cuting vinyl on vans

[Phill Fenton]

Good question.

Whenever possible I avoid cutting vinyl on vehicles, if you do have to cut on the paint use a brand new scalpel blade and cut very lightly to avoid cutting into the paint. If you do cut into the paint this can cause rust later so take great care.

[Peter Normington]

As Mr Fenton says,

but if you need to cut on the panel you can place masking tape just under the cut line, and then carefully cut before removing the masking tape.

Hexis do a special tape that can be used for this, but masking tape is ok if you are careful, have a practice first though.

Peter

[M Brown]

Hi all,

So what your saying is all sign companies like myself and other quality companies like your good selfs, will make some kind of marks in paintwork of vans when you have no option when applying graphics to customers vans.

[Peter Normington]

quote M Brown:

Hi all,

So what your saying is all sign companies like myself and other quality companies like your good selfs, will make some kind of marks in paintwork of vans when you have no option when applying graphics to customers vans.

No, quite the opposite, it is totally unacceptable to make marks on a customers vehicle.
Phill and I were telling you how to cut on vehicles without making marks

Peter

[Steve McAdie]

I don’t cut right through the vinyl just score the vinyl and it should pull away cleanly, most important use a new blade. Also read on here that a curved scalpel blade is better for this than a pointed one which does seem to make sense i just never can remember to order any so not tried it.

Steve

[M Brown]

Thanks Steve

[Peter Normington]

quote Steve McAdie:

I don’t cut right through the vinyl just score the vinyl and it should pull away cleanly, most important use a new blade. Also read on here that a curved scalpel blade is better for this than a pointed one which does seem to make sense i just never can remember to order any so not tried it.

Steve

Steve, I agree that using a curved blade is better, it gives far greater control.
Peter

[Steve McAdie]

I always keep my cutting hand on the surface and drag across never leave the surface so your hand is floating unless you really have to.

[Peter Dee]

I recently used the orange Hexis tape mentioned by Peter.
It took the risk out of applying full door sill coverings.
Using this or masking tape you have to take care not to cut through in to the underlying tape or it will leave half of it under the vinyl when you try to pull it out. This was my first time cutting any length on the paintwork and looking at the orange tape afterwards was the right decision to use it 😮

[Matt Goodwin]

Best advise I was ever given on this….

Practice on your own vehicle. You’ll never cut into the paintwork!

Then have this practise in mind when cutting on a customers vehicle.

Whether it be a transit or Bentley, treat it like your own.

Matt

[Bob Clarkson]

I don’t exactly make it a habit to cut onto paintwork, and will my hardest to avoid bridging door caps and body seams so I don’t have to. But you’d have to be pretty heavy handed to actually damage the paint. I’ve always used the old fashioned everyready type razor blade that are still available from snap-on. I use them purely between my finger tips so I can feel exactly what I’m doing.

[Bob Clarkson]

Take no notice of this, it posted twice 😳

[Peter Normington]

Bob
I woudnt be without the single sided blades from snap on!
but I think we are talking about cutting a shape from the vinyl when its on the panel rather than just at the door gaps, and seams.
For instance if you want to just apply vinyl to a raised part of a bonnet.
the tape from hexis is ideal, and how I do it is I have two lots of tape, I think 2mm and 4mm. I lay the wider one down first then the narrower one on top, this does two things, protects the paint, and gives a nice edge follow for the shape,
if you can understand my explanation.

peter

[Bob Clarkson]

I understand the concept of putting the tape under the vinyl to protect the paint, but I’m not up to speed on what you’d be doing to need to do it. I’m guessing wraps, which as you know, I don’t do.

I only ever use those little blades, I don’t use scalpels, I can hold the razor blade as I would a lining quill, I can actually draw with one.