I have a .25 inch HDPE panel that i was looking to add text to the surface.
I have a 30d engraver.
What is the best text to use.
The font size id prefer around .5 inch height. When i look at the simulation under certain fonts the words do not show up properly.
Id prefer not to make the font larger. In addition to this all fonts seem to be double lines and havent seen any single line type fonts, if that makes sence. Id like a font that is the same as what i could draw with single lines.
I also noticed that vcarve bits do not have a selection in hard/soft plastic so i assume its a no no?
Try this out. If you select the top font, you can use the arrow keys to scroll through to find the font you want.
Sweetness, ill give it a go.
Thank you
Id really like a font in my catelog so i wouldnt have to do extra work though.
Can you use v bits on HDPE?
Yes…
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May i ask what i need to do to use a v bit on HDPE. Is it similar speeds and feeds as hardwood?
TIA
Soft Plastic. Slow RPMs, fast feedrate.
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Here’s a link where you can convert text to single line handwriting.
May not help but I’ve used this a few times to create custom text.
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Thanks…would a 1/8 endmill still fall under the same category for HDPE - soft plastic?
For feeds and speeds in plastic see the videos at:
What is the best thing to cover a project of HDPE with to then paint the carved text after? Then peel away the protection.
I use shelf liner from Lowe’s. Have not tried it on HDPE but seems like it would work ok.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Duck-20-in-x-30-ft-White-Shelf-Liner/50252809
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Shelf paper, as Cullen suggested. Or the gold standard Oramask 813 should both adhere well to the hdpe when rolled or buffed well.
The problem you will likely have is getting the paint to stick to the HDPE, and not peel out when you remove the mask. There are some paints out there that claim good adherence to PE plastics.
I would recommend looking for a color-core HDPE in the colors you want.
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Does your use case require HDPE?
PVC is more paintable.
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Just to hammer it home…It’s pretty impossible to paint HDPE.
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Looks like im making two signs then haha
A white one and a black one.
Thank you
Have you tried with corona treatment?
Not the “jab” or anything related to a virus, but the electrical plasma kind of treatment.
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That doesn’t look easy to apply in the garage.
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I left my high frequency, close proximity electrical discharger in my other pants.
We did try to dye some HDPE for a student project, but it was a process I wouldn’t want to do again and the results were sloppy. Even with that, I wouldn’t see how you could make it into a decent sign.
We did have some success painting with something like this, but it eventually just started falling off. Might be ok for a sign, though.
@Varty5 If you really want to use the hdpe for signs, consider using it for lettering and attaching to a contrasting substrate.
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Funny you should say that, I have a 72kV one sitting in the attic. 
Have not dared to plug it in and turn it on, but my father used it to treat my RC car bodies(PC- Polycarbonate) for me (before applying paint), a long time ago when I raced 1/12 scale carpet cars.
My father was a chemical engineer who worked for several paint, stain, dye and glue manufacturers.
Yep, happens to me all the time, maybe I should make one of those “catch-all trays” that were so popular a few years ago.
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