i need some application tape advice please?

[Phill Fenton]

There has been a post about this before:-
https://www.uksignboards.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1762
The link above should take you to it.

Hope this helps

[Robert Lambie]

starting out and getting the hang of taping can be hard. especially if your on your own.
a dispecer can help solve this problem pretty well, so it maybe worth investing it.
i personaly do not use one but have invested in a 24″ one many years ago. i sent it back due to the fact it took longer trying to load & use the rolls than it did just doing it the normal way and taking my time.
however that may just be me… 🙁
all that said if you do lots of 24″,36″ or 48″ wide jobs that require taping i guess i would recommend buying or making one…

did i just contradict myself there? 😕

must be the hangover.. sorry 😉

[Fat Bob]

hi Rich

My method may be the answer until you buy a dispenser or learn a differnt method.

You will need a flat clean table and a ruler and a elastic band. when you have finnished
weeding roll up the material graphics facing out not to tight place on elastic band so it does not unroll.

I am right handed and I find this suits me, starting on the left of your table un roll your application tape to the right side with the glue side facing up when you get to the end of the table or the length you require stop. Now put the ruler under the roll to stop it rolling back on itself. If your on the edge you may require something to stop the roll going off the table.

Go to the far left pickup your vinyl remove elastic now unroll about 24 ” to 36 ” now comes the tricky bit but once you master this bit youll find this quite a quick way of working on your own. Holding your work so that the top of the roll is at an angle to the flat surface (so you are standing as if you were holding open a news paperbut near to the bottom edge) put your left hand down first about aninch or two in so that your Knucklesrest onthe application tape and line up the bottom edge as you bring your right hand down pull the aplication tape just a little to the left (THIS IS IMPORTANT) you dont pull to much to move the roll just enough to tension the application tape.

Once you have it tensioned line up the bottom with your right hand still keeping it at a reasonable angle so that the top does not touch tillyou have it aligned, You should only need to move your right hant toward or away from you to achive this. (the more
accurate you do this the longer run you can do without it running off 10 mts no probs.)
once aligned lay the top down. keeping tension with left han flick or unroll the roll toward the left of the table and use your felt pad to rub it down firm.

It is possible to do quite long legths this way when the vinyl roll hits the apliction roll remove the rulerslde the whole thing to the left of the table and start again, rolling up the left as you go.

If you find this hard to understand I did see another method I use which is in the tips forum I think posted with a little diagram buy Andy this also works very well.

hope this is of use regards …FB

[Sparky]

Rich,

We had this problem for a long time & probably like you, we didn’t want to spend £50 or £60 on the applicator tool. I thought I would make something simple to get us going & we’re still using it 2 years on !!

Really simple & nothing special to look at but it works. Made from 18mm MDF (suppose ply would do the same).

If you want to have a go at banging one together, let me know & I can post sizes & pics of ours (so all these others can laugh at my simple little way of life 😀 😀 😀 )

Regards,

John

[jon vital]

I think it’s well worth getting a dispenser.

Saves a lot of time faffing about and ruining stuff.

Anyone got application tape recommendations? I think people often overlook this. It’s difficult to find a tape that has good all round properties. We currently use a Hexis medium tack.

[Richard Urquhart]

thanks all i think i will have a go at making one have seen some pics of home made jobs so if any ones got any good pics of one, that would help,sparky please could you email me your one (just the pic) 😀

once again thanks everyone
rich

[Martin Pearson]

Richard check the post that Phill was talking about and do a search on the subject as well. People have posted pictures of home made tape dispensers in the past.
Jon we currently use application tape from Europoint, with signgroup discounts its as cheap as anybody elses and seems to do a reasonable job. Like you we generally use a medium tack paper. I cant afford to keep high, medium and low tack papers in stock and medium seems to work best overall.

[Sparky]

‘ere ya go Rich. Not rocket science but it’s cheap & works like a dream 😆 😆

[Richard Urquhart]

looks ok to me thanks with copy your idea
thanks rich

[Richard Urquhart]

john big thanks i made it in half an hour only changed the bottom runner for a bar instead of a strip of mdf sometimes you just need to see a picture of the idea
i cant belive how easy it is i now have one hand free ,i put it to the test and its the first timei have been happy with the way the application tape has gone on
thanks again rich

[Sparky]

Pleased it helped Rich 😀

A bar at the bottom will no doubt work better, but I only had one bit of bar when I popped it together 😛 😛

do we get to see a pic of the MK2 🙂

John

[Richard Urquhart]

can do but had so many prob loading it last time i gave up would i need help with putting photos on here too i would love it if we could just upload it from our files to here i think you can in show us your stuff if i,m right
will take a pic tomorrow and have a go
rich

[Robert Lambie]

spot on rich 😀
just use the “show us your stuff” forum at your leasure mate…
its pretty easy once you have did it once & it is as you have just said. basicaly you are loading it straight from your comps files.
i will put a short demo in that forum tonight. hope it helps.

[Richard Urquhart]

thanks rob it will encourage me to use it more i take pics of most stuff i do
rich

[Deleted User]

Nice tape thingy Sparky. Have copied your idea. Thanks

[F. Skierk]

nice one sparky! 😉

i think i will also copy your tape thingy. hope you dont mind, do you? 😮 😉

[Sparky]

Scant & Sally ….

Copy all you want 😀 😀 , no copyright on 4 bits of mdf nailed together 😀 😀 😀

Hope it serves you well, we would be lost without ours & it’s a better option than £60 or £70 for a posh one 😛

John

[Mike Brown]

…you need an agent John 😎 …

[Martin Pearson]

John I have a tape dispenser very similar to yours, mine is the deluxe version though made from 12mm external plywood and screwed together !!! Its held on the end of the bench with two quick release clamps which came in a pack at £2.99 for the pair.

[Steve Broughton]

He’s not a real Jock, he spent more than 2 quid on something 😮