Help please! Vinyl on the window, wrinkles next day

[Phill Fenton]

Could it be extreme heat causing this?

[George Neagu]

Hi Phill,

This vinyl has been installed in London yesterday before noon and last night I got the pictures with the disaster.

I believe the sun hits the window afternoon but we all now the sun is not that strong in this country.

Phew…

[David Hammond]

I think 3164 is a water based adhesive, so applying wet might affect the adhesive, so it’s got less grab.

[George Neagu]

quote David Hammond:

I think 3164 is a water based adhesive, so applying wet might affect the adhesive, so it’s got less grab.

Hmmm… I think you are right, it’s water-based. I’ve been told it can be wet applied so I assumed is solvent adhesive.
But let me tell you something, I stayed around it about 2 hours to make sure it is dry and no trace of fluid is trapped underneath. It was really strong when I tried to peel it off.

Now, you can see in the images that the vinyl expanded. It’s an excess of material of 5 to 10 mm per wrinkle. This is weird to me..

[Simon Worrall]

How exactly did you clean the glass, George?

[Phill Fenton]

Here’s my suggestion..
I think the tunnelling may have occurred as a conseqence of heat. If you allow a small expansion border around the perimeter (i.e do not fit the vinyl edge to edge in the pane) the tunnnelling will be avoided in future

[George Neagu]

quote Simon Worrall:

How exactly did you clean the glass, George?

After I removed the previous vinyl, the glass was very clean but I gave it an extra wipe with water and a drop of soap, mainly around the edges.

[George Neagu]

quote David Hammond:

I think 3164 is a water based adhesive, so applying wet might affect the adhesive, so it’s got less grab.

Just got a reply from Oracal Germany saying indeed the vinyl has water-based adhesive, therefore no wet application is recommended at all.

[George Neagu]

quote Phill Fenton:

Here’s my suggestion..
I think the tunnelling may have occurred as a conseqence of heat. If you allow a small expansion border around the perimeter (i.e do not fit the vinyl edge to edge in the pane) the tunnnelling will be avoided in future

This is another issue, Behind the glass there is a "light-box". really stupid idea and design but it is what it is. However, I cannot leave any border around the edges as the light will show and they don’t like it.

[Mohsen Hajipour]

First of all, I should say I am so glad as an Iranian sign maker to see lots of sign makers and sign painters and sign writers here in UKsignboards…
Then bud! I am applying lots of vinyl on trailers everyday and I am still learning new things after 20 years being in this career.
I am sure it depends on heat.
It is so important when you want to apply vinyl how is the weather… shiny? hot? colt? raining? windy? etc
I recommend you to clean up the surface and apply the vinyl at 8 A.M and not to use any heater to remove the water. Then you should regularly pull something like your credit card on the vinyl, horizontally and vertically with a few pressure to put all the water behind the vinyl out.
The most important part is when you are puling the water out… You must be so patient and do your job completely.
Be sure it works… And do remember! Not to use any heater during this job.
Sorry if my English is not that good… As I said, I am Persian and I speak Farsi and I can’t speak English better than this! 🙂
Thanks for your time
regards;
mo