will i layer up vinyl first in workshop?

[Robert Lambie]

It is possible, but not advised mate.
If the vinyl sat on top of each other like a pyramid does then yes.. you could try it..
But i am guessing the vinyl will be like, 3 layers in one area, then two in another etc..
This will cause you bother trying to get the air/water out completely without lots of bubbles appearing.
Either way I would say no. But that’s just me..

If you want to try it then be sure to apply it with a felt squeegee. They are far more forgiving with multi-layers on glass. So ide reckon much the same on a van.

Best of luck mate..

[Steve Lamb]

Without seeing the graphic to be applied its a bit tricky to tell you, but absolutley do not put all layers together on the bench.
I think this problem popped up a couple of weeks ago, if you try to apply more than one layer of vinyl onto any substrate you will get a bubble surrounding the lap area of the film and it looks awful. If the area to apply is flat, then wet apply a layer at a time, make sure the previous layer becomes fairly tacked or the next layer on that one may want to come off…!! take it easy mate.

[Martin Pearson]

Martin, couple of things you need to watch out for here, we do a lot of work like this as we dont have a printer so most of the graphics we do are built up, sounds like you need a bit more practice as you can do these quite quickly once you have done a few. I’m sure Mike would agree on that with some of the things he has done.
Are the layers of vinyl to be placed on top of each other ? If they are you are best doing all the application work on the vehicle, use clear application tape to make it easier to line up graphics and dont worry about what people say about using clear tape wet, we do it all the time and havent as yet had any major problems. If you lay up graphics like this on the bench and apply as one you will have all sorts of problems trying to get air or water out.
Or is all the vinyl cut to butt up at the edges so you end up with one flat vinyl image ? If you have done it like this it is easier to make it up as one and then apply but the problem comes a couple of months down the road when the vinyl starts to shrink a bit and there are loads of gaps appearing which show the bodywork through.

[Sparky]

Martin,

we would always make the graphic a layered one first (even if it means duplicating it, adding a small outline, changing to one colour & welding the lot), then lay it all up in the workshop. Fitting onsite is then kiddies stuff even for a complicated one.

[Mark Horley]

Martin
Waht we would do is lay the first piece on to the van dry (assuming that this is a full background) then lay the other pieces on wet using registration marks. vinyl sticks ok to vinyl after being wet and you do not have to wait for any drying etc etc. we also tend to do slight inline & outlines to allow for any variation from cutting, which if your using a friction fed machine seems to happen alot.?

[Martin C]

The Bulk of the logo is 3 letters ‘GRS’ with an offset shade. The first ‘lay’ is the black background letter with the black shade. The second a complete conventional white letter that sits about 3 mm inside the black which is easy enough to line up by eye although I do use registration marks/boxes as well. On top of the white is some pale blue detailing and butting up to the white (again on top of the black) some navy blue shading! The whole sits on top of a pale blue strip and some printed graphics!!!

My main problem is time…..I ain’t quick’, it’s a Sunday job while the Vans are off the road and so far a single vehicle has taken me 5 hours to do. This weekend I HAVE to do 2 to finish the job.

If I can’t do it on the bench first I may have to get a hasty print job done tomorrow and hope this will look as good?

[Mike Brown]

Martin, are you using clear application tape for the various layers??? – should be easy enough…

also, where you say you have a blue piece to ‘butt up’ to the lettering, why not edit this blue bit to go under the lettering – then simply plonk the letters on top of it?…

you could email me the item quickly and let me see if I can edit it to make it easier to apply…

email: mikethesign@btconnect.com

more soon

mikethesign

[Martin C]

Thanks Mike, I’ll forward it to you. Much appreciated.

I don’t think there’s much bebefit in underlaying the blue………..

[Steve Thurlow]

Martin,
I’ve had a similar problem with a small fleet of vans, the logo is 3 colour, red, white & blue. Red box, white letters with a blue drop shadow, and a blue border round the red box. Each van has 4 of these blighters.
I have tried various ways of saving time with these logos, the quickest by far is:-
1. Apply the blue box first – Dry (it meant marking up the van & having spares just in case of wind or bug problems) (no fart jokes please)

2. Apply Red with text & shadow cut out – wet – this also incorporated the blue outline.

3. After applying all other van graphics lay on the white ‘SCS’ by eye with clear app tape.

I did try putting the logo together on the bench before site work, but the bubble problem was V ugly, took me valuable time to put right.
I hope my little logo problem gives you food for thought,
Good luck with the job mate.
Cheers Steve

[erik]

Why the bubbles apears if you are doing it on the bench in one piece??

[payads]

Hi
Appears to me that a lot of time is wasted by creating van graphics in layers, applying wet / dry etc. (each job has its merits for dry/wet)
I believe that a job like you are describing would be best produced by an edge. Everything is created on one layer hence no problems with layers.
Appriciate that different cpeople use different printers/plotters etc.
Can the graphics be produced by an edge owner, they may cost you and client more, but saves a heck of a time. (!)

Time is money, less problems to contend with.

Frank

[Simon Clayton]

I’ve laid up jobs before, three layers.. not many problems, the main one was getting the backing paper wet, when this happens, it doe’s come off easy with lots of bits being left on the vinyl and having to pick them off with a scalpel

Simon

[Paul Goodwin]

I started one yesterday , multi layered pictures on a van, finished it today, the base layer (black) i applied wet ( yes i chickened out 😥 ) and all the other layers i applied dry with no problems, or so i thought.

Customer brought it back today to be finished, and on one side he pointed out a load of small bubbles, ( i’m thinking application fluid) and on the other side it was fine in the morning but at 2pm bubbles had appeared. But last night when i dropped it back to him there wasn’t a bubble in sight, so i’m thinking either it is fluid that i havn’t got out and it’s congrigated into a few areas or outgassing which i believe does occur (can someone put me straight on outgassing please 😕 )

I’m hoping that in a coupel of weeks it will settle back down, but i am a bit perplexed as when i did drop it off there wasn’t a bubble in sight. If it doesn’t i’ll have to refit it.

Any way back to topic lay up on sight with reg marks ( you do use more vinyl if there is only a small area in one colour ) It’s easier ( if u dont get those damn bubbles.

[Bill Dewison]

Just finished a hire van this evening, and I sort of laid it up prior to the job. I cut the main colour with an extra large weed box, laid the other colours onto the backing paper, then applied the app tape. It just saved me a little measuring up. It wasn’t multi-layered though, only multi-coloured. I just assumed laying up multiple layers would cause more problems than it was worth. 😕

:wave3: 😆 Sorry, just noticed all the new emoticons 😆 😆 :blush: :drama: :uksbrules:

Cheers, Dewi

[Robert Lambie]

quote :

(can someone put me straight on outgassing please)

i would advise a large glass of andrews mate.. breaks it down there and then. youll back fire for an hour or so, but will be clean as a whistle for the rest of the day. 😉

ahem…
who said theres ladies present? 😳

[Paul Goodwin]

I duuno it was quiet with out that Lambie bloke here :headbang2: