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is clear application tape better than paper?
just wondering is clear application tape better than paper what are the advantages and disadvantages (!)
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12 Replies
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lots of folk use clear, i hate it… its a self preference thing i think mate.
clear, you can lay-up layers, see whats what, but its like plasticy and doesnt tear easy. like i said, lots love it but not for me… 😕 -
i initially used clear as i knew no better, i actually prefer paper though, the main problem i found with the clear, was that when you pulled it of the roll, it was quite hard to pull, therefore you stretched it (unknowingly), and squeegied it down as normal, if you didnt fit it right away, which is more often than not the case, it would shrink back to its original length and wrinkle up in waves, not ideal,
however, when i have found it very useful, is when layering up on the bench without reg marks, clear is usually a high tac, so do it wet and it will allow you to get the positioning right first time without messing about for ages, and unlike paper, it has the tac to hold the little bits in place that might othewise get sucked off with the water tension betwen layers, if you need to lift and reposition,
hope that makes sense !
so yes….it does have its uses, and i use it regularly now, but not for jobs that will be stored for any amount of time, still use paper for most jobs, in my opinion anyway !
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Same here really
I keep clear in stock to use for certain things…like white vinyl – just makes it easier. But, I truly hate the stuff.
Too much static and always messes up the vinyl somehow.I personally use Rtape conform. medium for most everything
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Yeah I use conform to on some projects, but use transferite medium tack for eveyday jobs.
If you have to do a several colour layup , clear is the best option, but a nightmare to use unless you use a laminator as a premasker, like I do on big runs. Then the clear is a breeze. But that is the only time I use clear and not complain about the static etc. Until you touch the laminator of course, and then its *ZAP* …… followed by lots of complaining then. 🙄
Also using conform wet, you have very little time to apply as the glue goes white and starts to shrivel faster than you can say… ‘what tha’ 😛
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We mainly use paper app tape as we get on better with it …. the clear we never really seem to get on as well with … there just doesn’t seem enough forgiveness or play in it for our liking for use on the everyday stuff. We do keep some clear in stock for certain jobs that require it though.
Here is a link to an older thread that may be of use to you to:
http://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.p … ight=clear
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Same as Hugh, you also find it’s really susceptible to temperature changes, mainly going cold, it shrinks far more than the backing paper and causes all sorts of problems.
Shane, how do you go on masking up with clear on the laminator?
Just did 10m with paper no problems the other day then did the clear onto the shadow (another 10m) and I had a really bad problem with the tape stretching as it came off and then shrinking back causing bad wrinkles.
Had to fit the shadows one bit at a time after that 👿 was really “upset” as you can imagine with 10m of it.Steve
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Steve, I have a bus company that takes about 45m of tape on each bus. 12m of that is a shadow which I premask with conform.
Must say I have not had a problem with stretching at all with the easytaper, but I did have dramas on my old gmc electric laminator. Not sure why to be honest because I used the same conform material on each unit.
The easy taper, being a manual unit, I find there is much less tension with the premask going thru the rollers. Because the app tape just sits on the top rollers, it is pulled thru by the action of rolling it into and thru the roller assembly.
On the gmc, it sat on a platten that was always putting a resistance on the material as it went thru the rollers, and it somehow must have caused the film to stretch.
Can’t really answer it tho steve, other than to say that I have not had any problems with the clear stretching on the easy taper. Static electricity zapping me tho is another story. Never got zapped on the electric one, but on the easy taper I am nearly in tears some days, especially if it is a really dry day.
The electric one is obviously earthed thru the plug which is the only thing I can think of to prevent that static discharge.
The biggest problem I had with both units is getting the conform to come off straight, and not pulling to one side or the other, making the vinyl roll go off line. some days I get it to go straight, other days it goes off line and I have to keep restarting it. Drives me nuts, but I don’t have an answer to it. The paper app tape seems to go straight nearly every time.
How do you get it to go straight?
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Didn’t have a problem with it going straight just stretching. You can hear and see the tape sticking to the roll and then suddenly releasing.
Mine laminator has idler rollers so the tape comes off, out to the idler roller and then back onto the top of the top roller.
This helps in lining up as you pull the tape round the idler and check that it’s square against the main roll of tape before dropping it onto the top roller.I think the tensioner doesn’t go low enough, one end is just friction in the end of the 3″ tube and I think this is causing the clear to stretch.
The paper tape is fine and came of really nicely, it’s such a Revelation to tape up using the laminator, makes the job almost pleasant 🙂My laminator is also an encapsulator so getting the top and bottom rolls lined up can be fun but again once done it seems to stay lined up OK.
Steve
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I’m using a mediun/low tac, perhaps yours is a high tac? may explain it not wanting to come away from the roll tho.
Sounds to me like you may be right about the cause of the stretch. Mine has an idler arm to, but you can move it out of the way if you don’t want to use it. Might try using that to help me line it up tho. Thanks for the tip.
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thanks everyone for you advice this has got to be the best site ever,
by the way for anyone who is intersted the etched vinyl i put in the cafe was perfect, i put it on wet could not belive how well it went. hope all my jobs go as well as this in future again thanks for all the advice 😀 -
I only use clear have tried many find the german politape to be the best, works super fast and we do lots of multilayered work, also apply everything dry,
Don’t stock paper tape at all…..been like that for 13 years, then we’re all different.
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Hope that’s clear for you Terry……..or is it clear?
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