Who’s Wrapping & who cares?

[Iain Gordon]

I sense a “Deal” coming on
😀

Iain

[Robert Lambie]

:lol1: :lol1: :lol1:

nah, nothing like that mate, genuinly wanting to know.
it is really just as i say, more and more wrapping but are we taking all the right measures? if not why not?
just trying to get opinions both side of the fence. 😀

[Iain Gordon]

I dont wrap, and probably wont even try for at least 12 months

I have read a lot about it on the boards, heat this ,heat that, do it in teams of 2, all sorts of things…funnily enough i watchel the demo from Oracol this morning (about the 10th time, it facinates me), but at no point in the demo does it mention what temp the wrap needs to be at. In fact 1 guy does it by himself.

When i decide to start wrapping i will take notice of what is discussed on the boards and then decide which system i will use. Then i will take the training course for that particular system.

I feel that wrapping is a specialist service and that it is better to be a Master than a Jack of All.

If the course dictates that a thermometer should be used, i will use one. If it is more like “warm it till its like a cup of coffee” i will get the wife to make me a cup of coffee while i warm the wrap…Then i will have an instant reference….

Not sure if this is what your after Rob, but once i started typing i couldn’t stop

Cheers
Iain

[Nicola McIntosh]

hopefully by october i will be wrapping..well trying too 😕

ed’s butt has been kicked into shape and my new van workshop will hopefully be built before then…..but then again do pigs fly 😮 seriously i am itchin to give it a go… 😉

nik

[Robert Lambie]

nik remind me nearer the time, if i have time or if i can assist in anyway ill try to. cant promise but i have an idea which this could maybe help me too. 😀

[Robert Lambie]

quote fredthelad:

I feel that wrapping is a specialist service and that it is better to be a Master than a Jack of All.
Iain

thats a good way to look at it mate. my advice to anyone is dont go there till you feel confident enough to work 100% dry application with large vinyl sections. (thats if we are tallking full wraps) once you get there your next step could be wrapping. and why not? 😉

regarding the cup of coffee. well we will all know how hot a cup is when the kettle has just boiled. you can touch but hold it a couple of seconds and you roast you hand :lol1:

ill leave the thread going for now, just to try get more views opinions.

[John Childs]

We have only done part wraps, usually with Avery 900, and we do use a thermometer.

I intend sending a couple of my lads on a wrapping course sometime soon.

[Simon Bingham]

We use a laser thermometer, you need to if using Avery easy apply

You have to heat it to 90 degrees at the end.

DDI do a great course, spent a day with them at spandex

£250 pp but worth it. Plenty of time and material supplied to practice.

[David Rowland]

we have a hand-held one, fires a laser and reads off the temp. I must admit, I checked it on our digital printer, it was bang on! 😀

I think it was RS Components, under £80 i think.

[Paul Goodwin]

I use one when doing recesses now , heat to over 80 a couple of times.

Borrow mine from my m8 in the workshop i share , he got it from snap-on

[Robert Lambie]

i purchased one a while ago now. well few months to be exact. anyway. i wanted to take all the stops from our staff possibly underheating the film in recesses. how wrong was i? not only did they get it wrong, i recon on many occasions i was getting the heat wrong. “underheat” i mean.
i now take the vinyls upto 100-130 degrees, allow to cool natural then same again. this is in recesses only. not so much necessary on gentle curves, shallow compounds etc.

for the record: i have heard on several occasions the guy in the oracal video is one of the best fitters in the world. so of course its gonna look easy 😉

[Paul Goodwin]

how long do u keep it at those temps Rob? just bring it up then take heat away or hold it for a min or 2 then let the heat off?

it’s also a great tool to use to make sure your not about to take a mouthful of cold coffee :lol1:

[Robert Lambie]

i just take it up there for a few seconds mate, then again second time around. the problem i find when heating tooo long in one spot is that the vinyl reacts. not in a very bad way but noticable to your tight shiny areas around it.

