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Etched vinyl application
i have read many questions asked about etched vinyl and such but what i would like to know is if you are going to do a job with etched vinyl and the design was done so you just weed the lettering and leave the rest (not sure what this procedure is called)then how do you apply the vinyl to the glass window (for example)do you use an application tape or would you just take the vinyl off the backing and place it on the glass .Please explain how this is done.I saw a firm the other day take the vinyl off the backing then applied soapy water the the vinyl ,,they then picked up the vinyl off the floor(yes this was done from the floor)and the vinyl flopped all over the place .Granted when i went back to the shop later after my days shopping the job was done but had many white marks in the etched vinyl oh yes and a few cat hairs here and there but if you squinted you couldnt see them.
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18 Replies
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Hi Kevin
You do it the exact same way you would do any graphic, the only difference is you cut in reverse and stick to inside of glass window!
Only solid pieces of etch can be done without tape, again just like normal vinyl procedures.
cheers
Warren
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Hi mate,
If you are just doing a privacy screen, and no design is cut out of the etch, 1st timers would apply it with slip solution (soapy water) and squeegee the water from the centre to the edge.
If its got a design cut out, use application paper to keep it together. Ideally you need to do it dry.
If you apply a design wet with soap onto glass, it will take forever to dry before you can remove the app tape.
Hope that helps
Shane
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Many thanks for the info ,also may i ask is it possible to cut the vinyl but dont weed it then use the application tape to apply dry then weed once on the glass or is this a long winded way to do it
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I often us a half way house technique on glass, mist window lightly with water, no soap, use towels to almost dry window (depending on how cold or hot, direct sun etc) then apply… slight dampness stops it sticking like the proverbial straight away.
Ian :lol1:
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Cut in reverse, weed, apply application tape and fit dry to an WELL cleaned window. Done quite a few fits, and never done it wet yet, clean glass is critical though. :lol1:
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quote Kevin Parr:Many thanks for the info ,also may i ask is it possible to cut the vinyl but dont weed it then use the application tape to apply dry then weed once on the glass or is this a long winded way to do it
Any reason for asking Kevin?
I’ve done it when I have had Small text, but wouldn’t do it normally…
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No there`s no reason im just asking as im interested to see if there`s any other way to do it but thanks for you input its greatly appreciated
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Hi Kevin,
I usually would weed and then applicate but I once plotted some really small fine musical notes out of etch and I found the best thing to do in that case was to applicate it and then weed it on the window to save any of the small pieces and lines moving…just remember to note on the back which is top and bottom.
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I think this technique can be quite useful during wet application.
By not weeding the etch vinyl, once taped you present a smooth surface (without any ridges where the cut out lettering has been removed) which greatly aids the removal of liquid behind the vinyl (Liquid easily gets trapped in the gaps where vinyl has been removed). As a result the application tape can be removed more easily and the entire etch design can be squeegeed over to remove any liquid once the application tape has been carefuly removed.
Finally the cut out lettering is weeded out to complete the design.
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quote Phill:I think this technique can be quite useful during wet application.By not weeding the etch vinyl, once taped you present a smooth surface (without any ridges where the cut out lettering has been removed) which greatly aids the removal of liquid behind the vinyl (Liquid easily gets trapped in the gaps where vinyl has been removed). As a result the application tape can be removed more easily and the entire etch design can be squeegeed over to remove any liquid once the application tape has been carefuly removed.
Finally the cut out lettering is weeded out to complete the design.
But you will need to go back the next day to remove the app tape. so sort of defeats the object, the etch will not dry any quicker because it has not been weeded,
Peter
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Recently I did four unit/office windows with frosted oracle
One was filled/flood coated without design and I just pealed the backing off, water/soaped the window and film and laid it in place then carefully squeezed the liquid out.
two bottom windows were stripes so had to be done with tape, again I went wet and the tape came off OK almost immediately.
The last one had a large unit number cut out of it in reverse; when I laid it on the office table and tried to peel the backing off it ripped at the number (i was very upset).
Came back a week later with another graphic but had made my next mistake before I left the house:
After I taped I rolled the graphic up to put in a box some vinyl had came in; big mistake!
The last stuff I kept flat, now when I tried to apply I had large areas where the tape had came away from the graphic and although I was careful taking the backing paper off when I tried using the squeegee the film fluted.
Anyway, I got it third time and although I do most stuff dry, on this occasion I found wet to be fine and I was able to peel the tape off almost right away on the graphics that had been cut, with a bit of care.
My best tips would be to not roll up the taped graphics and peel backing paper off carefully.
Oh, and when your cutting vinyl with clear plastic backing make sure you cut the right side, lol.
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All ways have a bottle of Mr muscle window cleaner with you, I spray the aptape after applying the vinyl and it just about falls off the window. Saves going back the next day to take the tape off. You can also water it down when the bottle is half empty, still works as good.
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Ok so ive got some etched vinyl with text removed to apply tomorrow… these are fairly big blocks with the text removed, what would be the best course of action to take to get these decals applied perfectly? using just water or soapy water? I will be backing them with paper. also the decals are slightly bigger than the window so i will also have to cut them down once applied. Can see this being a nightmare
Regards
daniel -
Cutting to size on the glass is tricky- especially at the corners, as is aligning it perfectly.
I usually cut the vinyl to size so that there is a very small border around the edge (e.g for a window 600mm x 600mm I cut the vinyl to 580mm x 580mm to give a 1cm border around the edge). This way I don’t need to worry about the silicon seal (which is often irregular) causing the edges to lift. The clear border around the edge becomes a feature of the design
I usually apply wet for peace of mind and easy alignment. Leave to dry 24 hours then go back next day to remove the application tape.
Mind you – that’s just my preference – Rob’ll probably say to man up and do it dry. 😕
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Phil thanks for your reply, i would of preffered to do it with the 20mm border but unfortunetly they dont want it like that.. and as for leaving it for 24 hours i cant do that as its a fairly long trip to the customer. although do you think if i take a heat gun would that would work? Also worried about bubbles as im fittting it with paper backing… Thanks again for your input :thumbup2:
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Some helpful comments on here already. My preference used to be to install wet for all flood coating of frost as felt it left a more even finish.
With cut outs I used to weed tape up and install, leaving it as long as possible before removing tape.
I like Luke’s idea of the mr muscle if that works.
I have not had luck weeding on the window as often when just removing the backing paper parts of the design can become seperated.Any way I am surprised no one has yet mentioned Air Release Frost it has helped solve many of these issues. It installs dry fairly easily and fine detail adheres immediately so allowing removal of applicatuion paper straight away.
don’t think I’d go back to standard frost for cut designs anymore. -
Thanks stuart… i had mentioned the air release frost but as i work for a company and not myself it is their preference. So come the morning im just going too tape up the parts of the block which has text removed and spray with soapy water and apply and trim… then use the heat gun to dry asap…. there are parts which is text only eg. opening times etc… i will apply these dry which should not be an issue. But i can still see their being issues, always is. I do apprechiate your time too reply tho. Thanks again.
Regards
Daniel -
Job went like a dream… applied wet, left the paper on overnight to dry removed today and looks fantastic… Another happy customer. Thanks guys :thumbup2:
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