Using a Cricut Joy m/c to produce custom vinyl lining.

[philipy]

Paul and Rik have both asked about my loco lining, so here goes. I must stress that I am no expert and I've been teaching myself the rudiments of using one particular m/c and have no idea how general my experiences may be. Also, I've wasted quite a bit of vinyl in getting to grips with the limitations and how best to use it.

So, I got a Cricut Joy which is the basic Cricut m/c and it has limitations. It also uses what they call 'Smart Vinyl' which comes as self adhesive on a backing sheet. I believe that the larger m/cs use a system which requires cutting the shape from vinyl using a backing board, and then using a transfer tape to pick it up and move it on to the required surface - that all seems much too complicated to me!
Rather like 3d printing, you need to create the design then put it into the Cricut Design Space software then transfer that to the actual cutting machine.

There may well be other/quicker/simpler ways of approaching this, but this is what I did:

1) I was fortunate that the drawing of the F & B Manning Wardle 0-4-2 in the F & B book includes faint indications of most of the lining, and since I had already scaled the drawing to 16mm scale, all I needed to do was trace over the outlines on a separate layer and save it. If you aren't lucky enough to be in the same position, then you'd have to create a drawing of your lining from scratch.

Screenshot 2025-12-18 12.59.40.jpg (211.3 KiB) Viewed 14653 times

2) The F & B lining is quite complex, having 1.5mm black lines with yellow lines either side and fancy scalloped corners to the panels, on the cab and tank sides, and also a centre yellow only panel outline, plus there are yellow only lines outlining various features. In fact most of the 'yellow only' lines are double but I chickened out of the doubling!
Obviously the machine can't cut two different coloured vinyls at the same time so having drawn a complete panel, I then copied it several times. Then I deleted the yellow lines on one copy, leaving only the black centre line, and saved that. Then I opened another copy and deleted all but the outer yellow lines and saved that. Repeated that for the inner yellow lines and saved that. Then finally deleted everything but the yellow only centre panel outline.

3) The next thing to do is convert all of the saved drawings to be solid black colour. If not, the Cricut software won't 'see' it.
Initially, for some reason I thought the Cricut Design Space (CDS) would only import svg files, although I now believe it will take all the common graphics formats. However I've done all of mine as svg's. So the black line files need importing into the software, one at a time. I found CDS to not be particularly intuitive, mainly because it is really focused on cutting fancy pre-designed Happy Birthday, Fairies, etc, templates. I keep finding things that are semi hidden, like how to rotate an object, or scale it, or position it. Initially the software kept rearranging things where it wanted to put them, but then by accident I found how to lock it and print it as I had positioned things. If I had found this sooner I think it could have made keeping spacing much simpler! If anyone wants more info on using CDS then please ask.

4) Anyway, having arranged the broad black line drawings, next thing is to send them to the printer itself. This is via a Bluetooth connection from my Windows laptop. The machine first checks to see if it has a long enough piece of vinyl to get the design on and assuming it has, you press GO on the computer and a few seconds later it starts cutting. It is surprisingly quick, then it tells you it is finished and to unload.

5) I was a bit apprehensive about the best way to position a piece of fine, flimsy, self-adhesive vinyl which is alleged to be 'permanent', without it sticking everywhere but where I wanted.
In the end I measured the distances from the edge of the panel and cut small pieces of spare vinyl to act as spacer pieces to offer the actual line up against. The adhesive may be permanent with time but it can be repositioned and/or nudged to adjust it and also to remove the spacers.

6) Having stuck down the centre black line, I then needed to get the fine yellow lines either side. As I mentioned elsewhere the cutting registration is not precise and the thinnest I managed to get to work is a nominal 0.4mm. In practice this wandered from 0mm to about 0.5/0.6mm. 0.4mm is a scale 0.3 inches in 16mil, so probably not too far off prototype. I discovered that the very fine cut vinyl lines are stronger than they look, and starting with the outer border line, after carefully weeding it out from the sheet with the point of a scalpel and grabbing it with a fine tweezers, I could carefully pull the whole line away from the backing.

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I started by positioning the point of one corner scallop as close as I could against the outside of the black line and then carefully eased it into position around the rest of that corner, using a combination of tweezers, scalpel point and fingers. this gives an anchored reference point and then I just followed round carefully until I got back to the start.
Then repeat for the inner line.
Finally using spacers. I positioned the inner separate yellow line.

7) At this point, having almost finished, I discovered how to make the software and m/c print what I drew, in the positions that I drew it! If I was to do it again, I would try to cut all of the yellow lines in one go, lift the whole block from the backing sheet as one, position it on the loco and only then weed out what wasn't required. I'm pretty sure it would be quicker and more accurate than doing things one line at a time by eye.

