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Laminator Sled Material

Tharnpheffa

Tharnpheffa

New Member
I know many aren't fans of the sled but it works for us.
Finally found the perfect material to use- a self healing cutting mat.
The left over laminate peels right off with ease.
Sure I'm not the 1st to discover that but figured I'd share. :wink:
 
briankb

briankb

Premium Subscriber
that's good stuff, thanks! I just ordered a roll of brown paper that was supposidly coated on one side but it's not.

how big of a piece is your cutting mat/sled? where did you get it?

I was thinking about keeping some of the liner paper then making a loop. I imagine that would only last a little while before wrinkles and other issues would arise.
 
Tharnpheffa

Tharnpheffa

New Member
The mat is a 4' x 8'. Believe it came from Sign Supply. I'm embarrassed to admit it was there on the table all along....while we were trying different substrates out...struggling to peel the leftover laminate off...
 
briankb

briankb

Premium Subscriber
the 4x8 cutting mat I have from speedypress is almost 1/2" thick. is the one you have thin like those you find at Walmart made by Fiskar?
 
Jake - Advantage Signs

Jake - Advantage Signs

New Member
I've always used 1/2" gator, or 3/16" gator. I would think that that the cut mat would be a little too flexible... The gator is nice because it is light and rigid. I tried working with sintra at one point, but it so heavy and floppy...

As far as being able to release the overhang of laminate, I have always coated my sleds with mounting adhesive and then left the release paper on -- works like a charm. When the edges of the release start getting beat up, just peel it off and recoat.

The biggest problem you have to watch out for is other people working on top of you sled, or setting things down on it -- the gator can dent... Dents = air bubbles.
 
sardocs

sardocs

New Member
We bought a couple 4x8 sheets of some type of hardboard from a cabinet shop. Its got a white melamine surface on one side and a woodgrain print on the other. I cut them up to a variety of useful sizes from 2'x2' up to 36"x 8'. They stand up in a corner and we can grab the size that fits the job best. The 2 or 3 different lams we use all seem to peel off the melamine fairly easily. I've only got a daige 36" laminator , it runs kinda slow, and I hate having to run a short print on a long sled, so having 10 different sizes works good for our shop.
 
Mimi9271

Mimi9271

New Member
Hello , Can anyone recommend a decent mounting adhesive brand that will work as a hard, non-stick surface for covering sleds? many thanks
 
D

DSTRUCT

New Member
PNH Jake said:
I've always used 1/2" gator, or 3/16" gator. I would think that that the cut mat would be a little too flexible... The gator is nice because it is light and rigid. I tried working with sintra at one point, but it so heavy and floppy...

As far as being able to release the overhang of laminate, I have always coated my sleds with mounting adhesive and then left the release paper on -- works like a charm. When the edges of the release start getting beat up, just peel it off and recoat.

The biggest problem you have to watch out for is other people working on top of you sled, or setting things down on it -- the gator can dent... Dents = air bubbles.
Click to expand...

This is exactly how I do it. I use 3/16" gator.
 
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