# When You Weed With Dental Picks...



## tdeals (Dec 13, 2006)

...do you weed away from the backing or into the backing to grab your first piece? What do you do for small letters/numbers/graphics?

I'm practicing my weeding skills and when I viewed a YouTube video of someone weeding with a dental pick, the pick was pointed up and the unwanted material was being pulled away from the backing.

When I weed, my pick is pointing down, thus causing punctures into my material backing. I did not think it was an issue at first because I'm not touching the design.

However, I want to develop less harsh picking skills and be more gentle. 

Thanks.


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

when I use the dental pick I usually point it down. But I rarely use a dental pick 99% of the time I use very pointy tweezers.


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## DecalGuy (Nov 26, 2007)

Ms. Blue,

I use a "seem ripper" for weeding. Its not as sharp as a dental pick and its very easy to slide in between the vinyl and the backing, then I just use my fingers to grab the vinyl and finish weeding. 

One other note: Each job is very different even with just letters, I always look for the "S" and "E's" and anywhere in the design that loops back on itself and pick those areas first (just loosening them for the backing). I use Flexisign Pro software and it also has an "easyweed" function that cuts a 0.1 box around everything after the final cut and that makes things easier to weed also.

Hope this makes sense 

Mike


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## tdeals (Dec 13, 2006)

Both of you have posted great tips and they make sense! Thanks bunches.

Actually, I have pointy tweezers too and you know, the more I use them, they really seem to work better. This is unless I'm taking out something from a 1/8" letter or number (which I've been doing) then the dental pick seems easier to poke it.

I really like the "easyweed" feature you mentioned in your Flexi software Mike. Would there be more cost effective software that has this same feature that runs under Mac OS X?

AB


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## DecalGuy (Nov 26, 2007)

AdriaticBlue said:


> Both of you have posted great tips and they make sense! Thanks bunches.
> 
> Actually, I have pointy tweezers too and you know, the more I use them, they really seem to work better. This is unless I'm taking out something from a 1/8" letter or number (which I've been doing) then the dental pick seems easier to poke it.
> 
> ...


I don't know if other software has this feature, I started with Flexi years ago and have always used it. I'm sure others will chime in and say if their software has it or not.

Mike


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

I use dental picks to weed with, I have no isssue puncturing the mylar. I like to add he extra weed lines, this a time saver.It allows you to weed faster in the non critical ares. .... JB


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

Lol.. that was me weeding..
I use that type of pic to get under between the t-shirt vinyl and the mylar.. .. Im actually challenged at times when weeding t-shirt vinyl as im so used to weeding sign vinyl.. where i use my fingers (cuse the sign vinyl sticks to my fingers.) I also use tweezers on shirt vinyl and not on sign vinyl.


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

here is me weeding sign vinyl.. as you can see its much faster..lol
YouTube - weeding Sign Vinyl

With sign vinyl I use the vinyl from the first pick i make to help pick up the next few ..
I also use a pick made for vinyl weeding with sign vinyl as the dental picks are not as fat around and make my hands hurt when i weed for hours.


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

hey you have a t-shirt forums shirt on!! lol

I cant weed my sign vinyl like that.....too much lifts off.


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

do you mean when pulling the outside piece off when the video first started.. If so.. that depends on many things.. One the font.. some fonts I have to do a line at a time..
Two.. if the font is ok.. the cutting depth has to be just perfect in able to do that..
Also I have much better luck going fast and kinda snapping the vinyl off then trying to go slow.. when i go slow.. It tends to lift more.. Its one of those.. grab it and let it rip kinda things.


that vinyl there was actually just a part of a huge sign that I had to do 6 of. that was 1/3 of the sign.. So You can imagine how sick i was of weeding.. by the time i got that job done lol..


and yeah thats a t-shirt forum t-shirt that gunslinger made me.. lol.


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

This is not that exact sign but some we did that are along the same lines..
We do alot of these for the city.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/mystysue/citysign.jpg
We did 6 of these and they were 4 feet wide by 6 ft tall on .80 powder coated alum. (thats thick alum)


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## tdeals (Dec 13, 2006)

Whoa, I gotta get that good AND fast! 

It must be the angle at which you're hitting the vinyl with your tool that gets it to come off most times on your first hit.

Ok, more practice for me!


