what vinyl will i use im learning wrapping?

[George Kern]

quote Warren Beard:

Hi Guys

I want to learn to wrap vehicles but cannot do a course at the moment or for a while so want to practice practice practice.

Besides wrapping footballs & radiators and things I would like to wrap my wife’s car (an old ’94 Nissan sunny hatchback) I know it might take me a few tries until I get it all down right but would like to learn while actually trying the real thing.

My questions are;

1) Am I mad? 😮 *hair*
2) What vinyl must I use? I want to wrap it black only, no print. It must also be easy to use vinyl if there is such a thing. I read a post somewhere where Rob said one was easier to use than the other because the one needed very precise preparation regarding temperatures and the like.
3) How do I prepare the surface as I’m sure I will have to remove many years of wax & polish besides simply being very clean
4) Is wrapping each panel at a time a good idea or is doing the complete side at once the way to go?

In regard to your questions:
1) To be in this business, you must me somewhat mad :lol1:
2) There are many forms of easy application materials these days. Avery makes their EZ product line, 3M make their Comply product, Oracal has their RapidAir technology. I have used all 3 and they all have their pros and cons and major price differences. Surface temp is crucial in wrapping. . .period! Buy yourself an infrared thermometer to check surface temp, they are relatively cheap and work excellent.
3) You can prepare the surface using a diluted alcohol/water mixture (everyone has their own little concoction that says works better then the other guy’s) or you can buy some of the prep solutions.
4) Wrapping each panel on a car indivually should be a last if you cant find wide enough material for that vehicle. Trailers and box trucks are obvious exceptions with panel heights reaching up to 125" on some drop frame trailers, its good practice though lining up the tiles.

Hope this information helps.

[Warren Beard]

Thanks George

That will be a good start, my problem I think will be is that I have to do it outdoors so have to wait for good gaps in the weather. I will have to heat with a heat gun until it is the correct temp and apply. This is why I thought it might be easier to do panel by panel so I can focus on many small areas instead of one big area.

Thanks for the tips, and I am more than a bit mad :lol1:

Cheers

Warren

[George Kern]

What we do is keep one of these in our install van:

http://www.carportsusa.com/canopy-carports/11-14-feet/1032+1090+1137.cfm

You get some plastic and cover the opening in the front, get a portable space heater and a generator and you have a completely mobile install facility. They make them big enough for big trucks too, and it only takes about 30 minutes to setup. Im sure you could find a way to include this in your install price if there is no indoor facilities.

[Dave Harrison]

I like those canopies !

Check the wattage of your heat gun though. . I think my dewalt is about 2kw which means you need quite an expensive generator. I have been looking at having a diesel generator in the back of my van to run heats guns, lights etc.
It can be a real pain fitting onsite in the cold. if I don’t have power ( which I insist on having ) I’ll use an automatic blow touch, ( rothenburger etc ) but you have to be very careful with these, as its oh so easy to burn a hole in the side of someones van.

😀

[Richard Urquhart]

I have a generator in the back of my van, my heat gun is 2000w and the generator does not take up much room but i have to say this has been a life saver, not only do you save time running leads and finding electric but sometimes your no where near electric, I would not be without it
rich

[Dave Harrison]

Rich I’d be really interested in the details. . is it diesel where’d you get it from and how much did it cost !

[Andrew Boyle]

http://www.inest.co.uk/products/Pro-Use … ND_NEW.asp

you can pick this generator up at makro……..[use it more for cutting post to save digging the extra 300mm]

[Robert Lambie]

what sorta heat gun is it you use rich?

[Martin Pearson]

Rich, I couldn’t agree more although I didn’t get a generator to run a heat gun. I bought mine after fitting moulded letters to a shop front. The shop was being renovated at the time and had no power at all. It was a granite like material and flattened the battery on a cordless drill quite quick, had to go away to charge the battery about 5 times.
Its was great after that not having to worry if you would be able to plug an extension in so you could use power tools.

[Peter Normington]

screwfix also have a cheapo genie, but not recomended for constant use, Same as B&Q
Another alternative, buy an industrial invertor, and run it from your van battery

Peter

[Martin Pearson]

Trouble with something like that Andrew as Peter has said is its not really suitable for constant use and at only 2.3KVa it will struggle with a lot of tasks. Rich’s heat gun for a start would have it running almost flat out. You would be better of with something a bit more heavy duty if you wanted to use it on a regular basis or an inverter like Peter suggested.

