i'd appreciate any tips and suggestions on how to apply 3M's 1150 Graffiti Protection material (its a thin overlaminate). The signs are 24" circles made from .080 aluminum.
the 3M people say apply DRY with a laminator... well, i don't have one. my salesman said "use a helper" and i don't have one of those either. i've got 25 signs to do.
my thought is to tape the material face down onto my bench, peel back the backing, and place the aluminum onto the exposed adhesive. i was thinking that by taping it down first i'd minimize its tendency to wrinkle or bubble.
Posted by pcbytes (Member # 1444) on :
Why not use the spray glue in a can that screen printers use to hold down T-shirts to the press as they print it should work better than tape. Posted by bronzeo (Member # 1408) on :
Scoot, Maybe you could use a slipsheet. A piece of wax paper to lay flat between your surfaces and pull it out as you laminate. It will usually not stick to sticky surfaces that are not wet. I have not tried it with that material. It works great with contact cements for countertops and such. It would depend on how agressive the adhesive is. Bronzeo
Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :
thanks - those are both good ideas!
Posted by Tony McDonald (Member # 1158) on :
Scooter, I use a hand roller about 4" wide for this type of thing. Hinge it, roll it down as you go and then run a knife around the edge to trim it. May work for you.
Posted by Dave Johnson (Member # 2535) on :
Scooter, I do this type of application all the time. I do have a roller but the process will work by hand also.
First off, yea it's very thin and will stretch and wrinkle easily so if it isn't pre-masked, I would apply transfer (application) tape to the clear.
If you start in the middle of the sign, any stretching will only have to be chased half way or less so ...
Flip the taped clear over and peal the lining about half way, cut the liner and fold the cut edges back about an inch and reposition and roll the loose liner back onto the clear.
Incidently, 3M recommends a 2" roller for this type of work.
Place the clear over the sign and use a roller to minimize any stretching or creasing and roll the clear onto the sign removing the backing a little at a time. If you use a squeegee, go slow using moderate pressure and overlap you strokes.
You don't want the clear to contact the sign until you apply pressure so keep it elevated as you work.
The idea of rolling onto a core works great and I do this all the time on longer signs that won't fit through my roller or have irregular surfaces.
It's also important to get your application tape down on the clear without wrinkles or bubbles.
Have fun with it. Try out a few methods on a scrap sign if you have enough material.
Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :
thanks for more tips. fortunately, the 3M stuff comes pre-masked, so at least THAT part is taken care of.
the one sample i tried to do was tricky. i'm not used to working on a circle -- there isn't much front edge to start with, so its hard to tell if you're lined up straight or not. i didn't think of rollng the laminate onto a core - that might help keep the pull even.
i'm using a squeegee followed by 4" plexiglas brayer.
Posted by Ian Wilson (Member # 177) on :
avery make an excellent antti Graphitti film that can be applied wet or dry and conforms beautifully around the letters I just use a hinge method by hand I personally do not like the 3m product wrinkle far to easy. Posted by kevinlandry (Member # 1352) on :
I cut it 6 inches wider than I need. I grab both ends and slowly drop it on top of the picture starting with a slight dip from the middle out. Then I squeegee from the middle out. Have done it this way many times.
