{"id":1397,"date":"2019-01-24T16:24:35","date_gmt":"2019-01-24T21:24:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crystalscrafties.com\/?p=1397"},"modified":"2020-03-17T20:31:53","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T00:31:53","slug":"the-easiest-way-to-weed-vinyl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crystalscrafties.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/24\/the-easiest-way-to-weed-vinyl\/","title":{"rendered":"The Easiest Way to Weed Vinyl"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Weeding vinyl 4 different ways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the longest time I was on the hunt for the easiest way to weed vinyl. During all my searching and trial and error I discovered that there was not just one way to weed vinyl. In fact, the easiest way to weed vinyl actually consisted of 4 different methods. You just have to know when to use what method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I\u2019m going to go over each of those methods with you and show you the different tools I used to weed vinyl each way. I\u2019ve also included a video at the end to show you how all of it works so let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post contains affiliate links. This just means that if you purchase something by clicking one of my links I may receive a small commission. This helps me keep posts like this coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Weeding off the mat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most efficient and easiest ways to weed vinyl is directly off the cutting mat. I have no idea why this didn\u2019t occur to me sooner but once I learned about it I used it for ALL my large weeding needs. When I have a bulk order for the same design this is my go-to method. You will want to make sure you\u2019ve got a clean sticky mat for this method to work. You simply leave your vinyl on the mat after cutting it and weed it directly off the mat. For this method I use the hook weeder which you can get with this Cricut Tool Set<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Weeding using the Cricut Brightpad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Using the Cricut Brightpad<\/a> is by far the easiest way to weed vinyl that\u2019s either super sticky or hard to see like glitter vinyls or holographic vinyl. I used to shy away from the pretty glitter and patterned vinyl because I always ripped my design when I was weeding it. Those vinyls are gorgeous but it is impossible to see the cut lines. When I got my Cricut Brightpad I was able to use all those fun pretty vinyls again because the Brightpad lit up the cut lines. I wasn\u2019t tearing my vinyl anymore. It\u2019s also SUPER helpful if you\u2019re using a skinny script font. You\u2019ll be able to see the cut lines perfectly and not tear into them when you\u2019re weeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Brightpad is seriously a life saver. It is a little pricey but I\u2019m able to make a wider verity of products with all the fancy vinyl I couldn\u2019t use before all because I couldn\u2019t see the cut lines. I highly recommend investing in a Cricut Brightpad<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reverse Weeding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Reverse weeding is when you weed off the transfer tape rather than weeding off the paper backing of the vinyl. This method is best when you have a lot of small parts in your design that you need to stay in place. Weeding off the transfer tape helps the little parts to stay in place because they\u2019re stuck to the transfer tape rather than sliding around the vinyl\u2019s paper backing. For this method you\u2019d want to place the transfer tape over your entire design and then pull the paper backing off the vinyl. Once you have the backing off you will weed your design off the transfer tape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll notice in the video that I used my hook weeder, hook tweezers and puncture tool for this project. You can get all of these tools in this Cricut Tool Set<\/a>. I seriously could not go a day without using all three of these tools and I used them for all kinds of different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Standard Weeding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Standard weeding is just simply that. Cut your design, remove it from the mat and weed out your excess vinyl. There are some little tricks and tips to make it easier though. First of all, go slow! Slowly peel your excess vinyl making sure you\u2019re not ripping your design or pulling up any parts of the design you need to keep on the backing like little dots or skinny letters. Second, cut your excess vinyl frequently as you go. Not cutting your excess vinyl will only result in it sticking to parts of the design you haven\u2019t weeded yet and then you\u2019ll ruin your design. Third, use all the different tools Cricut offers to get little parts pulled out, pushed back in or unstuck. This Cricut Tool Set<\/a> has everything you\u2019ll need. Check out the video below to see all the different vinyl weeding methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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