Thanks for the video. Suggestion: I played this morning, and instead of the chipboard, I used an upside down piece of 651 vinyl with my embossing mat. I then cut the shape out like you did, but the sticky vinyl was underneath. It let me engrave pennies and dog tags with no issues.
The delays in processing is memory and processor speed. The software also has some glitches. A graphics machine for playing games works better for doing this.
This is such an excellent video I wish I could give it a zillion stars! You have answered so many questions about the Curio I had I cannot even begin to tell you and I have been to two ATSC in Peachtree City, GA! Thank you so very much for such a comprehensive approach to your video. =) Jerri
I don't actually know....the precision tool wasn't around when I made this video!! They would both etch and probably give you a similar result-- you may just have to change the settings. I used the precision tool in the video on how to etch with the Cameo 4 & it didn't need as much force as the regular tool.
Super helpful tutorial, I think it would have been beneficial to take the extra few seconds to show everyone how to center the objects and text to each other and evenly space the letters with the spacing feature in the toolbar instead of just eyeballing it.
I like to manually adjust the letters generally because I can tweak them to fit the space better. But you can totally use the spacing tools if you want to use them.
Thanks so much for the video.I have been trying to etch 3 mm acrylic blanks with the silhouette blade and no matter how many times I send it through the etch drops put in the same places every time.I have tried switching holders,messed with pressure and speed all to no avail.I have just ordered the chomas tip to see if that helps but I have platform questions.I thought the platforms were supposed to add up to 6 including the thickness of the material.So I have been using 2+1+cutting mat.Is this incorrect? It looks like you are also using the embossing mat too? Any help is appreciated as I have been searching high and low for answers(including from the company).
Miss Mary Embroidery so sorry,I meant to say drop out.So the tool will be etching fine at a good depth but in some spots(the same ones each time) the pressure seems to drop off and the etch line is very light(not deep enough),so much so that when you hold the piece up you don’t see the places it dropped and when you run your finger over the surface you can barely feel the etch in the dropped spots.
Miss Mary Embroidery Yes,it does it in the exact same spots .It does indeed pick the etching depth back up after it “ drops out.” When I put the tool in tool 2 holder it did the same thing but in the exact opposite places.
I see that this video is old but I'm hoping that you're still active and maybe could help me out. I copied and pasted a clipart on the disk and then added a name. Now the Curio is cutting the actual frame around the clipart. How do I get rid of the line/box but still tell the machine to cut/deboss the picture but not the frame? Thanks so much!
Sounds like you are using a PNG or Jpeg file for your etching. If it is a picture file, you can trace it using the butterfly on the toolbar. Or you can try bringing in a SVG file. Once you either trace or bring in an SVG file, you would use the Emboss/Deboss panel to put the lines in needed for etching. Hope that helps!
Yep, if I think that I will use the template again, I keep it & the mat just gets used for that template. If it's just a one time use, you can pull the template off & re-use the mat for something else. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Great and informative video! I don't know if you already answered this question but: How long did it aproximatelly take to etch one of these ornaments?
The ornaments in the video, probably 10 to 20 minutes for each pass. The time greatly varies based on the size of the design and the fill pattern--they can take minutes to over an hour.
Hi Mary, the video is so great. Can you tell me why the both circle, one with J and the one with MJC at the top (at 25:23min) look whiter then the twos below? Do you paint them with white color? Thanks.
None of them where painted white. It's a combination of being etched with different tips and just the nature of acrylics, some are more white than others when you etch them.
Hi! Yes, any blank acrylic can be used so long as it's fits in the machine. Just double check the height, all of the acrylics are different heights, to match your bases accordingly.
Hello Miss Mary, I watched your video on etching acrylic shapes. Where is the best place to get a Choma tip. I am in the US, and because of my tight budget I need the best price. I hope you can help me. Also, do some more of the etching shapes. I just love watching the videos. Thanks.....Kathy
kath0257 I'm not sure of a lot of places you can get the chromas tip, I got it from Amazon link above but you can try google to see if you can find it cheaper. Make SURE to get the metal etching tip & not the Blunt tip for clay....learned that lesson the hard way!! You can also use the standard silhouette blade to etch acrylics, just make sure to stop frequently, unscrew the cap to the blade & empty out the acrylic shavings. Silhouette also makes an etching/stippling tool, I used it in the bulldog metal etching video. I never had good luck with it but I've seen other people use it & your luck might be better than mine with it!! And it's a more budget friendly option. Hope that helps!
@kath0257 - Check out Chomas Creations at amychomas.com where you can purchase it. They have also launched a fine tip etching/engraving tool now, so you can choose between the regular and the fine tip. Check out Chomas youtube-videos on them. (I’m not sure if their own site is cheapest or if Amazon is better (or another webshop).
superlucky28 Well in my opinion, hands down the cameo, honestly the curio is a bit of a pain in the butt! The curio can do a couple of cool things but the cameo can do so much more & so much easier!
Just an FYI, there have been some issues with the Cameo 3. I am not sure about all of the issues because I have cameo 2. I have just seen people complaining about it all.
Thank you for such a great tutorial!!!! Can you tell me if you have ever encountered the etching tool not lifting between letters, designs? I've tried 2 and each time it never lifts and just drags to the next letter. I don't want to keep going and no one has an answer. :-/
Hi, I have been watching your videos in the hopes I'll be ready to jump in when I get the curio, I already have a cameo and a portrait. I'm just curious, how long did it take to etch/engrave that? I haven't seen anyone mention how long something has taken yet unless I missed it, so apologies if I did. Sounds like I'll need to get my husband a pair of headphones though! 😂
Katie Ireson the time it takes can really vary. It can take a while with a large design & a close together hatch fill, which basically goes over the design twice....that could take more than 30 minutes. But a small design or outline wouldn’t take long, the metal etching charms were quick, for example.
logical faith I don't know! You would need to make sure that the acrylics would be able to pass under the bar that goes across the machine. Curios have a higher so taller items can pass through the machine. Also the etching feature wouldn't be able to be used.
Andria Black if you found some acrylic that was short enough to go under the bar in the cameo 3, you totally can. The big difference between the curio and cameo is the height of material that can go in it, the Curio can have much taller items than the cameos. You would also be limited on the amount of fills you would have because the embossing panel would be blocked from you since you don’t have a curio plugged in. Hope that helps!
I use a 2 platform, since the acrylics I used are 3mm tall-for a total of 5 mm tall. You will need to make sure to double check your acrylics & adjust accordingly for a total height of 5mm.
Hi Mary, I really need your help. I am new at Silhouette, and i have a Curio. I watched you video a few times as the acrylics are what i want to make. I have made a few things a few weeks ago but they were not that great and i know there is a learning curve with this software. I have my power cord plugged in and then I have the usb cord plugged into both the computer and Curio and I want to go and pick the emboss/deboss and it is syncing. It will go like that for hours. What am i doing wrong or what step am i missing. I hope you can help me. I know it is Saturday and most of the time you knowlegable people are off on the week end but i am hoping you see this and may be able to help me. I am in limbo. I did not enroll in the Silhouette School as I am not sure if this machine is going to work. I have the Silhouette Studio the Designer Edition and I am wondering if i should delete the Designer Edition off my computer. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again
kath0257 hi! The curio will sync until you put the bases into the machine. Check out the metal etching video, i into more detail about loading the bases & the syncing issues.
kath0257 also silhouette school is free, it's her blog where she has tutorials & there is answer her bar at the top were you can search for terms, etc. it's the Silhouette U that is paid. You can also try email customer service at silhouette but I have heard they are slow getting back to people.