The rather more fiddly job was doing drop shadows on the "No.2", but basically used the same approach. Draw the basic lettering and get it to the right size etc. Duplicate it and move that down and to the right to get the shadow effect and then edit the dropped bit to eliminate the base letters on top. Then cut the main letters from yellow and the dropped bits from black and then fiddle about to get the dropped bits positioned where they should be, on the model!

This detail shows the black bits which form the shadows, to be applied to the yellow base letters.

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To achieve something like this:

IMG_0099.jpg (434.14 KiB) Viewed 14653 times

This also illustrates the variable width of the yellow lines due to the registration issue - they are all drawn at the same 0.4mm width.

For info, I have done a test and the vinyl seems to be stable under "Army Painter" acrylic varnish - I was a bit worried that the fine lines might curl under the solvent.

[Durley]

A really useful guide, thanks Philip. And great results.
I asked my resident Cricut expert (my wife) what other files CDS will accept. She confirmed it will import .svg and .dxf vector files, which can be used for cutting. It will also accept various raster image files (.png, .jpg, .bmp, etc) but these are not for cutting, rather for use as ‘print then cut’ projects.
I would recommend giving the transfer tape a try. It makes transferring the cut vinyl from the backing sheet to the model quicker and easier, preserving the shape (and relative position of multiple parts) without distortion. The transfer tape is simply clear tape that sticks to the upper surface of the cut shapes, after weeding out the unwanted parts. It is tackier than the vinyl on the backing, so will lift the vinyl from the backing. Once in place on the model and rubbed down, the vinyl sticks to the model with a stronger bond than the transfer tape, so the tape can then be peeled away, leaving the cut vinyl in place, a bit like using pressfix transfers.
I find the Cricut machine really useful. The software (CDS) is the only downside being very unintuitive to use and sometimes slow as it is cloud based. The larger machines will cut material up to 1/16” thick using the heavier knife blade. I have used it to cut plasticard, clear acetate, basswood, balsa and hardboard for various projects. I just wish it had an open control protocol (like G-code) to avoid using CDS!

[Paul_in_Ricky]

Thanks for the information really useful.

I would recommend giving the transfer tape a try. It makes transferring the cut vinyl from the backing sheet to the model quicker and easier, preserving the shape (and relative position of multiple parts) without distortion.

This makes complete sense. I've used this technique to apply logos to motorbikes in the distant past and apart from getting the backing sheet level it makes alignment of individual parts dead simple.

I find the Cricut machine really useful. The software (CDS) is the only downside being very unintuitive to use and sometimes slow as it is cloud based. ......... I just wish it had an open control protocol (like G-code) to avoid using CDS!

Having tried to download the software without a machine I can see the software and connection side of things could be a pain. I much prefer design work on my main workstation, not laptops or phones. Having to send designs around and use Bluetooth for connection is tedious and is making me look at other machines.

[philipy]

I would recommend giving the transfer tape a try. It makes transferring the cut vinyl from the backing sheet to the model quicker and easier, preserving the shape (and relative position of multiple parts) without distortion. The transfer tape is simply clear tape that sticks to the upper surface of the cut shapes, after weeding out the unwanted parts. It is tackier than the vinyl on the backing, so will lift the vinyl from the backing. Once in place on the model and rubbed down, the vinyl sticks to the model with a stronger bond than the transfer tape, so the tape can then be peeled away, leaving the cut vinyl in place, a bit like using pressfix transfers.
I find the Cricut machine really useful. The software (CDS) is the only downside being very unintuitive to use and sometimes slow as it is cloud based.

Thanks John.
Before I found out how to print things where I wanted them on the sheet, I couldn't see very much point to the transfer tape. However your description sounds as though it could actually have been very useful for the multiple lines I've had to play with... shame I've finished that! Very much in the back of my mind for the future though.

I don't think I could justify the cost of one of the bigger machines though, I ummed and ahhhed for ages over the basic one!

Re the software, I believe that there are other similar machines on the market now, so I wonder if they are more open-source?

[Durley]

Before I found out how to print things where I wanted them on the sheet, I couldn't see very much point to the transfer tape. However your description sounds as though it could actually have been very useful for the multiple lines I've had to play with... shame I've finished that! Very much in the back of my mind for the future though.

The thing that took me ages to get my head around in CDS was how it lays out the parts to cut. What I finally realised is it just considers every closed loop line as an individual shape, that it will try to cut separately. As an example, if you imported a circle of 1mm lining, 10mm internal diameter and 11mm external diameter, it will try to give you two separate solid circles of 11mm and 10mm diameters. To fix this, you have to use CDS functions ‘select all’ and ‘attach’. This locks the relative position of the shapes and will cut them in a single cut operation. I realise you know all this already Philip, so just stating for reference for anyone else following your guide!

