Curtain sider advice

[Robert Lambie]

use a felt squueegee, a nylon one digs in at the corners because of curtain flex!
apply dry…
if big areas get someone to stand on the inside pusshing an 8×4 of ply against the curtain. keeps it ridged were you are applying.
you are better with spare hands holding the slack of vinyl while you apply.
(this is sticky stuff)
dont use this vinyl on metal body of vehicle.. its very soft. softer thn banner vinyl.
tighten curtains to the max before applying…

some quick tips.. im sure others will have their own.. 😉

[Andrew Ward]

Slight change of subect…..

Is it just me, or does anyone else use ink these days on curtain siders??

[Robert Lambie]

yeh mate.. if i have the time i do.. its the best way to go in the long run..
tricky if its multi-coloured logos etc though…

[Andrew Ward]

Yes i agree, layering colours with ink can be tricky.If its text or simple logos then i always use ink. BTW i use “Keeps” & “Apollo” Inks.

I used to use fascal Curtain vinyl, i found i had to alway apply wet.Even when applied wet, it would stick like sh*t to a blanket 😕

[Robert Lambie]

true mate.. i use sericol inks when i do anything due to them not being far from me..

i have heard of curtain vinyl that must be applied with water but never used water on a curtain so cant comment. i have heard water is the proper way to activate this adhesive with avery curtain vinyl. 😀 😕 😉

[Andy Gorman]

Thanks for the pointers Rob, why would you not use this vinyl on the bodywork. My only reason for asking is that the customer is very concerned about consistent colour matching which is why he is keen on the vinyl option as opposed to inks and vinyls. If I use a “regular” vinyl for the cab I have to ensure a very good match between it and the curtain vinyl. (5 colours!)

[Robert Lambie]

i see what you mean mate.. without going into it all techy.. (because i couldnt 😆 )
the vinyl is a sort of silk finish. not a gloss like normal vinyl
so it will look a little odd on the bodywork.
its a bit like putting banner vinyl on a perspex sign (-)
i have never tried truck vinyl on the cab simply because of the above.
i dont think it wouldnt adhere, im sure it would.. 🙄 . it would be interesting to see the long term effect/outcome.
the adhesive and make-up of the vinyl is completely different from cast, calendar…
if the customer complains just explain its two different surfaces..
even if you inked the curtains, you still would have to use a regualr vinyl on the cab and thats not gonna match 100% either?

[NTC]

Hi

If you use ink on the curtains you could send a sample of your cab vinyl to apollo ink in liverpool (0151 9225665) and they well mix it for you.

Norman

NTC CURTAINSIDERS

[Innocent]

A couple of points that might help.

1: The curtain side material that comes from Spandex should be applied with a meths/water solution, I have tried it dry (and I normally have no problems dry, but this stuff is a nightmare) I can’t comment on other suppliers stuff as I haven’t used it.

2: The cutain side material isn’t designed to go on metalwork, so unless your material rep can come up with a convincing answer then I wouldn’t use it on the body.

If colour matching for the metalwork is a major issue, you could get some vinyl ink mixed to match the colour and roller it onto a lump of everyday white vinyl, leave to dry, then run it through your plotter, it will soften the vinyl up a lot and it makes even the thickest polymeric vinyls feel like a top quality cast vinyl.

[Andy Gorman]

Thanks to everyone who has answered so far. When the APA swatch arrives I will see what colours are available and how they match (or not) a regular swatch. I suppose the safest option is to get the customer to approve the colours beforehand with an explanation of the different materials.

I understand that this APA material has a high grab? Has anyone applied it wet? The truck will be indoors in a warmish environment overnight so I’m concerned about it sticking too well, as it were.