[Marekdlux]

quote Mort:

it’s also a great tool to use to make sure your not about to take a mouthful of cold coffee :lol1:

Or if you are like me and don’t drink coffee…to make sure you beer is at perfect drinking temperature.
They have those temp gauges at my work. I love playing with it seeing what temp different things are…..make sure no one sees you pointing at a female co-workers @r$e though. 😮 Don’t ask me how I know.
-Marek

[Shane Drew]

I have not given much thought to this Rob. Perhaps I should. I usually go by the ‘feel’. Had very few failures in the last 5 years, but that could be more good luck than anything else I suppose.

You guys have got me thinking tho, might just have to go out and buy me a laser one.

As far as the Oracal fitter goes, I am told he is #1 fitter too. Oracal are flying him out for the sydney sign show in september. He is going to wrap a mercedes on the first day, and a BMW on the second.

I am flying down to check it out. I figure it will be worth the expense to see a ‘master at his trade’. Just trying to convince the missus that it is work related and not a ‘boys weekend’.

Which reminds me, must see who is in charge of the beer 😮

[Simon Kay]

Me 😀

[Rebecca]

Hi

We use avery easy wrap as well and use a heat gun with an adjustable temperature gauge, that can be set to any temperature.

With regards to wrapping course, i sent staff to avery in Holland.

Rebecca

[steve geary]

I’m Trying to push some wraps to my customers, but after reading up a bit on here maybe i’m not quite ready. Roberts Suggestion of mastering Dry application sounds like good advice. I’m still practicing Dry and have it down pretty well on coroplast and small signs on the table, but still scared with the bigger stuff I do on trucks.
For one thing, I don’t have a printer, but have got prints from a wholesaler a few hours away. Did two jobs with them so far and worked great, but the application was flat. The material was 3M contol tac – Laminated.
Have any of you used this? It is fairly thick, so i doubt if it’s specific for wrapping.
I don’t have much knowledge of the different vinyls yet…..

Any tips for me to keep educating myself, other than keep reading on here and take a course?

I have an 8′ x16″ Enclosed trailer that i want tt do for myself – how do you wrapping pros handle rivets and screws?

[Shane Drew]

Steve, 3M control Tac is a pretty good one to start learning on. The adhesive grid is made for dry application. I find the 3M does not go into deep recesses as good as the new Oracal 3951 tho.

I am doing a full wrap on a vehichle now in 3951, so should have a better idea by the time I finish, as I will have used both.

Cheers
Shane

[steve geary]

Thanks for the feed back Shane…
Keep it Comin’ Guys…. & Gals !

[Paul Franklin]

After a few hit and miss jobs on sprinters and getting quite a few partial wrapping jobs feel that we need to invest in a good laser thermometer.
Any recommendations?

[Robert Lambie]

there are some cheaper ones around, but i thought bugger it ill go for a gun type one, easy held directed and does the job spot on. some temp gauges have a max heat temp so be wary. you want it to go upto about 200 degrees

[Pryam Carter]

Where can we check out the oracal vid for the numero uno fitter?

[mgs]

When use use Oracal 3951 do you laminate it?
Its much easier with lamination , can control it better but I think it is more difficult to go in corners.
Here in Malta we use Oracal 3107 and KPMF vws, These are calenderd vinyles and there is always a failor in heavy corners. Also our wether is very hot.
We usaully make a fine cut in the corners so the vinyl wont lift.
When we started wrapping we where using 3951 and Mactac5529, propabbly we found that Mactac was more flexible and we used to apply liqiud lamination on the print.
But these cast media are very difficult to install. Even Oracal installer said this to me, and one of his tricks is the lamination which makes the vinyl become thicker and more stronger , that’s why he can handle it by himself…..(thers is the experience also behind).
This is the first time to hear about these thermometres, I will purchase one . And another thing is to adjust the room tempreture.

[Shane Drew]

quote mgs:

When use use Oracal 3951 do you laminate it?
Its much easier with lamination , can control it better but I think it is more difficult to go in corners.

But these cast media are very difficult to install. Even Oracal installer said this to me, and one of his tricks is the lamination which makes the vinyl become thicker and more stronger , that’s why he can handle it by himself…..(thers is the experience also behind).
This is the first time to hear about these thermometres, I will purchase one . And another thing is to adjust the room tempreture.

3951 is impossible to fit unlaminated. It is the thinest cast I have used, and fitting unlaminated would be a nightmare.

Shane