How to cut plasticard?

[Lerra]

How do you cut plasticard, especially the thicker varieties? I've tried using an exacto knife, but with thicker plasticard it's a lot of work to make a small cut. It would take me hours to cut a simple shape from the thickest card. I've tried using a wire cutter but the cuts are very unclean that way. What's the trick to making quick, clean cuts? I feel like I am missing something here. Thanks.

[Cruor Vault]

Use a fresh blade to score the plasti-card then bend and snap!

[Gotthammer]

A jeweler's saw / razor saw could be a better tool. Also a tiny hacksaw / jigsaw / bandsaw.

[Warptiger]

Use a straight edge to make a cut (doesn't even have to be a deep cut either), and then bend and snap it.

When it snaps, it rips down at an angle... the edges of the plasticard won't be 90 degrees, but look more like a chisel from the side. With some practice, you learn to increase your measurements a bit, so you can sand or file the edges back to a nice 90 degree angle and still end up at the measurements you need.

If you're layering up plasticard, don't bother sanding or filing the edges together until you glue it together in a stack. The file down the rough edges all at once.

[Warptiger]

A jeweler's saw / razor saw could be a better tool. Also a tiny hacksaw / jigsaw / bandsaw.

Horrible idea, know this from experience.

Several kinds of plastics heat up and start melting due to the friction from saw blades. They gum up the teeth, requiring you to clean them out... on some hobby saws with ultrafine teeth, this is literally impossible. On one, I had to douse the blade in liquid solvent and dissolve the plastic out of the teeth. Not fun

Also, it just takes longer. Muchhhhh longer then scoring & snapping. On long cuts with hand tools, the blade will bind up frequently, especially when the friction starts melting the plastic. If you bind up while using a jigsaw, it leads to a lot of snapped blades.

It destroys a lot of material in the process. The courser the saw teeth, the more material removed, chewed up or damaged. Hacksaws are the worse. When I tried using saws, it made it a lot harder to end up with the exact dimensions I needed.

[Lane]

When you score it make several light cuts rather than one deep cut. this makes it easier to keep the line straight.

[chromedog]

Score and snap.
This is the time honoured method. Sharp blade AND a steel ruler (preferably with a non-slip backing of some kind.)
The most reliable method. You then go over the edges and neaten them up.

Failing that, laser cutter.

We used to use a bandsaw on 3mm plasticard and ABS in the workshop (fine tooth blade and ran it slow)

[Gotthammer]

Horrible idea, know this from experience.


Guess I must just be awesome because I've done it successfully on several occasions on thicker plastic.

[Le Scriv]

So the scoring makes sense for large, straight edges but what about small (~8-10mm... chapter logos etc) cutting? I can imagine this being much easier with very thin card but what about the thick stuff?

[chromedog]

So the scoring makes sense for large, straight edges but what about small (~8-10mm... chapter logos etc) cutting? I can imagine this being much easier with very thin card but what about the thick stuff?

For thinner and smaller pieces, you can carve/cut through in one go.
For thick stuff, investigate whether anyone in your area does lasercutting.
This is often used for etching of trophies.
I have done small logos with curves and detail with a selection of handles with different blades in them (3 different chisel points and a couple of blade shapes). It takes time and patience and a willingness to go back and start again when you feth up your piece.

Remember the 5 p's:
Proper Preparation Prevents Piss-poor Performance.

[Sign Ahead]

Laser cutting is a good option, if you have access to a vector-graphics program (like AutoCAD or Illustrator) and the piece isn't too small. Really narrow pieces tend to melt in a laser cutter.

Band and scroll saws also work, but as Warptiger mentions, some saws have trouble handling thermoplastic (meltable) plastics. You can try adjusting the speed of your saw (on my saw, slower speeds equal less melting). Using a narrower blade or a blade with fewer teeth may also help.

My band saw tends to leave a rough edge. If yours does too, you may need to cut your pieces a little large and then sand them to the correct shape. Files, sanding blocks, belt sanders and Dremels (especially Dremels with "router tables") are very useful here.

[Forge]

hi, I use this fella on all my materials, it works to a depth of 8mm which covers nearly all
hobby materials and with a 58mm blade its great for small parts and there's less chance of
me loosing a pinkie. At about 100 euro its not a bad investment if you're going to be in the hobby
long term.

http://www.proxxontools.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=&idproduct=60