Vectric Customer

Had this for a couple weeks and finally got around to putting it to the test.
Impressive, I think they should be in everyones bit arsenal. Easy setup, I just put the paper on a .25 mdf square I had laying around and taped the paper to it, no need to even screw down the board.
Of course if I did this alot I would rig up something better, but my point is at its root it is very simple to use using materials at hand with any profile toolpath.

[You can see on the 2nd pic I had some dragging issues, probably need to set Z to retract a little higher, I had it at only .10 to save time, .15 I bet would cure that problem] Or, perhaps the paper was rising at that one point, really didn't have it secured very good.

I got this one here from a fellow CNC'er

http://cosmos-industrial.com/index.php? ... ex&cPath=3

Also another guy on this forum with another nice model, don't have the link offhand but searching "plotter pen" should find it.
Well worth the small investment, opens up another area of creativity.

What toolpath did you use for this?

Just a basic profile path, same as if I was using a vbit or drag bit on plexiglas or mdf.

I wonder if you could use one of these to "paint" a shallow vcarve toolpath? Not sure how well the marker would hold up on wood, just thinking out loud!

Thanks. I'll be trying it today.

They make paint pens. Filled with paint rather than ink. The challenge would be in describing the pen. To paint VCarved cuts you may need to describe the pen as a small v-bit with a deep plunge so it won't spend a lot of time in the air.

They are spring loaded so in theory might work painting cuts. I have a hard time imagining a paint pen working out, they are finicky even by hand on paper, they tend to leave blobs of paint if you are not very careful, I think a paint pen + CNC would = a mess.

Looks interesting. I wonder if you could post a few pics of the various pieces of this holder so I might see how it holds the sharpie in place and then fits into the body of the tool?

Thanks
Gerald

There are some pics in the link of the OP.
Basically you get a finely crafted metal cylinder with a .5 shank, thats what chucks into the router. Inside this cylinder fits the holders, 1 for a pencil and 1 for a sharpie [if you get both]. Fit is very tight, and it has to be so there is no wobble. The whole affair is spring loaded to make contour/rough drawing possible [within limits of course].
I understand he has a prototype for a full sized sharpie, I will be reviewing that soon. Of course, once you have the metal cylinder you might be able to improvise your own holding solutions. You could just chuck a sharpie right into the router for that matter, but without the spring would likely mash the tip and leave a mess pronto.
I don't anticipate doing pencil drawings but I got both holders anyhow, you never know. The reason they are different/separate is because of the taper of the sharpie and also its diameter, there can be no wobble within the holder either. You would probably be able to use a pen with no taper in the pencil holder, so long as its the same diameter of the pencil [don't quote me on that, haven't tried].

Any specific questions just ask at the link in the OP, or ask here and I'll direct the maker to this thread. Also a video here http://cosmos-industrial.com/index.php? ... ducts_id=3

Xxray wrote:They are spring loaded so in theory might work painting cuts. I have a hard time imagining a paint pen working out, they are finicky even by hand on paper, they tend to leave blobs of paint if you are not very careful, I think a paint pen + CNC would = a mess.

Thanks- I talked with someone who used the paint pens some time ago and he did say they were finicky- that's why I thought a sharpie with the fine point going in to a shallow vcarve path might work. Thanks for sharing the link to the holder, food for thought!

A stand full size sharpie is a half inch in diameter. I cut the top end off and chuck it into a half inch tool holder. I used it to draw large blue prints

I have chucked sharpies before, main reasons for not doing that as a common practice are:

* tip will easily be mashed under anything but perfectly optimal conditions [ie flat, smooth and perfectly zeroed]
* tends to leave a nasty blob whenever it picks up and starts drawing, which can be once, dozens or hundreds of times - Having it float of a spring alleviates but doesn't eliminate this problem. The more pressure you have on initial contact, the bigger the blob will be

As always, greatly helps to have a proper tool when you do things regularly, though chucking isn't bad for one off uses.

Actually, I never had an issue with the blobs at all. I did buy the pen holder, some time later. its been sitting in the drawer, for fifteen years now. Blue print are obsolete.

Blobs depend on paper and pressure/tip used, if you have an eye for detail you will notice them, if you don't you won't. I can see them in the pics I posted, I can see the exact start point of just about every separate Z move. Some may not notice or care, some will. A spring loaded device minimizes this issue compared to a direct chuck along with other advantages.
That said, I really don't care if anyone buys one or not, just relaying my experiences and impressions.

I cobbled together a holder out of paperstone for ultra fine point Sharpies and drew a map of the East Coast, state outlines and names and it worked quite well. Not sure what use I will have for it, but was a fun project and maybe one day I will need to plot a large drawing. My table will do up to about 43 x 48 inches. I can change colors by making a different toolpath for each layer.