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DONT DO’s In Vinyl wraps
DO NOT use Wax and grease remover, Prepsol to clean vehicles before install. They are Oil based, you need to use Specific wrap cleaners eg. Avery cleaner, 3M or Like, Isopropyl Alcohol, and you need to use the correct rags. DO NOT use poly cotton rags. My preferance is cotton towels and I buy new towels, wash them and cut them up, 1 to wipe on and 1 to wipe off while the surface is still wet. You will know when its clean when you can rub a clean finger or back of nail on the surface and it has friction. Some vehicles have paint protection from new, especially European vehicles, and need to be washed with a stripper/cleaner prior to final clean.
If using Solvent printers, allow plenty of air dry time with the Prints Hanging, not flat as the solvents are heavy and sink. I advise at least a minimum 2 days in good conditions, this is very IMPORTANT. Solvents still in the media affect the glue and weaken it. All my clients I install for hang prints for 3 days, they get a full unlimited warranty for that, as long as the correct material is supplied. Don’t buy un suited laminate/media or use different media/laminate brands, it voids warranty.
Do not install onto a cold surface, glue does not activate fast enough, don’t let a vehicle go out into the rain or the cold after install the same day, has caused many failures and lifting in recesses in the past. Wait 2 weeks for new paint to degas, once I went to Singapore to try and work out why 19 van wraps failed out of 20. The manufacturer of the vinyl paid for me to go, took 15 minutes to work out, paint was still too green. If a client insists on a fast turnaround, just ask for a warranty waiver, they always agree to terms then.
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11 Replies
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Step 2
PRACTICE
Use scrap vinyl to do Side Mirrors, Door Handles Bumpers, Guards etc. Look to make mistakes, and then fix them, by doing a lot of mistakes on purpose you will learn to automatically correct technique without continual Re Lifting and Starting Over. THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE I see is that people hold the Vinyl OUT from the Surface and Squeegee it onto the Surface. I have seen people do it at up to 90 degrees from the surface and squeegee it down then they lift it up again, causing more stretching and dramas, wish I didnt sell the Video Camera then I could show what lifting causes and then show what stops you having to LIFT vinyl. I used to do this too. Creases are Guaranteed. Try and keep the Un-squeeged Vinyl as close to the Surface as Possible, do not let the Tension go Slack NOR hold it too tight, you want the un squeegeed vinyl looking smooth, Lay the vinyl down and get it squeegeed fast before the bubbles start appearing lol. Roll or steer the vinyl onto the surface in a smooth motion, it should FLOW on, You do not force it. Another NO NO is when people Hold the vinyl, its common for them to NOT look at how they are holding it, many Cause creases by not holding the vinyl Flat, eg, they KINK it before it is Squeegeed by twisting the hand or digging the thumb in, then continue squeegeeing and force creases. To me these two mistakes are what cause the grief and cause people to GIVE UP on vehicle wrapping. A third and Important mistake people make is not to stop, think "why am I having trouble" and "why is it so hard". If you cant figure it out, CALL somebody for advice, besides it FREE. Call a Rep and ask for someone that does a lot of wraps with that material. They will know the material you are using. Humidity, Temp, Type of Ink, AGE OF VINYL all effect Install. There is No 1 way to install, a Cold Morning to a Scorcher of an Afternoon then a Rain Storm may require different install techniques to cope with. If the job is not going sweetly, call, ask, no matter how many times. If you dont Do Vehicle wraps and get a few requests, ask an Installer to come do them and train you at the same time. There are in no way enough Wrap Installers in Australia. We are no where near the potential, the more that get done the more people want them done. A few Installers will train other Sign companies Knowing full well when they get enough TRAINED People out there, they can take on National Contracts. Questions, self perceived as Dumb, are welcome. I cant count the number of times that I have have to react to "Save me" calls, and "Ill pay you whatever you want to fix it for us". Of all those times, EVERY case of failure or poor Install was due to These mistakes and the Factors from The first post here. You are not alone, get the free advice out there, USE it. WRECKED VINYL can be saved, eg, Creases in vinyl, Finger stretch marks, even INVISIBLE patches can be made in coloured vinyl if it is TOP Quality Cast Vinyl. Good Luck all, its not so hard, or it shouldnt be. Vinyl is as hard as we make it.
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DO NOT rush a vinyl wrap out the door. If a client wants a wrap out the same day, dont. If they Insist on that, I ask for a no warranty waiver to be signed and authorisation for that to be posted. The reason I started this thread is to hopefully help stop others from making mistakes I have suffered from. Feedback appreciated.
Cheers,
Mark
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I’ve never done a wrap and don’t think i will but thanks for the inside knowledge, very informative.
Cheers
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When someone does their first wrap, wow, the ego goes up, the confidence too. Like they started signs that day. I love training in wraps because of that. I don’t know it all, still learning, yet if I can help 1 person lose the fear of vinyl, I’ve done my job. I do a lot of training courses for wraps, yet Go figure. Most don’t go on with wraps. The majority dont even try while at the course. The best 3 wrappers I have seen are 1 person 12 yrs, 1 person 8 yrs and 1 person 6 weeks.
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quote markvandam:When someone does their first wrap, wow, the ego goes up, the confidence too. Like they started signs that day. I love training in wraps because of that. I don’t know it all, still learning, yet if I can help 1 person lose the fear of vinyl, I’ve done my job. I do a lot of training courses for wraps, yet Go figure. Most don’t go on with wraps. The majority dont even try while at the course. The best 3 wrappers I have seen are 1 person 12 yrs, 1 person 8 yrs and 1 person 6 weeks.That’s absolutely amazing, a 12 year old I can understand being able to do it as some are pretty bright at that age but most people at 6 weeks can’t co-ordinate their limbs at all & are completely dependant on their mum.
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Martin you have me laughing my head off haha cheers.
Thanks for the post Mark
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Mark, i like your posts mate, very selfless and will help some folk out there.
there should be more folk like you out there helping advise the masses.cheers…
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Yes I am selfless LOL, besides, its so hard to find Installers here to help on Large contracts that its a benefit for me to have other Tradies that I can call on to help. It is amazing what comes from helping someone out of a hole, and what you get back.
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quote Mark van Dam:Yes I am selfless LOL, besides, its so hard to find Installers here to help on Large contracts that its a benefit for me to have other Tradies that I can call on to help. It is amazing what comes from helping someone out of a hole, and what you get back.If you’re looking for installers Avery have a Certified Installer Network and 3M probably have one too Shane can chime in here.
I’m pretty sure you’re in Australia.
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Yes I am a Specialist Avery Installer and do the Advanced Wrapping Courses for Avery Here in QLD. I have people I can call on, but virtually Nil north of Brisbane.
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Thanks a bunch mate! This has been very helpful – I’m hoping to start a wrapping business real soon after doing a decent job on my own vehicle. I now have 5 mates wanting their cars done too. Really exciting times!
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