Posts by USCutter

High Bake Stencil – More Than Just Powder Coating

Posted on by USCutter

Did you know that you could do more than powder coating with High Bake stencil? High bake stencils like the Aslan 85D and Greenstar High Bake are formulated to work with temperatures around 200°f and are much more flexible when compared to normal paint mask stencils.

Combine that with the specially formulated adhesive and you have stencils that can be used on all types of substrates!

Use it to make stencils for use directly on clothing to use with T-shirt paint or use it to make stunning designs with a stencil and some bleach. The adhesive holds on tight to the fabric and doesn’t allow anything to pass through the stencil and ruin your shirt.

You will also find that it works great for creating easy to clean and maintain stencils for screen printing. It even holds up to chemicals! Use High bake stencil on glass with your favorite glass etching cream and on wooden surfaces using wood-burning chemicals!

The flexibility of high bake stencil not only makes it much easier to weed and work with but also makes it much easier to work on rounded surfaces like cups and mugs or surfaces that aren’t perfectly smooth or well sanded.

Purchase Greenstar High Bake here – https://uscutter.com/15-greenstar-hig… Purchase Aslan High Bake here – https://uscutter.com/aslan-85d-high-b…

Hat Tricks: Helpful Tips to Get Good Results with a Hat Press

Posted on by USCutter

Have you ever tried to decorate a baseball cap with heat transfer vinyl before?

Custom hat production can definitely be a little tricky. So we’ve put together a few tips along with a video demonstration of how to get good results with your USCutter heat press every time, whether it’s a structured or unstructured hat.

First of all, why hats? Well, here’s the math: we’ve costed it out and it’s only about $3.18 in supplies and capital investment to add hat production to your quiver of output possibilities. If you can sell a hat for $10 or more, that’s equal to big profits!

Beginners might find it a little challenging to get started, but here’s the skinny on the 2 biggest problems customers face with the blanks and their equipment:

Problem #1: Undesirable crease marks, pinching, lack of smoothness, and inconsistencies in application

Solution: Use a mini heat press pillow, tucked into the inner sweat band of the hat, to support the shape of the hat facing while it’s under pressure from the hat press. This will prevent any bending or deformation. As you see in the video, you may also want to hold the hat taut by pulling down on the back during the pressing cycle.

Problem #2: Scorch marks

Solution: We use Color Theory Multiverse heat transfer vinyl which applies at low temps (248° F) for application in 3-5 seconds! This avoids any scorching from the high temperatures necessary for applying traditional HTV. As you can see in the video as well, we cut the liner to be wider than the cut graphic so that the upper heating platen of the heat press is not directly touching the hat facing and causing uneven discoloration during pressing.

Watch the video for a complete walk-through on how we decorated a structured hat with our Transforsa Hat Press, which comes with 8 free hats to get started!

https://vimeo.com/390853305