After you have sprayed adheasive to the oilboard,,,,after being cut,(NOT THE BACKER PIECE , if you do you will have glue in all your holes)

Make sure and dust it anyway,,,,,
so the stones come out well,

I dislike getting that spray adhesive everywhere,,,, 
after a bit of use the backer and oilboard start to seperate, so just take it off and respray,,

It was hard on my blades,, but i kept a seperate blade for this and glitter heatpress vinyl...

but it does work.. I would never sell them like this,, 
as there will be some upkeep.for high production but i sure would use them for myself on small transfer productions,, meaning under 500 transfers..

I forgot accugraphics sold the oil board,, thanks for the reminder,, i was getting mine at uline..
but do some research on here we talked about this alot a few years or so back,, I believe, it was.


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## wwpro (Apr 9, 2009)

A Graptech with a Clean Cut Blade 60 degree and a carrier sheet will do the trick ??


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

and be careful with chipboard, as when you pic up the stones it also pics up fibers from the chipboard,, or cardboard,, and collects it on the transfer tape...
Alot of us orig rhinestoners, have run just about everything thru our cutters,, including plastic folders,, lol and alot more.....
If anyone finds a good spray adheasive that can be washed off the hands,, please share,, 
It is not fun spraying and then going back to making transfers and having 10 gross of rhinestones stick to your fingers,,, lol


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

sjidohair said:


> If anyone finds a good spray adheasive that can be washed off the hands,, please share,,
> It is not fun spraying and then going back to making transfers and having 10 gross of rhinestones stick to your fingers,,, lol


LOL!! I can just picture it, instead of having bling on the fingernails its on the fingers. 

Try keeping some alcohol around to clean your fingers with after spraying with adhesive. It cleans the adhesive and dries pretty fast too. I keep a tub of alcohol wipes around. They work really well.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Marilyn,,
Thanks for the response what spray are you using?

I have tried everything,, including oil,,,lol


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

sjidohair said:


> and be careful with chipboard, as when you pic up the stones it also pics up fibers from the chipboard,, or cardboard,, and collects it on the transfer tape...
> Alot of us orig rhinestoners, have run just about everything thru our cutters,, including plastic folders,, lol and alot more.....
> If anyone finds a good spray adheasive that can be washed off the hands,, please share,,
> It is not fun spraying and then going back to making transfers and having 10 gross of rhinestones stick to your fingers,,, lol


How are you getting the spray adhesive all over your hands? 

Are you spraying the template while holding it?

I lay the template on a towel with the backside facing up and spay the template that way. Then I carefully pick it up by the edges and adhere it to my backer board. I use the Krylon permanent adhesive and have tried other brands too with no problems getting it on my hands.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

hahahaa,, well its not pretty,,,,lol

I hold it with a old tweezer,, over a garbage can,, and always get my fingers,,

I like your idea of laying it down,, better.....
Thanks,,,,


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

I don't remember the names of them off hand and I am at work right now. I use 3 different kinds. I think one of them is a Krylon. Another one has like a 6000 or 2000 number in the name. I will try to remember to check when I get home and post them. I do know that the alcohol wipes that I use are called MicroKill. It is a antibacterial, disinfectant, alcohol wipe that comes in a tub of about 160 wipes in it. It is kind of like the hand sanitizers but has a lot of alcohol in them. Its probably about 60% alcohol and they clean a lot of stuff. But I also keep a bottle of alcohol in most rooms that have equipment. I use it to clean so many things like keyboards, coroplast, needles, tabletops, hands, etc. Another thing you may try is fingernail polish remover. I use to use it for taking stickers off of things like glasses.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

thanks,,
first i have to switch my sprays,,,,, 
as i have tried all those on mine,, lol
I have jugs of alcholol in the rooms too, and no not to drink,, but to clean and wipe, things down..
I use a fast dry,, I think it is elmers,,, holds great,,,, 

too great,,, and drys fast,,


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