does the cold make lettering fall off vehicles?

[Mike Brown]

Hi Sally,

well, try to keep the vinyl warm till you use it – if your on-site then put the vinyl in a cardboard box in the footwell of your motor with the heaters on it and pull out each piece just prior to fitting.

If it’s an option, you could warm the van your decorating from the insode out – put a small heat source inside…this also works well with big vans and lorries using a small space heater…

You could heat gun the panel in question for a minute or so prior to decorating…

Turn the vehicle into the sun for a while prior to decorating that side…

You could arrange to get the vehicle inside (of course) 🙂

or…you could move from Scotland to somewhere warmer – like the Seychelles! 🙂

I’m sure others will have other ideas – hope this helps.

mikethesign

P.S. Oh! – and when you’ve finished the job go round with a hot air gun and ‘well-warm’ all the vinyl to help ‘activate’ or ‘gee-up’ the adhesive….

[Robert Lambie Robert Lambie]

Hi there
I have to admit, when in the cold days of winter I simply refuse to apply vinyl to the vehicle unless indoors.
I point out all the downfalls of the job if applied in the wrong conditions. If the customer still wants to go ahead then that’s fine but replacing letters that have fallen off or panels that come out of the contours of the van will only be replaced at there cost.
Most people say "yeh slap it on mate I don’t mind" but then a month later they come back saying i am not happy. & I want it replaced.
So if you do tell them upfront the pitfalls of applying in the cold & that it will be at they’re cost if you do. Then they normally make more effort to get it indoors or bring it to your workshop to be done.
Even in the workshop I have a large heater sitting about 5 feet away pointed at the side of vehicle as I work. But be sure not to heat to much as you may burn the paintwork or heat the van so much that applying the vinyl is impossible.

robert