Problem with sign making and Oramask. Can I cut vinyl before routing?

I have been making several V-carved signs with very small details and find that the force of the cutter lifts off some small pieces of Oramask. Very frustrating. I am using DF (old growth) and sand to 220 grit and tack cloth before applying the Oramask so for the most part adhesion seems to be good. I am also getting "fuzzies" of Oramask along the cut line, though not consistently so. With the same bit, some cuts are perfectly clean, others not so. A real PITA to clean up before painting. My V-bits are not brand new, however they are cutting the wood cleanly.

I am wondering if its possible to cut the Oramask with a vinyl cutter prior to cutting with a V-bit to help solve this problem?

I own a Stinger 1 with a spindle. Can you use a vinyl cutter on this machine? I can't seem to find info on doing so.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers, bob

I use MacTac sticky shelf paper instead of Oramask and used to have the same problem with intricate carvings. I would question whether you could get a vinyl cutter and your router to be in exactly the same X0Y0. I know that I cannot. What I have done is do a first shallow cut with a small 30° engraving bit. All it does is cut the mask. Then I change to the 60° or 90° V bit that will carve the wood and run the same tool path, changing only the depth. So far, this has worked well.

Thank you Grant. I have thought of using shelf paper as a cheaper alternative to Oramask. I too have worried about getting the vinyl cutter and router cutter to align, especially as the vinyl cutting may require an offset as it swivels.....I will give your technique a try....sounds like a good solution. Cheers, bob

You might also consider prefinishing the material before applying the mask to provide a surface more likely to be gripped by the mask's adhesive. A sharp-sharp vee-bit is also a good idea...one of the reasons I prefer insert tooling for this. But yes, it can be hard to keep it from pulling up when there are small details involved. It's always better when things are big!

Jim, I tried prefinishing and that has helped. I actually carved a bigger image today and the results were definitely better.....you are correct, bigger is better. I will look into insert tooling.....I do enough 60 degree v-bit work that an insert cutter may be worth the added cost. Thanks, bob

While I'm not normally a "set" kind of person for tooling, I did make an exception with the Ammana insert vee bits...very handy for both sign work and other tasks and includes 120º, 90º, 60º and 45º in a protective box. It's been a good investment, iMHO. (I also use one of their insert cutters for spoilboard cleaning and slab conditioning)

Jim, I too am not much of a "set" person as I find I don't use most of the bits included. That said, I am considering the set you have as I like the idea of being able to sharpen the inserts. I find that I use my current 120 and 60 the most, my 90 not so much. Perhaps the narrower 45 would be good for getting some depth with narrower Vcarves. Thanks for the input. bob