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3M™ Vehicle Channel Applicator Tool VCAT-2
Hi
We’ve just wrapped our works van, and did struggle a bit on the creases, but just seen one of these on You Tube
3M™ Vehicle Channel Applicator Tool
it’s like a roller wheel that aids application. would anyone know where this is available please?
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6 Replies
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you can buy them through Wm Smiths as they are authorised 3M distributors.
http://www.williamsmith.co.uk/
they are pricey and very basic tools, however, they are worth the investment.
had mine a couple of years now and always use them in recessed areas. your thumb or squeegee just cannot get the presure required in those areas. -
I’ve been wrapping on a self employed basis for 3 years now, wrappng as a job for 8 years and although I think the tool is good, I wouldn’t buy one as I don’t think its necessary.
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I wouldn’t go for the big one (never use) but small one is very handy. People saying it is not necessary but you can’t compare the amount of pressure which you can get from that simple tool. It is worth "couple" of pounds.
Mike
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I use both…
the large one Will take/can take vinyl into recesses easily, which saves your fingers doing it. this maybe easy enough doing it by hand, but I’m for chucking the towel in wrapping a sprinter because by the time you’ve done one side your fingers ache! grinning a bearing it now is fine, but i don’t want arthritis before I’m 40!…. dont want it at all actually. :lol1:anyway…
a little test that i didnt mean to do happened nearly two years ago…
i was doing a part wrap on the whole rear end of a big long wheelbase sprinter, new shape. i was almost finished the wrap when "i just remembered" ide bought the 3M wheels. kinda annoyed by this i took out the wheels and began using them to complete the last panel on the wrap.1 month later i was called back to redo the wrap on one side and rear because it had been in a bash. i was asked to remove the vinyl for the spray painters, but saving as much of it as i could. the vinyl came away nice and clean, the recessed areas were a little trickier due to the curing and time taken in those areas. but as i came to the "last" panel, the only panel i used the rollers on. you would not believe the amount of Grey backing adhesive and even parts of the vinyl tearing away as i stripped out of these recesses. i had the whole area stripped but the adhesive left in the recess was a bit of a nightmare and took some time to clean out.
my point here…
the only part of that van i used those 3M wheels on, was the only part of the van the vinyl had "really" cured into the recesses. everywhere else came out as you would expect.you could argue that the last thing you want is all that residue to clean when removing a wrap. but look at it this way. you can charge per hour for the labour on removing vinyl and the like, can you charge for recesses popping back out after the panel has been applied wrong?
typical example of using the large roller would be to roller the sides/edge and all the base of a sprinter recess. then follow up doing the sever corners all the way around the recess with the small tight roller.
both rollers will probably set you back about £65 "i think"
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I’ve only got the little roller as it came with the 3M wrapping course I did. I’ll be buying the bigger one soon.
I’ve used both my fingers and the roller. The roller wins hands down.
Plus 3M’s R&D are pretty finicky about their products working correctly, and if they have produced the roller for the application, especially on the newest IJ380 material, then I think that says a lot about why we should use them, rather than if we should use them.
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3M Bulletins will tell you to use the large roller to push the vinyl into the recess then finish off with the small roller. The large roller is spongey where as the small one is hard.
No more crease marks with your fingers catching the vinyl. Works a lot quicker also, less fatigue and you can apply huge amounts of pressure.
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