Cutting down a drop match

From: Sue

How does one cut down a drop match on a Tapo Fix? Well, a Tapo Fix is the brand name of a quality pasting machine and I will assume that the procedure is the same for all pasting machines when pulling patterns. They have a cut bar to use as the measuring point. I use a counter and a calculator when determining pull lengths for each pattern I hang.

Often you will find that the pattern is a straight match. This one is simple, pull all drops the same length. 105' needed, 123' pulled, a total of 6 repeats. Now I stop at 105" and cut, then pull the difference to 123' this is my waste. By doing this I don't spend all day cleaning up excessive paste from the baseboards and handling extra weight that taxes my daily endurance (hey, when your a 5.1 female, you have to think of things like that). If you pull your material down to the next left match, if you have just pulled a right match, you will find that it appears at 112.75 inches. This figure is more than our needed length. When this is the case, you can cut a right, then a left, save material, and not have to handle the material any more than is absolutely necessary.

I will outline in simple math here. If the drop you are pulling is a right match and needs to be 105 inches, take the length of the repeat in our case 20.5," and divide it into the necessary length 105," this will indicate the total length of the material in terms of repeats, in this case 6, which equal 123 inches in total length. Now pull 105 inches and trim it off at the cut bar on the machine. Next, observe which ceiling line appears at the cut bar next by pulling the paper thru slowly and looking at both sides of the paper. When it appears at the cut bar, cut it off. This is your waste. Measure it and find that it is exactly 7.75 inches in our case. The waste between each sheet, will be identical so now you can determine how many drops each roll will produce. (total number of inches in a roll, divided by 112.75) From there you simply set a cutting system like the one below. Pull your right match to 105,' cut, pull to 112.75 cut....... the ceiling line of your first left drop is now at the cut bar and you pull 105, cut pull to 112.75 and your next right match appears................
Okay all you machine users.........let's have it!

Sue

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Sue's method will work just fine IF:
IF your counter is absolutely accurate.
IF your measurement of the pattern repeat is perfect.
IF you don't over/under pull the paper.
IF your counter measures in fractions of an inch.
If any combination of the above is not true each consecutive strip pulled will be a little further off. It has been my experience that you need a visual reference to effectively pull a pattern. I try to find an easily identifiable part of the pattern on or very close to the edge. When I start a new roll I pull it until that part of the pattern just enters the machine and then cut it off and reset the counter. Then I pull the paper until the counter indicates that I am nearly to the cutoff point and then I watch the edge until that same point starts to enter the machine again and cut it off. In the case of a drop match I just watch alternate sides of the machine for the pattern. Also in the case of a drop match, if the pattern is not right on the seam I'll pull every other strip to about the right length minus half a repeat until the pattern enters the machine then reset the counter and pull the additional half match according to the counter.

This process works very well for me especially since my counter is off by about 2 inches in 8 feet.
Stacy

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<< Can anyone give me instructions for pulling drop match patterns thru a
paste machine? >>
It's real easy, before you start cut both pattern matches on the left of the
paper. Paste them on the table side by side at the cut off slit on your
machine, mark them A and B or 1 and 2. That way you know what your match is
every time.
Gerard

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