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curtain side vinyl – help
Hi all, have just returned frustrated from a job, after having no success.
I had a look at a new curtain sided ( fully covered ) trailer, for a customer last week. Priced it and got the job… bought Avery Signflex vinyl and though all was good.
Turned up at customers warehouse today to letter the trailer, cleaned it thoroughly with meths as per Avery specs and can’t get vinyl to stick… as you squeegee the vinyl on it just curls off the curtain.
Tried the vinyl on an old curtain in the warehouse and it stuck fine.
This trailer and curtains are brand new, do they come with a special coating? if so what is best to clean them with prior to fitting vinyl. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Especially as I only needed 2 metres at 1230mm but had to buy 5 metres ( minimum order ).
My only other thought is that banner vinyl does not stick to curtain sides, is this the same for truck vinyl to banner fabric ( am wondering if to save a few pounds someone has made the trailer cover and sides with heavy weight banner fabric – not curtain side material ).
Many thanks in advance.
Paul
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11 Replies
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The curtain sides will be made from the same material as heavy duty banner, not the digital banner material though.
I haven’t heard of any coatings on curtains. Is it a standard trailer or a one of special?
Peter -
Hi Peter, Thanks for your reply.Should have said it’s a red curtain side and not digital banner. The trailer cover is a one off I think. Tried to speak to the chap that made it today but he leaves off early on a Friday…
I was just trying to find out any tips rather than wait until Monday, as I was all ready with invoice in van and was to be job done and pay…I will admit that spec sheet says 10 degrees c or less you need to use a special application fluid. And it was only 11 degrees c locally but ruled this out when vinyl stuck to the old curtain in same area of warehouse.
Was just expecting it to be like banner vinyl on a banner and stick like… You know what! So at a loss.
Regards
Paul -
I have done a good few of these and on the brand new ones the curtains feel as if there treated with silicon and I have also been supplied banners like this in the passed.
The truck I last did was very slippery and even cleaning with Avery surface cleaner I had to go over with it 2 or 3 times and then the curtain felt different and all was fine, we do however use APA so cant comment on material but I don know what you mean. The company I have fitted these for have a good few and over the years I have not had any problems with the material coming away at all. Rich -
as richard says you will need to clean it a few times with avery cleaner as meths leaves a greasy residue .also a lot of the new curtains i do (depending on the manufacture)come coated with a fire retardent coating which is what you have by the sounds of it also i ever only use apa curtain vinyl as i dont rate the avery signflex for the money and never use banner vinyl on any curtain or you will be revisiting it
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Thanks for your replies. Only used meths as spec sheet for vinyl stated it and had someone who uses Avery all the while to get me the vinyl as they don’t pay carriage. Had already searched the boards and read that apa or Signflex were the materials to use, only made the banner vinyl statement as CPI had wondered if banner fabric was used for trailer cover ( was just looking for a reason that the vinyl for that specific purpose was not working ).
Have arranged to go back Monday and try again, will let you all know how I get on.
Once again many thanks for the replies.
Paul
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Brand new curtain side banner comes coated with (as somebody’s said) a silicone type product to prevent it sticking to itself as part of the manufacturing process.
Meths will not remove this unless you use GALLONS of the stuff and scrub all day.
A wipe with meths just transfers the compound to the cloth and it just smears about.
Very soapy water to degrease. Work it HARD to lift the coating away from the surface. Then dry it off – and wipe over with plenty of meths or IPA. Not a smearing – I’m talking soaking cloths.
And it’s best if it’s fairly warm for the application to soften both the curtain and the vinyl adhesives.
I would say that the vinyl you tried to fit is now contaminated and as such MAY fail if used again.
(had this on several banners made from curtain side grade and on cars waxed with silicone)
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Paul either Avery surface cleaner or Isopropanol clean with one cloth first and then use another clean cloth I use the micro fiber one which work well, on the second clean you should notice the difference to the touch of the curtain material. Rich
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Just a quick update….
Went back to the customers on Monday armed with Avery surface cleaner and plenty of cloths, cleaned one side multiple times until my arms felt like they were going to fall off.
Cut a small piece of vinyl from the off cut and stuck it to trailer – came straight off as it had previously.
My customer then tried the coach builders again, and was told " oh yes, you will be lucky if you can get anything to stick to that… we have to ink that material, vinyl doesn’t work" – Great.
Wasn’t a total loss, managed to talk him in to putting vinyls I had cut on to the curtains on a fairly new sprinter he has with nothing on the sides ( just had logo on the cab and rear ).
I have been asked to replace the existing logo on the rear curtain with a large web address. Is it safe to use glue and tar remover on the curtains and then clean with surface cleaner? if not what would you suggest for cleaning any glue off?
Would normally have just tried it, but has been such disaster so far, really could avoid any more head-aches or wasted time.Thanks
Paul
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Hi Paul…you might want to try aerosol brake cleaner on that original curtain. It degreases and evaporates leaving no residue….but if you do use it try it on a ‘hiden’ area first just in case there’s a reaction though I’ve used it on foamex and vinyl with no ill effects.
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So Paul if I’m correct you ended up putting curtain side vinyl on a panel van !!!????
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Hi Roger, thanks for your suggestion, will try it somewhere that wont be seen.
Hi Richard,
No, the sprinter the customer has is curtain sided and backed. The side curtains have been replaced recently but the back is original. The sides had no livery on them, but the back has an old logo on them. Hence the question regarding removing glue from the old curtain material.
Cleaned the sides and used the vinyls originally for the new trailer on them.
Looks like the original job will have to be masked and screen inked. Have inked curtains in the past for the sign company I used to work for, using a gloss roller and sericol inks, before going it alone, but not really my thing, so am trying to swerve getting involved with that.
There is another sprinter coming with curtain sides and back, but have been assured that my customer will specify that it needs to be vinyl sign written, so appropriate curtain material will be used.
Cant really believe the coach builders would not tell you when you ordered, you would think it would be a selling point for a heavier ( more expensive ) fabric.
Regards
Paul
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