Advice needed with Vinyl Application please?

[Chris Windebank]

can you post up a photo so we get a better idea of whats going on?
What type of van, does it have to be 3m or are there breaks? What vinyl are you using

[Johnny Alston]

Will try and get a picture but no camera at work.

Its LWB transit can split on one side as panel door opens.

Mactac 9800 vinyl
Perfect tear application

As I work it alog its going down fine then its starting to form a crease.

Cheers

J

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[Ian Johnston]

are you squeezing the one direction , ie, just down or are you going one stroke down, one stroke up??

[Peter Dee]

Johnny, a stripe that deep is relying on the Transit side being absolutely dead straight over the full length. If you are centre hinging then 1.5 metres each end should go down flat. You need to squeegee through the horizontal centreline then fanning out to the edges. Perhaps the "open" areas with the text cut out are buckling when being held causing misalignment?
Jag sign supplies sell a special tool for cutting through the backing paper only when centre hinging. It saves having to remove the whole backing from the half you are working on.
It’s a difficult thing to fit. Possibly it might have been easier to fit just the blue stripe as a blank (wet with no backing) then add the text afterwards.

[Martin Pearson]

Are you working on your own or do you have someone helping holding the vinyl. If someone else is holding the vinyl it is very easy for them to lift it, drop it a bit, twist it all without realising they are doing it. Any of these will hinder the application.

Are you following a line to keep it horizontal ? It can be easy to worry to much about the graphic running off line if you have a solid line to follow, I just put tape markers every couple of feet or so. I would centre hinge this and remove the backing paper a bit at a time holding the viny rolled up in the other hand.

Peter, had no idea what you were talking about so had a look at Jag’s site. How does that tool work? I couldn’t see how it would be any better than a normal snitty which is what I use at the moment for removing backing paper when centre hinging long graphics. I’m guessing it does work differently but can’t see how lol.

[Johnny Alston]

Thanks guys makes sense and job done, we bit work done afterwards with heatgun and sorted it.

Martin, how do you get the snitty in behind the vinyl?

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[Peter Dee]

Martin, the tool has a razor blade which protrudes towards a small shoe backplate by a tiny amount. The backplate is teflon coated so that it slides easily across the glue side of the vinyl. You insert the shoe between the paper and vinyl by just prising up the edge a little. You then drag the tool across the paper and it will cut the paper only, not the vinyl. You can then roll back the paper from the cut edge and start squeegeeing the vinyl down.
It’s great when dealing with very long half hinge applications.

[Martin Pearson]

I do the same thing with a paper slitter I have Peter, think it was a freebie years ago from one of the suppliers but the blade is getting a little blunt now and can’t find anything similar in shape. Just seemed to be a bit on the expensive side for what it is, maybe teflon is a lot more expensive than I think :lol1: :lol1:

[Peter Dee]

Well I’ve not come across a slitter which will get between the paper and vinyl and not get stuck in the process.

[Martin Pearson]

Peter the one I was using was a throw away promotional one I got at a trade show, the blade is now blunt and it leaves bits of fluff behind and as I can’t change the blade it’s not much use any more. Have tried others but as you say they get stuck lol.

Looks like I am going to have to spend 20 odd squid on the proper tool, like you say they are very handy to have for long graphics if you work on your own.

[Peter Normington]

snitters work fine for me
not that dear,
http://www.roberthornedirect.co.uk/Aver … of-10.html
Haven’t tried the posh one from jag,
Peter

[Martin Pearson]

Peter N, your obviously far better at it than myself as I have tried a few ordinary paper slitters and as Peter D has said they tend to get stuck.

[Peter Normington]

Martin, it does depend to a certain extent on how you use them, and the material.
I find it works better if you cut the backing paper when it is curved with the vinyl on the inner curve, that way the backing paper has a natural tendency to "pop" away from the vinyl as you run down the width.
I dont use them that often as I tend to reveal half the vinyl, then just cut away the backing paper.

Peter

[Harry Cleary]

Never knew that they were called that…Snittys …suits them. 😀