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

Ms Blue.. Im known as the weeder wench around the shop lol.

when doing the centers on the o's and such the first one you get at an angle after than you are actually using the vinyl from the first pic to pick up the second etc.. the vinyl picking up vinyl will actually go much faster than trying to actually pic each piece. (this is with sign vinyl as its sticky)
you just have to be careful not to touch the piece of vinyl on the pick to the actual letter only to the part you need to remove.. ( I hope that makes sense)


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

I almost always go slow when peeling back the vinyl. I get too aggitated when the letters lift off and I cant find them in peel away lol Especially the dots for the "i" 

I'll peel t-shirt vinyl that way tho. The dots dont get trashed when they are lifted.


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

mystysue said:


> the weeder wench


that's too funny!


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

lol.. thats one of the nicer names im called.. rof..


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## tdeals (Dec 13, 2006)

I forgot to ask, what material were you weeding in the YouTube video and are you just as fast on material with sticky backing (i.e., EasyWeed or ThermoFlex)?


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

If you mean the video up top that was in the first thread.. That was thermoflex.. so the plastic backing paper was sticky.. If you mean the video i posted a link to .. that is permagloss sign vinyl.. so the back of the vinyl is sticky..lol


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## Rickster58 (May 3, 2008)

I have an entire array of tools from pointy tweezers to dental pick assortments to xactos. I find that 99% of the time I use my tweezers and the exacto to weed small details and letters. Most of what I do is small (letters around 1/8" - 1/4"). For those I usually take care of the finer details with the point of the xacto.


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

*Hi. Real easy way to make your own weeding tools.*


*Take a galvanised roofing nail, which are softer than normal nails. I think they call them 'clouts' in some countries'. Using a file you can either alter the pointed end, or the cap end to create any shape you need. When you've finished filing it to the shape you want, just wrap some electrical tape onto the shaft and you're done!!*

*They are cheap enough to have multiple shapes for different materials and jobs. If you lose one they only cost pennies (cents) to replace.*


*Just call me Mister Tightwad.... *


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

I wouldn't call it being a tightwad, but merely frugal. .... I'm cost concious too, I got my dental picks from my dentist for free. ...... JB


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

lol.. 
the dental tools i use i got at harbor freight one time when i was there getting some tools to work on the rc boat parts.. .. and the curves on the end looked like they mite work good..
.. I do use the dental picks some like in the video when weeding thermoflex as it can hook the vinyl and help in it getting pullled up..

But for regular weeding.. I find the handle too thin. and its not as comfortable in my hand as my pick i bought from the sign supply shop for like 6 dollars or so..
It has a handle the same as a exacto and I can change the nibs if it gets dull..
There are days that I may weed for hours.. and my hand needs to have something as comfortable as posible..

I am not one for making many tools myself.. as to me.. I could make a sign worth enuff to buy several tools in the time it would take me to make one lol..


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

*I can ALWAYS find time to save money... LOL *


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

im very time challenged .. I dont have enuff hours in the day to do what i have to do..


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## CUSTOM UK (Jun 28, 2008)

*Tell me about it. Sometimes it seems I'm starting earlier and finishing later.*


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

the guy we bought our shop from was frugal to the point of no return.. .. When if first got the shop.. I would try to find a scrap of vinyl in the thousands of piece he saved to fit the job.. till i figured out that it was actually costing me money to try to save a few cents..
Its kinda the penny wise pound foolish thing.
I went thru the shop about a year ago and got rid of all the scraps and bit and pieces of vinyl.. that was collecting dust.. Some of it had been there so long the company that made the vinyl had been out of business for years.. or had changed there name 3 -4 years before lol.
I am saving the usuable scraps now to pass onto a forum friend that lives close that is buying a plotter as she will be able to get alot of practicing done on it.
The old owner also turned of the sheets from the fax machine.. to use the other side.. one time when he was still there.. I couldnt figure out which was the new fax and which was the old one.. lol..

No i dont waste money.. but I do look at how much saving a few pennies actually cost me in the long run..
sometimes in the time it would take for me to save 1.00 i could have made a sign that i sell for 70.oo lol..


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## HawgDawg (Jul 11, 2008)

I use both pick and tweezers. As I remove backing around small letters the pick works best for me. Most of the time i can slide under the loops as I pull. Tweezers great for pick the centers

Dawg


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