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how do magnetic strips work?
I suppose you could say my work is predomi……..no no my work is completly vinyl. Customer in need of magnetic strips, anyone tell me how it works, in my observations I notice they are mostly printed on, do they come in different colours, sizes, how do you cut them or do you buy them at specific sizes, where can I buy them!! If YOU know anything please share, im sure you have some info Dewi, ( looking at another of your posts)
Thanx
Lawrence -
23 Replies
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lawrence!!
you can buy metre lengh sheets of 3mm magnetic from europoint!!
or from http://www.bisbellmagnetics.com they do the whole range, and you can apply vynil to it or screenprint!!
Nik
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Magnetic material usually comes at 620mm wide x whatever length. Usually pre coated in white. If you want it in another colour just covering it in vinyl is the easiest way. It takes vinyl lettering just like any other surface and can be cut quite easily with a stanley knife.
That’s about it really. It’s available from most vinyl stockists. My regular supplier (Cherwells) will sell me a single metre if I want.
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How is this then cut with a good old straight edge and knife?
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You can buy magnetic sheeting on a roll, usually by the metre. It comes around 620mm wide and obviously however long you want it. There are 2 types, .65 which is very thin, and .85 which is the one I use. the .85 has stronger magnetic power, so it clings to the vehicle/sign much better.
Once you’ve got your roll, just cut it to size 😀 I usually use Oracal 751 and apply my design as I would apply to a piece of foamboard. Only difference is I place the mag sheet onto a metal shelf I have in the workshop. This just makes it a little more rigid for applying to. Its really that simple 😀
Price wise I charged about £130 for the magnetics you saw in the other post. That was fairly cheapish as I didn’t add an artwork charge, but I talked the order up to include stickers and business cards, so I earned a little more.
You can order the mag sheet from most signmaker’s suppliers. I personally order from Cherwell Sign Supplies. They also pop in a few tips on caring for the mags and the do’s and don’ts. Its all fairly basic stuff but useful to add into your sales pitch.
Hope this helps some, I don’t think I’ve missed something, but if I have someone will add it in no doubt 😀
Cheers, Dewi
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Yes, in fact you can, if careful, use a steel rule which will stick to the back thus avoiding any chance of slippage. (Slippage? is that a real word?) I have cut my fingers a few times when cutting magnetic – a safety rule might be a good idea.
Dew, the .85 stuff is recommended for vehicles – the .65 for fridge magnets, apparently.
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Big G to the rescue, thank you again for the advice. Personally I think they look damn nasty, so far ive been successfull in persueding customers away from them, theres always one ademant git though, thanks for the help.
Lawrence
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I do mags all the time.
Folks like em because they can advertise all week,
yet remove the signs while their truck is parked at the bar all weekend.
Magnetic sheeting is 24″ wide, and sold in 25′ rolls, matte white.
You can buy it in custom colors from suppliers.
It even comes in diamond-plate for your hillbilly clients.
It cuts easily with an X-Acto knife.
I always round the corners. It seems to help prevent blow-off.
You can even cut a custom shaped logo, so that it looks like the vehicle has been lettered.
The standard size set is 1’x2′ and you sell a pair.
I have been selling them for $79.95 since 1991.
Kinko’s, a copy place, sells them for $29.99/set,
but they look like crap.
The vehicle has to be kept clean, and the magnet has to be pulled off and wiped, as well as the vehicle, with a soft dry cloth to prevent condensation which leads to rust.
Magnetics can be either painted, silk-screened, or have vinyl applied.
They are bread and butter for me!
Hope this helps.
Love…Jill(slippage is a word! so is drippage! at least in Butler PA)
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Great help Dewi, thought you might like to add your tuppence worth!!
No seriously things are much clearererer is that a word! -
Jill, you’re making me feel quite guilty. I just sold 3off 2’x8” magnetics to a geezer for 100quid. All of your tips are spot on though. Especially regarding shaped magnetics. I think they can look real perdy if you put a bit of thought into it and come up with something other than the usual square with rounded corners.
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Thanks for all your help on the matter folks, I think I now have enough amunition to approach customer with my extortionate rates.
Lawrence
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Well Big G you convinced me!
I think I’m gonna “up”my price!
Really, tho, there is a horrid print shop 2 miles up the street
that sells hideous mags for $49.99.
I tell folks when they balk @$79.99, that they CAN get em cheaper,
but they also LOOK cheap. It usually works in my favor.
When I do a custom-cut, I always charge more.
You really can do a sharp-looking sign if you
just contour-cut (even with scissors!) around the logo.
Love…Jill
Dewi’s tip about a metal surface is a good one too! -
Do you cut the corners off with a knife Jill or do you use one of these fandangled gizmo thingmajigs? I wanted to do the whole corner rounding thing, but I ended up cutting it with the scissors.
I figured the .65 was for light use Andy, but I didn’t think about fridges 😮 Can they be printed on with a PC60 by any chance 😉
Glad to be of help though, I actually quite enjoy doing mags. I want to do lots of diddy ones, but my weeding went to pot today. My hangover was causing me to shake a little, so I put the knife down and went back to working on the PC for a while 😕 😆 I should learn the lesson, never drink large quantities of alcohol on a week night 🙄
Cheers, Dewi
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Yeah but jill did you notice that he couldnt help but mention he uses oracle!!!!!, I swear if I hear that name one more time.
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What word? Oracal? Or did you mean Oracal? 😉 😉 😆 😆 😆
Its just what I use. Jolly good stuff as I can apply it to allsorts (not the sweetie variety 😉 ) but blimey, there are so many supplier’s out there, we all have our favourites 🙂
Cheers, Dewi
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Dewi,
I will share my SECRET, high-tech method!
Only beacuse I like you. Step-By-Step even!
😉 Lay the mag flat.
😉 Go to the cupboard and choose a coffee cup.
😉 Lay it flat on the mag so the rim is touching the 2 outer corners.
😉 Trace the rim of the cup with a pencil.
😉 Cut on the pencil line with the good scissors if you can find them.
😉 Repeat on remaining corners.
😉 Give the cut-off corners to Mini-Me to stick onto the fridge!
Love…Jill -
He meant to say that he consults with the ouija board, that mighty oracle,
before he makes magnetic signs, especially when he has a hangover.
I use high-performance Calon II, Gerber, FDS, or Avery. Only use the 651 on banners & coroplast. Remember magnetics are very flexible.
And if you are gouging those customers like Big G, might as well give ’em the good stuff!
Love…Jill -
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Nice one Jill 😀 Particularly like the last step, it’ll get him away from the damn Beyblades! They’re driving me insane!!!!!!!!!! 👿
Cheers, Dewi
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Only kidding Dewi, Ive mostly always used avery, have tryed a few differnet things but never got on that well with them! Every one here seems Oracal mad must try some………..hey i bloody spelt it right too…
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I’m guilty the other way, I haven’t actually tried the likes of Avery as of yet. I’ve requested a few samples here and there, but its been mainly the specialist vinyls, like blackboard and stuff like that.
I’d like to try this MacTac stuff and when I can get the bank to agree a large enough overdraft, the Avery easy-apply, just to play 😉 😉 At £15 a metre, it better be bloody easy as well!
Cheers, Dewi
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I know I am gonna get in big trouble for this,
but I have to say it.
I wouldn’t use Mac-Tac if I was given a free lifetime supply of it!
I tried it because of the price and found it brittle to work with.
Yes, the colors are pretty and the price is right,
but it is easy to tear when weeding and I just plain don’t care for it.
~sorry~
Love…Jill
A lot of folks I know dislike Oracal, but I prefer it for weedability
over any other brand. I guess to each his or her own, huh? -
Maybe its just me but does anyone find that magnetics cause major problems when left on vehicles for a long time?
I find that they cause really bad corrosion problems, I advise people to clean the vehicle and the magnetic regularly but as we know people don’t do this. Within a year you find corrosion spots under the magnetic, am I doing something wrong???
Dave
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Hi Dave…
I tell the customer to make sure the vehicle has a good coat of wax before applying the mag.
I also tell them to remove & wipe the mag about once a week or so, except in really cold weather.
I would never let someone put a mag on a poorly repainted car door for obvious reasons. And I tell folks, when not in use, to store the mags on the fridge.
Love…Jill
PS
I DO LOVE MAC-TAC FELT SQUEEGEES.
(but that’s a whole nuther can of worms!) -
Thats why I want a pop with the different vinyls Jill, just to see what the others do and how they are to work with. I’ll stick with the Oracal for the forseeable future, even if I find something easier to weed etc simply because I’m stocked up the eyeballs with 751 and if I lean out of my back door and shout, Europoint could probably here me. Thankfully they don’t make too many mistakes with my orders or they’d hear some very naughty things from Dewi 😆 😆 😆 😉
Cheers, Dewi
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