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slight prob making signs
I’m making up acrylic signs for houses and have found that applying etched vinyl wet has been best option, however I have found that when I apply it wet I get left with a residue that discolours the etched vinyl. I;m assuming its the detergent in fluid causing discolour??
Does anyone have any advice regarding this?
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18 Replies
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Hi,
if you do not squeege really hard you may get some fluid left which may look whiteish…..or some vinyls have waterbased adhesive and this turns white when wet……..eithe rway it should dry out.john
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I hope that is the case. Shall let them dry till morning.
I had one that was perfect exept for one single cat hair.
The pitfalls of working from home!! -
Hi Adele
If you can’t do it dry then try using application tape and applying dry as it sometimes makes it a bit easier to do.
Also a felt squeegee if you have one helps (preferably new with a good edge)
but yes if done wet it should dry out and the whitening should disappear.
cheers
Warren
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I only ever do them dry, hinge the big ones. do the small ones by eye.
you can pull the etch back off to reposition depending on how much grab the adhesive has. oracal stuff is pretty good. -
I tried it dry with bubbles everywhere 😥
I really wish I could get it right dry!!Using felt squeegee and no bubbles so far just slight discolour ( thats doing it wet).
Fingers crossed its ok in morning.
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quote Warren Beard:Also a felt squeegee if you have one helps (preferably new with a good edge)
I prefer to use a 3m gold with a cotton sleeve ( from Print1 ) you can get loads of pressure with no risk of a scratch. But I supose it is what you are used to and are comfortable using.
john
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as everyone else has suggested, but it is all down to technique, its the squeegie that puts the vinyl onto substrate…so practice practice is the way to go 😀
nik
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not sure if you are applying to small pieces and can’t hold it still but as Steve was trying to say (I think) apply the etch like below, the etch will anchor to the table and hold the acrylic still while you squeegee, also use straight strokes with the squeegee low and angled, don’t turn the squeegee off at the edge, follow through like Daniel LaRusso (work that one out :lol1: 🙄 )
good luck, once you get it dry you won’t have to wait overnight for it to dry and be more productive.
cheers
Warren
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Thanks for advice.
Any ideas how long to wait for discolour to fade? Been a few hrs now.
I have a feeling this discolouring not going to go away but I really hope I am wrong!!
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I think it’ll take a while adele.
leave it in the sunlight tommorrow, (If there is any).
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sunlight? scotland? pmsl?
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Adele europoint are now promoting bubble free "air escape" Glass Etch vinyl. i have a sample of it along with a very nifty new photoluminescent vinyl.
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Adele, keep persevering with the dry method. Warrens idea is a good one and the same thing that I do.
The squeegee is what is causing your bubbles. If its too soft ie a felt squeegee or as a nick in it, that will introduce the bubbles.
As Nik says, its all down to technique.
The discolouring may take a day or two if its cool weather, depending on the brand.
If you are going to continue doing it wet, buy an etch with a solvent adhesive like oracal, and the discoloration will no longer be an issue.
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Adele, I had problems along the same line as you and found that most of the discoloring was down to the detergent, I now use baby shampoo or bath, instead of other dish washing liquids. I have never had the problem since.
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Will need to try this new vinyl from Europoint.
Vinyl still discoloured after leaving it overnight. Going to try again later applying it dry. Fingers crossed it works.
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quote Stevie Henderson:Adele, I had problems along the same line as you and found that most of the discoloring was down to the detergent, I now use baby shampoo or bath, instead of other dish washing liquids. I have never had the problem since.
I thought that might be the reason. Thanks for that.
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Just a side issue. Not sure about over there but here, if you use soap/dishwashing liquid in your water, and the job fails, the manufacturer will void your warranty.
Be interested to know if thats the case there too.
I use a 3M approved cleaner and slipping agent (quikstic), and Avery’s cleaner when preparing a job, but I’ll do it dry 99% of the time anyway.
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quote Adele Brennan:Thanks for advice.Any ideas how long to wait for discolour to fade? Been a few hrs now.
I have a feeling this discolouring not going to go away but I really hope I am wrong!!
if you are going to do it wet do not use washing up liquid. We do a lot of wet applications & find the best thing to use is Johnsons baby shampoo it is the detergent in washing up liquid that causes the problem it attacks the glue hope this is of help
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