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what do you use for wet application
Hi all
What do you use for applying graphics wet i have been using application fluid but i use a lot and it is quite expensive?
Thanks Neil
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18 Replies
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Try to get used to applying dry.
I use application fluid from time to time but very rarely so the cost doesn’t really figure.
Once you start applying dry you’ll wonder why you never started sooner. 😀
Neil
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Nothing… or two / three drips of cheap washing up liquid per litre of water.
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DON’T use washing up liquid. 😮 The chemical can attack some adhesives…..
If anything, use baby shampoo as there are no harmful chemicals in it……but
beware of the jibes and jokes that may come your way if anyone sees it in your kit 😳 😉 -
I use Baby Shampoo as well.
And I also get the strange looks 🙄
Cut vinyls I put on dry, but larger stuff I put on wet.
Don’t really fancy trying to do that stuff dry (not yet anyway) -
quote David Rogers:Nothing… or two / three drips of cheap washing up liquid per litre of water.What he said. No problems so far, & much cheaper than overlay!
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As all have said, baby shampoo is best… I always carry a pic of my daughter in my wallet to cover the embarrassment! If not definitely the cheaper washing up liquid as Fairy and such like attack the glue. We find a bit of meths or isopropranal added helps the water evaporate quicker!
Another tip on wraps is wipe the surface with a baby wipe before apllication! Again, it looks silly, smells like home but it it really works! After 23 years fitting/wrapping this for me is the best way!
Dry all the way tho unless weathers too hot!
Matt
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NOTHING is best… do it dry and keep doing it dry. practice makes perfect…
its the fastest cheapest and the only way to get the true performance from your vinyls.however, if your application is poor and you need to resort to this for the time being. use rapid-tac 1 or 2… this has all the soapy bubble characteristics that you find in the home brew jobs, but also has stimulants in the chemical to help adhere the vinyl even in cold weather. something no other fluid will offer.
you can buy it from APS = All Print Supplies their site can be found under general sign suppliers on the Sign toolbar. -
We only use Water, heavily sprayed on avery 800 or avery 2000 mainly… works a treat and mistakes happen so often so we just snatch it up and go again.
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Sorry Rob…Meant that if a soap mix could be used then baby shampoo would be my preference, but of coarse, dry is the only way to get the best result from your chosen material.
Regards…Matt
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quote Neil Davey:DON’T use washing up liquid. 😮 The chemical can attack some adhesives…..
If anything, use baby shampoo as there are no harmful chemicals in it……but
beware of the jibes and jokes that may come your way if anyone sees it in your kit 😳 😉…13 years of doing it….never had a problem yet. As you cannot use the ‘good stuff’…just cheap rubbish as the likes of fairy have (stupidly) moisturisers and super concentrated decreasing surfactants.
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Hi thanks all for your advice i will give these a try i think i will try to do more things dry in the future
Thanks again neil
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I just buy the good stuff (Rapid Tac or Rapid Tac 2)
Used to make my own home brew but I’d rather not mess around.
Love….Jill -
USE THE DRY METHOD:
Position and tape down the top edge with masking tape
Long text lines can now be cut up into sections without any separation
flip over and remove backing paper
flip back one section at a time and smooth with squeegeeIt’s easy you can even do one or two letters at a time if you need practice
and this way the job can go straight out without any worry of letters peeling or sliding – even in ice cold conditionsWe only use app spray for large printed decals say 8ft x 4ft together with a laminating machine with the rollers set at warm.
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Rapid Tac II all the way or cheap washing up liquid as a last resort.
” We only use app spray for large printed decals say 8ft x 4ft together with a laminating machine with the rollers set at warm ” Ian why buy a laminator if you are going to wet apply
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take no notice of the dry only brigade.
quote :We only use app spray for large printed decals say 8ft x 4ft together with a laminating machine with the rollers set at warm.electrical 240 v water (fluid) 🙁 😮
some wet some dry
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If the vinyl is lined up and taped into position, level and evenly spaced etc, I cannot for the life of me see how it needs to be done wet, nothing can go wrong unless you drop the bit you’re holding onto the surface and it grabs, and even then it wont always stick.
I sometimes do layered up stickers wet as I find it quicker, rather than cutting reg marks and taping etc I just put them on by eye, but never fit anything sign wise wet, takes too long to dry I find especially if you have to use clear tape for some reason.
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i still do some stuff wet, window etch being one, particularly where it’s difficult to get a tape hinge in a deep recess, it can be a bit of a ain trimming at the end, but it’s better than wasting £30 of etch!
also, like steve, i often layer up with app fluid and do it by eye, nothing worse than lining up reg marks when doing it dry and finding it’s moved slightly when laying it down, especially long thin text graphics, i find it much quicker to split the text up into manageable sizes and lay them onto the base colour (dry applied) wet.
i use a number of different products, it depends who i’m already ordering from once low on fluid (tbh, i use it more for final wipe / cleaning than owt else), have used graphytips, and another called aplispray, made by nortex.
i have tried the rapid tac, but found it very expensive, if the job is paying enough then fine, but i can use a fair amount when layering lots of colours so tend not to use it on anything but the most expensive jobs.
Hugh
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The only thing I fit wet now, is very large panels of frosted vinyl. I find it’s too hard & risky to do them on my own dry. If any text needs applying, I dry the window off & stick them on dry.
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