-
Help with knifeless tape and covering van panels.
hi all
i have to flood/cover some recessed panels on the sides and rear of 3 vans. “Then the graphics on top”.
I have done one of the vans now but had to redo a panel because I wasn’t happy with the radius of the corners. So the second and third panels i trimmed neatly by hand. ( very gently) with a scalpel.
is it just me, or does everyone get this and the vinyl needs to be trimmed around for a sharper finish?
☺🤓 -
6 Replies
-
I think it’s just one of those things that comes with practice; as ‘profeshinials’, we sometimes get too hung up on perfection, 99% of the time the customer is over the moon with everything and won’t even look at the corners. I’m not saying you can get away with a bad job, but a good job is enough. I always make a point of telling the customer we use knifeless tape to cut inside the panels and explain how it works, I tell them it’s done entirely by hand and as such, won’t always have the perfect computer cut corner / edge.
-
Hi Karen
As Hugh says, it’s really a case of “Practice makes perfect!”
If you are not confident using it, I highly recommend using some scraps of vinyl on the areas you are applying it to and running some test cuts with the tape. it lets you make a mess of it time and time again until you are confident and ready to use a live sheet of vinyl.
There is no point in flooding a full panel and messing up the corners.
The beauty of using a knife tape is that you can lift and lay it multiple times until you get the radius/shape you want. then fit the vinyl and proceed to reverse cut with the tape.
-
Also make sure you are using Design Line for curves as Finish line is a bit harder to curve, WrapCut is another type of knifeless which is a lot more difficult to use than 3M.
-
You are correct Joe with regard to design line, but I am not keen on it and prefer finish line as more of an all-rounder filament tape.
RED wrap cut, I also like as a general all-rounder and much more cost-effective but bends in one direction, it is also harder to get these days as I think it’s the white one they do now, which I am not keen on.
-
Thanks very much for the feedback guys. ❤
i took my time like you said and i also did some test corners but when i did the full panel i found myself still trimming little bits using my knife. i think i need more practice! ☺🤣-
The beauty of the tape, is that you can re-lay the tape until it’s right. One tip on the corners, or using tape in general, is to hold the tape at least 30cm away from where you’re applying, pull it around the curve from there, while you apply, you’ll get better corners, also straighter straights!
Sounds daft but try it!
-
Log in to reply.