[Phill Fenton]

Alternatively Warren, you could always brush on a tin of Dulux black gloss instead of attempting a vinyl wrap. 😕

[Andrew Boyle]

Martin, don’t know enough about it…..you’ll be right

I know that it can blow up a inflatable assault course and light an old castle and cut 76mm dia steel posts……that’s what I’ve used ours for 😀

[Robert Lambie]

quote Andrew Boyle:

I know that it can blow up a inflatable assault course and light an old castle and cut 76mm dia steel posts.

and thats just just staff training… :lol1:

[Martin Pearson]

Andrew, it’s not a case of being right or wrong, if your generator does all you want it to then it was right for you and why spend more money than you need to, just thought it was worth pointing out that if you were looking to buy one to use on a regular basis then it might be a better investment to get something a bit more industrial. i bought mine second hand as I wouldn’t have been able to afford a new one the size I wanted.

[Andrew Boyle]

my girlfriend falls out with me when I send her text messages…I’m a good guy ….. i think you’re right 😀

[Peter Normington]

quote Andrew Boyle:

Martin, don’t know enough about it…..you’ll be right

I know that it can blow up a inflatable assault course and light an old castle and cut 76mm dia steel posts……that’s what I’ve used ours for 😀

I would have thought a grinder or a saw, would be better for cutting posts….
Ive heard inflatables referred to as lots of things, assault courses, thats a new one 😉

Peter

[Peter Normington]

Sorry Warren, You seem to have had a couple of threads that have gone way of tangent, its all meant in good faith, but certain board members(never me 😉 )sometimes get carried away, dont let it put you off though, we try our best.

Peter

[Robert Lambie]

dont worry peter, ill break this thread up later so it keeps on track :lol1:
i am guilty too here… 😳

[Richard Urquhart]

Hi Dave your welcome to pop round and take a look its quite old but it is a makita one so its a good make it also runs a 12volt supply and 110 volt.
Rob the heat gun is a 2 speed standard looking heat gun.I have found the best way when using the heat gun is to go to the first speed then full as the pull on the genny is not one big kick, another great tool is my inverter whick i use to charge both my drills, phone , lap top etc etc
Dave it run’s on unleaded petrol mate
rich
p.s i will have a look to see its output settings

[Warren Beard]

quote Peter Normington:

Sorry Warren, You seem to have had a couple of threads that have gone way of tangent, its all meant in good faith, but certain board members(never me 😉 )sometimes get carried away, dont let it put you off though, we try our best.

Peter

Hi Peter

Thanks for looking after me, all these other bullies are sending me off in strange directions.

I think this solar powered generator I just bought is a waste then ? 😮 😕 😉

But seriously, I never thought of a generator until it was brought up in this thread so general mud flinging and chip chat can lead to some good thoughts and it’s always good to hear lots of different opinions, hints and tips. Phill should start a training course and teach all of us how to use his "special products" unless he just wants to share those drugs he’s taking :lol1:

So is that a YES or a NO on the wrapping outdoors in winter ? 😳

Warren

[Richard Urquhart]

B & Q are doing one thats about the same size as mine for a great price of £118 for a 2.3 kva how can they do it, however its a cheapo make but if it just for the heat gun cant be bad i still need to see how many kva’s mine is

rich

[George Kern]

-5000w Power Inverter (Backup for the generator, and good for when the laptop dies and to charge drills etc while on the road)
-Honda EM5000 Generator (Halogen work lights, heat-guns, space heaters etc)
-2HP Air compressor (air tools, rubber wheel decal remover, changin flat tires on the road, and the blow gun tool is great for cleanin out tough spots during prep)

I know some of this is totally overkill, but we got them @ a going out of business sale so it was completely worth it, and now we will have more power. . .just in case 😉

[Richard Urquhart]

And a very big van to get them in!!!! Nice set up though
rich 😀 😀 😀

[Martin Pearson]

Warren I hope you aren’t including me as one of these bully’s because I am a complete wimp !!!

As for the solar powered generator it depends where you live, in Scotland they are a complete waste of time but in other parts of the country where they have something called sun I believe they work better. At least you won’t get a lot of complains about the noise it makes as I have heard that they are almost silent at night.

[Warren Beard]

quote martin:

Warren I hope you aren’t including me as one of these bully’s because I am a complete wimp !!!

As for the solar powered generator it depends where you live, in Scotland they are a complete waste of time but in other parts of the country where they have something called sun I believe they work better. At least you won’t get a lot of complains about the noise it makes as I have heard that they are almost silent at night.

Hi Martin

No you are not one of the bullies 😉

I took the solar powered generator out today in the sun and it overloaded, I had it set on "winter" setting, who knew the sun would come out :lol1:

[Richard Urquhart]

OK my heat gun is 2000watts and the generator is 2.7 kva which i think works out to 2200 watts

[Peter Normington]

what?

[Richard Urquhart]

what ?