Hi. I cut with a Gerber 4E (1989) using Graphix Advantage 6.2. When cutting HP vinyl, the blade "skips" certain cuts. Like the horizontal edges of serifs, etc. These "non-cuts" are not uniform. It will cut one letter fine, and then not cut part of the next letter, even if they are the same. It's a real PITA because I have to literally check each letter and hand-cut some of them with an Xacto before weeding. Oddly, when cutting intermediate, this does not happen. It is worse when I put in a new blade too. No matter how much weight I use or don't use seems to have no effect on what it doesn't cut. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I do try to keep the machine clean, and I can't see any missing teeth in the belt. Thanks.....Jill
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
check your wear strip.. if its worn the knife will not cut exactly right..
Posted by Ken Henry (Member # 598) on :
Hi Jill. From what you've described, I'd tend to suspect that you've somehow got a nick in the bottom roller (the one with the sprocket teeth). To check it out, put a brand-new single-edge blade in your razor blade scraper. Hold it so that it just touches the roller, and using your directional arrows, press down like you're advancing the vinyl 1 complete revolution. Now reverse the direction. If your feel of the scraper indicates a noticeable tic or bump, that's where your problem is. You have to do this razor blade "probe" along the entire width of the roller, to detect the nick(s).
You mentioned that you don't have this problem with the thicker calendared vinyls, but only with the premium grades. The thicker vinyl is probably "cushioning the bump" that the blade senses through the thinner cast vinyl.
Suggested cure: If you find there is a nick and bump in the lower roller, sand it out using a 400 grit emery paper(cloth) by rotating the drum against some emery paper wrapped around a paint stir stick.
Hope this helps.
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
Wow, thanks, Jill, Ken! I haven't come across that yet, so it will be ever so helpful. I was just thinking today about how we should appreciate our workhorse plotters, and of course treat ourselves much better of course. Just my thoughts. Not too many folks know about Gerber ins and outs and shortcuts.
Posted by Jill Marie Welsh (Member # 1912) on :
Thanks Ken! I'm gonna try that. Your explanation makes a lotta sense! I wonder if I have a chunk of vinyl or Avery glue ooze on it somewhere? Curtis, just what IS a wear strip? Love.....Jill
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
I remember having something like this with my Gerber plotter. I never found the reason and Ken's idea is probably correct. At the time I put it down to the material sprocketing being inaccurate and allowing the material to bunch on the roller slightly, causing uneven pressure on x-axis tracking. I bought one of those collared, constant depth no matter the weight blade holders and never thought about it again!
Thanks for the memory!
Posted by fayette pivoda (Member # 4339) on :
Sometimes the knife holder gets a little dirty and then won't move up and down freely, make sure its clean and then give it a wipe with some 3in1 oil.
Posted by Barry Branscum (Member # 445) on :
back when I had my old 4b the sprockets would often get gummed up over time with excess glue....I don't know if that has happened to you, but it can cause problems.
