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Truck Graphics : Grahams Dairies
Hi folks
A few weeks ago while working on some contract work we have I decided
To give myself a little test. No real reason other than to see how well I would get on.
We have 100+ trucks to do. From a 7.5 toner to 18 wheelers…
Day in day out we do the rigid bodies of the box type trucks. The panel are about
180 inches long by about 90 inches deep. To make up the appearance of milk being poured we apply some blue panels as shown below.
The top panel is about 47 inches deep by 180 inches long. Normally we would apply this with a minimum of 2 bodies sometimes 3 if I have the spare hands. This time I thought ide try it alone without the help of any application fluids. (not that we ever use any) On top of this I was applying outside with a bit of a wind kicking up.
My progress is shown below…Pics 1,2 & 3
Show me beginning the work.
The most important part has to be the start. Having rolled the vinyl up pretty tight to allow me to hold it in one hand I rolled about 24 inches. I peeled the backing paper back from the rear and lined the vinyl up along the top only. Keeping the vinyl about .5 inches away from the top and perfectly straight I run my squeegee down the depth of the panel. This made sure that if kept the vinyl taught and applied nice and tight the vinyl will continue o run straight without the need to re-measure or keeping an eye on how straight it is at spaced intervals.
Pic 2 having just paused for a minute to give my “left” arm a break from holding the vinyl taught I proceeded to pull more backing paper from the back. This allowing me to carry on.
Pic 3 while allowing the backing paper to fall to my side I carry on working my way from right to left.
Pics 4,5,6, 7 & 8
By this time im 2/3 the way across. The vinyl starts to narrow and the backing paper is becoming heavy. I decided to pull off what backing paper I still had on the rear. Fold the vinyl back on itself to allow me to hold better and I carried on.
Pic 5, by this time I was almost finished but I had run out of length on the catwalk I was working on.. I completed this part by stretching over as shown.
Pic 6-7, I start to strip the application tape from the vinyl. (Right to left horizontally and at a slight angle)
Pic 8
Search for any small blisters you may have missed and pop them with your knife.
The first panel shown took me about 5 mins or so to apply.
I proceeded to apply the lower panel then the text on top of that. One complete side took about 30 minutes start to finish.
some finished vehicles shown.
red is never a good colour to apply onto blue. as you can see from pictures it doesnt stand out well.. funny enough, in the flesh the text stands out nice. “still, left to me i would have chosen something different.” 😉.
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11 Replies
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Mammoth job on your own Robert but I can see were your coming from one of the things that motivate me when doing repetitive jobs is settting time goals as to how quick we can get them done, trying to chip a few minuites of each fit. Setting goals on when you will get finished makes the day pass much faster.
and you get to take great shots of them all lined up afterwoods
Id of dug my heals in on the red on blue or shown it with a white outline or shadow. (what do mean its there corporate colours give it another 18 Months and re do the lot again 😉 )
Neil….
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hi gray
well spotted mate 😉 .
it certainly is better laying the bottom panel firts for water run-off.
due to the shape & size of the bottom panel, applying it first and getting it bang on every time would have caused me a few headaches.
i decided after about the second truck i would apply like above.
although there is great money in a fleet re-brand like this, time is “never” on our side. 😮 so constantly having to fix silly mistakes like a panel running down slightly can cost you in the long run.
once both panels are applied we run some heat along the small overlap join and rub firm with a felt squeegee. we do not heat the rest of the panel.as for getting bored with them.. i was fed-up after the 3rd.. 😆 😆
we do all the signage in the 3 dairies & 1 farm process plant that they have, so that gives me a break on the vans now and again. 😮 😮 😮i already have nightmares about these things..
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hi neil
your right mate.. we do try different ways regularly to try and get them done faster. the only part im not happy with at the moment is doing the rear but i have tried many ways and its not speeding it up any.. too much cutting round hinges etc.the colours.. yeh i did try white outline, shadows etc all got knocked back.
4 folk have the say and there was always one or two not happy.. so in the end i just went for what they asked.
ill probably be doing the lot all again in 18 months anyway, only a little different.. thats what has happend twice already. 😮 -
nice work if you can get it 😆
Neil..
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What type of squeegee are you using here rob?
I’ find getting the first part lined up to be the most difficutly part because even if you are only a fraction off, it won’t line up somewhere along the lines…
Also, out of curiosity, what do you charge this customer per van??
Gav
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Hi gav..
The squeegee in the picture is the new Avery one.. Rigid one side with felt strip on the other.
Im playing around with various squeegees week in week out at the moment, due to the fact im bring out my very own squeegee. Exactly when this will come about im unsure, as I have mixed opinions on exactly what we should expect from one of these tools. Ive been testing new & old for some months now.
Im looking for an all in one solution to them and thought Avery had come close. In my opinion the ideas good, but the finished article could have been better in a few ways.
Anyway.. For now i am a felt squeegee man.
When doing those panels i would have two felt squeegees (same kind) in both back pockets. One to use and another incase i drop one.
In this case i did, but i kept the Avery one as my spare.The cost? Well to be honest, your asking the wrong man i don’t know, as I do not do the pricing for our company. That, and due to the fact there are so many i would not guess..
We have been doing their work for 10 years or so now, i think that’s why we have always held onto the work every time a re-brand comes about. Well that and the fact we do a good job fast… 😉 -
Bloody good looking demo Rob. Tell me, can you describe ” folding the vinyl back on itself” I’m looking at the pic and I can’t quite see what you mean.
Cheers
Lee
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Thanks Leeroy
Well what i meant mate was by the time i had almost got to the end? The carrying paper was getting heavier and becoming a nuisance. So what i did was to strip it all out from beneath.
Having done that i still had a fair size of vinyl left to hold and i could not afford for the tacky side to fold in on itself and stick!
What i did was to fold it back so as the app tape was face to face and i had to actually hold the sticky side of the vinyl.
If you look close at my left hand you will see im holding the adhesive side of the vinyl.Hope this helps explain it a bit better mate. 😉
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Ahhh so Grasshopper… I see what you mean.
Ta
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Rob, could you have not torn/cut some of the application tape away to make it lighter for you? 🙄
Gav
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hi gav
the answer is yes but i choose not to do this for two reasons.1, im on my own, & messing about trying to tear/cut this away would have prooved a bit difficult. that and i thougt it quicker and easier to just take it away.
2, if you tear paper away and dont get a good/perfect tear then continue to pull the paper out from behind you run the risk of shearing the paper. this is a nightmare and leaves bits and peices of the paper still left on the rear even alhough the carrying paper has been taken away.a second pair of hands cutting away the paper with a stanley knife works but doesnt eliminate the problem. i have did this a few times with this contract and on one occasion i had to bin the panel and start again.
(in a perfect world, with spare hands and indoor application many more things are possible)
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