need advise on tackling deep panel recesses

[Robert Lambie]

Hi Timmy
Good questions… hard to type and explain. Ill try my best.

Don’t alter text sizes etc to suite the contours of the van it is a waste of time and is almost unnoticeable to the trained eye never mind the customer.
Corner recesses are to be avoided. I do anyway and always have. If I have no choice then I can do one of 3 things.
1, apply the graphic across the valley. So it hovers the gap. Take the app tape off & run your thumb round the ridge of the valley. This will tighten the vinyl.
Slit it in the middle and let both sides fall in middle. Next
Take a sharp knife and do a series of slits all round the corner. You should be left with the vinyl hanging like fingers on both sides.
One by one, rub sides down firm with a wet bare thumb. So as to keep the vinyl snug and tight to sides… each finger will overlap slightly.
Once this is complete on both sides you will find the ends of the vinyl fall short of touching the vinyl on the opposite side of the valley.
At this point I would cut back each side neat to the bottom edges of the valley. So you are left with the valley base with no vinyl at all.
Now take some backing tape and cover the corner.
Draw the shape of the corner on the tape.
Take the tape and stick it to some spare scarp vinyl & cut it out by hand.
Place the cut template in the valley and apply with your thumb.
After this trim any excess vinyl that doesn’t look neat.
Next give it a heat 3 times…

2, depending on how deep the valley was & if I were using 751 series oracal I would apply like above
and take of the app tape.
Heat and stretch the vinyl in using my thumb with a cotton rag round it…
Once stretched in and heated hot. I would leave it to cool. O
Once cool heat again but this time warmer…
Once cool, repeat one more time.

3, if the vinyl was a large panel and the customer wanted it spot on and wasn’t shy on paying for what he wanted I would buy vehicle wrap in for the job.
Basically applying like above

After trying to type this I have decided I will add this to my list of demos i’m doing.
Next couple of demos will appear next Sunday…

[Timmy Mallet]

Thanks for the reply Rob, I think the only way to find out is to get some off cuts and start by sticking it on me own van. Should be interesting…

Timmy

[Henry Barker]

Hi Timmy,

Rob has given you some good tips I like to use the whole van side if possible ignoring, window pressings etc, although its abit more work.

I tend to use cast vinyl on those type of jobs to avoid shrinking that you get with calendered vinyl, or cut out a bit in the bend and put an extra bit in.

I saw a design Mike had done here for someone and used an idea for that on these backdoors, I had a nice surface for the logo I had done on the sides, and then used it in grey on the back with a smaller version down below.

The customer was pleased and I think it worked quite well as a last minute thought.

[Timmy Mallet]

Thans Henry,

Nice job to, ok a real daft question comming here. I use oracal 651 & 751 is that cast or calendered, never had the guts to ask before. 😳

Timmy….

[Martin Pearson]

Timmy, oracal 651 and 751 are both callendered vinyls, there are basically two different sorts of callendered vinyl monomeric and polymeric. Cheaper callendered vinyls tend to shrink quite a lot, dont conform to any shape very well and tend to be less colour fast. The more expensive callendered vinyls are made slightly differently and dont shrink as much, conform to some shapes and have a longer life span. Cast vinyl is made completely differently and has next to no memory therefore there is almost no shrinkage, it is also much more conformable than most vinyls and has a much longer life span.
Hence the difference in prices, at the end of the day you get what you pay for, thats why if you quote a job properly using the right materials and the customer says he can get it done much cheaper up the road you know the other company are using the wrong materials.