fitting vinyl in the cold… brrrr - Off Topic Chat

Off Topic Chat

fitting vinyl in the cold… brrrr

Posted by Robert Lambie on January 17, 2005 at 8:06 pm

hi all, hows the weather there? its freezing here… had about 3 inches of snow in the last couple of hours, still pelting it down now. 😕

anyway, hows the vinyl fittings going for you?
i did a job in a customers work shop tonight, it was freezing… vinyl snapped a few times and we had to heat the life out of it…. 😕 thats dry by the way 😉 :lol1:
god help anyone using wet app in this weather… 😮

wee tip, if you use a felt squeegee, make sure your using a fairly new one thats stiff. worn felt can cause the vinyl to float on a cold metal surface, a nylon one run over large panels of vinyl can generate just enough friction heat to activate the glue to give a bite.

best alround tip is… once you clean and dry the panels down… go over them with a heat gun till warm. then begin to apply your vinyl.
i dont mean right away… but by the time you have your marks on etc it will be cool again. but still warm enough to allow adhesion.

getting the vinyl on flat in this sort of weather is only have the battle, if you dont heat the vinyl properly after applying, it will zip off once a pressure washer comes even close 😕

Tim Painter replied 19 years, 4 months ago 6 Members · 9 Replies
9 Replies

Dave Bruce

Member
January 17, 2005 at 8:33 pm

I usually put a heater (fan) in the back of the van just to take the chill of the metal, it’s not fun in this weather though.

Dave
Chris Wool

Member
January 17, 2005 at 8:35 pm

a very nice man left the pasty trailer i was to lettering in the spray booth for me today
Dave Bruce

Member
January 17, 2005 at 8:41 pm

Surely not just after it had been sprayed Chris!

Cheers

Dave
Robert Lambie

Member
January 17, 2005 at 8:44 pm

:lol1: :lol1: :lol1: these were refrigerated vans mate… heater in side or engine running with heater full pelt wouldnt have done anything. 😕
it was a sprinter and had large solide vinyl panels on it… not nice 😕
Chris Wool

Member
January 17, 2005 at 8:56 pm

it was sprayed fri dave i know what you mean though –

poor a kettle ful of boiling hot water over the panel first seams to keep the heat longer than warming with heat gun

once a fan heater fell over inside the van luck was in that day

chris
Dave Bruce

Member
January 17, 2005 at 8:59 pm

I think I would have cried. I had to do a fridge van outside in this weather before, it had a tartan band all the way round the van, I had to rub the vinyl constantly to try and get it to adhere, finished it in the dark with my car headlights for light.

Dave
Graham Parsons

Member
January 17, 2005 at 10:06 pm

Spare a thought for us in the land of the Maple Leaf!

Last Wednesday we had blizzard conditions with temperatures around minus 35°C and overnight with the windchill … wait for it… minus 51°C !

Thank heavens for a heated shop!

Graham.
Shane Drew

Member
January 18, 2005 at 1:44 pm

Guys Guys I feel sooooo sorry for you lot.

We had a freezing day here today. +22 deg c! 🙄

Contemplated going home until the temperature came up to a more realistic temperature :lol1:

Take care out there. I’ll be thinking of you guys tomorrow. We have an expected temeperature of +32 deg c with rain in the arvo.
😎

Cheers
Tim Painter

Member
January 18, 2005 at 3:51 pm

Picked the wrong time of year to do my first van a New Vito.

Maybe not as cold as Rob here down South but still aint no summer picnic…… :sigh:

Then theres the rain oh and the wind…..

Rob have you ever done any tips on making up a van on the boards????

Thanks

Tim.