WARNING, we have been getting calls from folks having bonding problems, CLEAR tape seems to come up in 90% of these situations.
I'm not sure if they all were the new at-60 (as was mentioned here recently)some were not identafied, but some were. It semms the adhesive on the clear breaks down when wet and travels or transfers to the substrate and ultimately under the vinyl at the time of application.
We have always advocated "paper tape" for wet applications, as soon as its placed on the wet substrate it becomes more "see thru" for easier registration.
Roger
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
It's not just the new stuff.
I haven't used clear transfer tape in well over a year, and when I did use it there was always a problem with the adhesive letting loose during a wet application. Makes it easy for removing the transfer tape but it also makes the vinyl slide around under the tape - I've had graphics literally slide right off the app tape before getting anywhere near the substrate.
I used to stand by the clear tape because it stretches, making applications around compound curves lay a bit flatter, but it leaves too much room for error on jobs I send out for the customer to apply when they use wet apps.
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
True Mike, and the other drawback is that in a wet application you need VERY firm squeegee strokes, the clear tapes seem to prevent a lot of preasure from getting to the graphic film, thus leaving some amount of liquid still under this film, preventing good imediate bond.
Roger Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
Just a bump-up, to make sure everyone sees this.
Roger
Posted by Paul Luszcz (Member # 4042) on :
I use TransferRite 1520 for applying SignGold, slightly wet, and I love the results.
I've not had any of the problems mentioned here and I can easily position the gold on a black "outline", seeing through the tape and the clear liner.
Posted by Sara Bogue (Member # 3227) on :
Wet applications work best with paper tapes so that the fluid can be absorbed into the paper. With film tapes the fluid stays trapped, and ultimately breaks down the water based adhesive on the tape, resulting in a gooey mess if you wait too long.
The key to success with clear tapes is "slightly" wet - and work quickly!
Posted by Tim (Member # 1699) on :
One more for "slightly wet" with clear tapes
I buy my rapidtac in the gallon and put it into a spray bottle that is adjustable to a very fine mist. I find I use far less this way, and still get the whole thing wet enough for ample slip time and quick squeegee and removal of tape.
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
As long as you get it wet enough to squeegee out the air, this has been an issue in the past. Sounds like the "fine mist sprayer" works in this regard. Some folks spray so little that they actually trap air between the drops of liquid.
Roger Posted by Lotti Prokott (Member # 2684) on :
I wish I would have read this before I went out on MOnday for exactly such an application. I only used clear tape in combination with Rapid Tac, because it was such a tricky registration. The vinyl wanted to lift when I was removing the tape and waiting longer made no difference. Liquid was trapped around every letter. After removing the tape very slowly, I had to press everything down again. I guess it worked out after all, but I wouldn't do it a second time.
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