It would be possible to create in your preferred software all of the yellow lining and lettering for the cab side panel (for example) as a single .dxf or .svg, correctly laid out and spaced. Import to CDS, ‘select all’ and ‘attach’. After cutting and weeding, you could then use the transfer tape to transfer all the yellow parts for the panel in one go. It’s quicker than doing all parts separately, saves having to align parts by eye and minimises the amount of vinyl needed.

[philipy]

Yep, thanks.
It was the Attach function that it took me a while to work out what it did and that it makes it print as laid out. Why on earth call it that??

However, drawing a rectangle 1.5mm wide by say 50mm long in CAD package and then infilling it solid black and exporting as an SVG avoids having to do anything complicated in CDS or getting the confusion of inner and outer lines, it just cuts a long thin rectangle.

[StuartJ]

Very interesting, thank you. I have considered the Silhouette machines for cutting styrene to layer up coach sides etc but last time I checked they would only cut up to 20thou which is a lot of layers for 16mm scale (but perfect for 4mm scale!). I hadn't considered using them for lining, which is silly really, as cutting vinyl is what they are intended for!

[ge_rik]

Something else to explore in the new year ....

Rik

[Paul_in_Ricky]

Looking at this again as there's a few deals on Cricut machines in the sales...,.

Has anyone tried to use the removable vinyl to create stencils ?
It struck me that larger bits of vinyl might be easier to position and hold their shape, plus paint might be more durable for lining than vinyl.
Also that the larger area might make using the transfer tape more viable for positioning.

[philipy]

Durley uses the Cricut to create stencils using Washi tape. That would be a lot cheaper than using vinyl.

Talking of positioning, after what I said before, I have discovered that I think my problem may have been simply that I didn't burnish the transfer tape down onto the vinyl hard enough. I did a quick trial on a very small test piece and that seemed to work, but I haven't been able to try it on my wheels yet.

[Durley]

Yes, I’ve been making painting masks in washi tape. The advantage of washi over vinyl is that it doesn’t stretch so I have found it tends to keep its shape better than vinyl but is more delicate and can tear if cutting fine details.

I’ve been doing some trials of my own to test what thickness of line the Cricut Maker will cut. I made a series of concentric rectangles starting at 0.2mm wide up to 0.8mm. The first image shows the vinyl cut and weeded but still on its backing. The 0.2mm line failed but 0.3mm upwards came out OK, so slightly finer than 0.4mm that Philip was getting from the Joy.

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The second image shows the shapes stuck to a piece of paper having been transferred in one go using transfer tape. As Philip has said, the tape needs burnishing on to the vinyl to get it to stick. Peeling from a corner and encouraging the vinyl shapes to lift from the backing with a scalpel helps, once they start to lift, the transfer tape then takes over and pulls up the rest of the shape. A brayer helps to get the transfer tape to stick, as shown in the third image.

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The blade on the machine I was using was the standard Cricut fine point blade and could do with replacing. My wife makes cards with the machine and it has cut a lot of paper and cardboard which does blunt the blade. This sometimes caused the vinyl to not be fully cut through so weeding out the vinyl can then be problematic, sometimes causing the lining to lift and distort, which you can see resulted in some lines not being completely straight. With a bit of effort, it is possible to manually straighten up the lines once applied. A dedicated blade for lining work would be sensible, Cricut does sell an upgraded ‘premium’ fine point blade which I have used previously and does give more reliable cuts.

Paul, I am sure your proposal to use peelable vinyl as a paint mask would work. The only things to watch for would be any reaction with whatever paint you use and any raised details on the surface that might stop the mask from fully adhering and/or cause the mask to distort.

[Paul_in_Ricky]

Thanks Dursley, good information.
Although I can't find mention of a "‘premium’ fine point blade" as an upgrade on the Cricut site, just mention that it's supplied as standard ????

It's very frustrating that Cricut (and others) don't offer any sort of user manual and their software won't work independently of the machine. It makes evaluation of what it could do and it's utility for model making tricky.
Not an issue if there's already one in the household to experiment with, but I'm not sure if it's worth buying if it's a 'one trick pony' that spends most of the time collecting dust and taking up valuable space.

[philipy]

Paul,
Look on Amazon for "cricut premium blade" and its the first on the list.
Cricut
2007300 Premium Fine-Point Blade, Metal, One Size
£8.39

[Paul_in_Ricky]

Look on Amazon for "cricut premium blade" and its the first on the list.
Cricut
2007300 Premium Fine-Point Blade, Metal, One Size
£8.39

Yes, it also says on the photo of the box that it only fits the Maker and Explore models, not the Joy.

Screenshot 2025-12-27 122747.png (32.87 KiB) Viewed 14382 times

Cricut's own listings for blades for the Joy don't list it.
https://cricut.com/en-gb/tools-accessor ... Cricut+Joy

Their FAQ says;
"Cricut replacement blades are designed to work with specific machine models. Always check compatibility before purchasing to ensure you're getting the right blade for your machine."

[Lonsdaler]

Well I was today years old when I first heard of washi tape. Can you not achieve the same results with low tack masking tape?
It's interesting seeing what Philip has achieved with the Cricut machine, but like 'Paul n Ricky' I think it would just end up gathering dust rather than being a well used useful addition to my workshop. I shall stick with trimline tape I think.

[philipy]

It's interesting seeing what Philip has achieved with the Cricut machine, but like 'Paul n Ricky' I think it would just end up gathering dust rather than being a well used useful addition to my workshop. I shall stick with trimline tape I think.

You are both correct of course that it sits around gathering dust most of the time, but then again I have lots of things in that category anyway, so what is one more!
In this case it was a freebie/pressy in that SWMBO had a load of Nectar points which were also gathering dust, so she treated me about a year ago and apart from trying it and not being very impressed to begin with it has done nothing for about 9 months until I bit the bullet and actually tried to do something.
I very much doubt that I could have done those fancy corners with trim tape, though.

[Paul_in_Ricky]

I fell for it ;-)
£115 at Hobbycraft for the starter bundle, which is about a third off.
Given how much time and money I've wasted trying to get my De Winton lined well, it might just be a bargain. The first trial is looking good to deliver a decent final result once I get hold of the correct colour vinyl. The precision of cutting out of the box is excellent.

BUT

A day of frustration and learning getting started.
1. Machine wouldn't connect to any of my Android phones out of the box. I had to connect via a iPad which then allowed the machine to upgrade it's firmware, which in turn fixed the Android connection problem.

2. Whilst it was good that the Cricut Design Space software worked on my main PC once the account had been linked to a machine. It's certainly not designed for the sort of design work that that's needed for railway modelling. So it seems everything will have to be created in other packages and then imported for cutting.
Thanks to Dursley's earlier comments helping to explain some of CDS's idiosyncrasies.

3. Getting the right type of SVG file is more complex than I'd realised. Not helped by the one vector program I've used much (Affinity Designer/3) having a major bug with it's SVG export that makes the files unusable in CDS.
Inkscape seems the best choice, but still doesn't make precision lining creation easy.
It's looking like creating a good pixel based image and then tracing it in Inkscape may be the easiest way forward.

[philipy]

It took me some getting used to, so be interested to hear how you get on.

As I think I said before, I created my lining on my actual print drawings in Sketchup, then exported directly as an SVG ( there are a couple of plugins available for SU), then uploaded that to CDS, arranged as required on the worksheet and then printed. I think you use Fusion 360, so I assume there would be similar SVG export functionality? I don't think I could be bothered to learn CDS as actual design software.

When I first got mine I had terrible problems trying to get the Bluetooth to connect, even with windows laptop only about 18" away. It was completely hit and miss but then, since a couple of weeks ago the connection is instantaneous and consistent, even with the Cricut and laptop in different rooms, so I think they must have done some sort of upgrade a few months back.

[Paul_in_Ricky]

It took me some getting used to, so be interested to hear how you get on.
I think you use Fusion 360, so I assume there would be similar SVG export functionality?

No, Fusion doesn't output SVG and the free version I use won't export DXFs, so a bit of a closed book.

Drawing lining in Photoshop then tracing to vector in Inkscape seems to work so far, but exact scaling remains an issue to understand fully. There seems to be problems with different software expecting differing default resolutions and then importing at the wrong size and needing rescaling. Once I find out what's going on I'll post a workflow that should work with other bitmap editors too.

I don't think I could be bothered to learn CDS as actual design software.

I don't think it's worth any effort. It's created for 'crafters' and their needs are different.

As a side note I was appalled at how almost all their designs needed paying for. You can't even use your own system fonts in CDS, which is just dreadful.

When I first got mine I had terrible problems trying to get the Bluetooth to connect,.... I think they must have done some sort of upgrade a few months back.

That's what I've assumed.

All my dealing with Bluetooth have left the impression it's not a very reliable technology, simple, but only when it works and often it doesn't. I had a play last year trying to build a remote control system using BTh for loco control, but gave up due to range and compatibility issues. Using WiFi is far more robust.

[Durley]

Paul, you can get Fusion 360 to export SVGs using the free ‘Shaper’ utility as an add on. It’s a third party add on but is available in the Fusion store. That is what I use. I find the best approach is to create the lining as 3D object(s) and then use the Shaper utility to export ‘faces’ as an SVG file. See: