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Magnetic glass anyone?
Sorry, the titles a bit deceiving but I’d like to share a quick tip we’ve started using. We apply graphics to a ton of ambulances and have been so used to using magnets on vehicles it’s rather frustrating not being able to stick them to the windows. The solution came in the form of a couple of piece of mild steel stuck to the glass with thick masking tape. This allows me to hold the graphics in place, and then slide them about to get them aligned properly. Now that the concept works, I’ll buy a couple of pieces around 200mm x 200mm on ebay, apply some thick laminate to them to prevent scratches, and add them to the arsenal of tools we have. Going to save a bit of time going forward. Were working our way through a fleet of 26 ambulances at the moment.
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12 Replies
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Nice idea, and simple.
I know you can use tape, but you can just tug it, and slide the graphic like with magnets.
There is an off the shelf Gecko pad that does similar – but £20 for a 10x10cm pad.
signgeer.com-
Hi David, We’d an item similar to Gecko patches but with a much smaller magnetic surface area. All you had was around 50mm and it was very easy on a large window to need to slide the graphic a few inches to centre it causing the magnet to fall off. I also found they didn’t stick that well. Had never come across the actual product “Gecko Patches” until you mentioned them. Based on the fact they’re made by Yellotools I’d say they’re quite an improvement on the ones we had previously. Might order a pair up next time we need something from Signeer. If we ordered them on their own we’d end up paying as much postage as the product costs. Signeer postal charges are colossal to Northern Ireland, it’s the reason we rarely buy from them.
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Hi David
Just did a quick search and found Gecko Patches available from Material Solutions in Dublin.
materialsolutions.ie
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Cheers Robert, appreciate your help. I’ll probably get a couple of those Gecko Patches ordered as we do lots of ambulances. The metal plates were simply a test to see how they faired out. Have never used the proper Gecko Patches to see how the magnets stick but the metal plates work brilliantly. Going forward if I did stick with them I’d get a couple cut in a place that works with steel across the road from me and laminate both sides with the likes of a motocross laminate bringing it about 10mm past the edges so the plates were completely encapsulated to prevent any scratches
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@David-Stevenson
on a side note, rather than use metal and tape against the vehicle.
would sign magnetic panel and some tape not be a safer option to consider?-
@Robert Lambie when you say magnetic sign panel are you talking about the flexible ferrous magnetic material we’d use for magnetic walls? We’ve some of that here I must give it a try. I just went hardcore when I got my hands on 2 metal plates lol
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We have a few roll of Ferrous sticky tape in the fitting boxes
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I imagine that may work also, David. But I was meaning the magnetic panel material that comes in a roll, a mill or two thick. You apply it to vehicles with graphics on top.
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this seems like a neat idea but is it not overkill when masking tape does a similar job?
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You’d think that Karen but we’ve done the graphics now on 50 or 60 ambulances and I can assure you this technique wins hands down. The problem is that the main graphic is around 4ft wide. When you 1st put it in place you never get it centered properly and have to move it about. Having it attached by magnetics allows you to slide it up, down, side to side at your leisure. If you’ve it taped on with masking tape it means the graphic is constantly falling off the window while your trying to move it / hold it in position with your elbow while it gets repositioned. It comes from doing cars & vans constantly where magnets are saviour.
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I have magnets for years but barely use them.
Have a look at my video:
https://youtu.be/ouGKddPxGI8?si=piDhJqQaGDW2KtrZ
I tear the backing paper and use the application tape to stick to background.
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nice video. we do something similar but masking tape it first then fold the paper back to make the hinge and apply it.
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