I just got a call from the local fire department. The caller said they just got a boat with "rubber sides" and they needed the word Rescue put on it. He said they would leave it inflated all the time. He asked what would work for lettering on this type of material.. I don't think vinyl will work, but I wasn't sure if One Shot with a flex additive would work, or maybe a silk screening ink.
Has anyone came across this type of project before? I haven't seen the boat yet, but he said they would bring it over as soon as they got license plates on the trailer.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time, Pam Pam's Signs
Posted by Ray Skaines (Member # 3702) on :
Hello Pam. I have been using advance's Hi-Pro vinyl screen printing ink for years with great results. However, it is not available anymore. From previous posts (Doug Allan) suggested Nazdar's GV (G is for gloss) series will work. I have a quart of Nazdar's VF (F is for flat) series that I intend to use on the next job that comes along. I will post in the future with the results. I recommend that the customer inflates the boat as much as factory specs allow. Because of expansion and contraction this keeps the lettering from stretching and cracking in the future. Good preping is a must. Never use any strong thinners because the chemical reaction softens the surface. I would give a good scrubbing with soap and water. Dry the surface and clean with Rapid Prep. Thin your ink and stroke it. Good luck.
www.srsigns.com Posted by Pierre Tardif (Member # 3229) on :
Tough question. I did letter bike seats or tire covers (which is some kind of rubber vynil) with Screen Printing Vynil Ink or Multi Purpose Ink in the past, but never a boat. Be careful of what kind of paint is applied, it can damage the rubber on a long term period and void the warranty, those boat cost a lot!! Why don't you refer to the boat manufacturer of what kind of paint or ink can be applied.
Posted by Pam Eddy (Member # 1858) on :
Thanks for the responses.
I was so involved with "what to use" I didn't get to the part of "what dare I clean the surface with" good ole soap and water, eh. Sounds safe to me.
Also, a good point about the effects the lettering might have on the rubber down the road. I will find out who the manufacturer is and call them. You may have saved me from paying the price to replace a rescue boat some day.
Once again, the knowledgable people at this website have come up with answers to problems that could turn into bigger problems if we didn't interact with each other. So worth the yearly taxes to support the site.
Any other comments on this project would be greatly appreciated. I really want to do things right for the local fire depts. It's not like they have a lot of extra money to fix my mistakes, and neither do it. I'm kinda surprised how tight the budgets are for the fire departments and law enforcement agencies.
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts on the subject. I will check back later after I get this van painted (lettered).
Pam
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
ive lettered a couple of these.....clean with a soap and water,prep-sol or 100% alcohol. paint with 1 shot.....will stay on good....the ones i did where right on the water all the time.
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
Ronan makes an acrylic brushing color that works good It also works well on vinyl tire covers...
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
Pam...
Great timing with this post. I just looked at a vinyl inflatable slide, like you see at fairs & festivals. It's pretty much like a boat as far as construction goes. I was wondering about using vinyl ink on it. I don't use ink very much, but as I recall, it appears to melt into the surface a bit. I remember seeing humps in vinyl tire covers where the lettering "bit" into the material. I didn't want to have the paint weaken the inflatable. I had considered using frog juice to prime then 1-shot, but this thing gets taken down and put up almost daily, so I was worried the 1-shot might crack with age. The reason the owner called me was that he had just paid some company a bunch of money to refurbish it, which supposedly included repainting the existing graphics which are faded. When he got it back, only half of it had been repainted, and it looked to me like someone had used oil=based paint, or perhaps 1-shot, but without any sealer. So what was happening was the new paint still has a tack to it and I suspect plasticizer migration as the culprit.I would like to use the vinyl ink, but am worried about it weakening the material. Also I was gonna ask if anyone knew any tricks to help that vinyl ink brush on a little better. Also am wondering about coverage, especially white and yellow over a lt. turquiose.I have this address for the vinyl manufacturer and was going to call them in the morning. Perhaps your rubber boats are vinyl similar to this, www.playritefabric.com Posted by Pam Eddy (Member # 1858) on :
Well, I'm starting to feel a little better about this project. Glad to hear others have come up against similar tasks. I just think I'm getting a handle on what's what in the sign world and someone always comes up with a new challenge. Guess it keeps life interesting.
Thanks for the input.
Pam
Posted by mike meyer (Member # 542) on :
hi Pam....I did a Rubber Boat about 8 years ago, I used Deka water base paint. It's not made any more. I have been using Ronan Aqua Cote with good results. I wiped down with Soap and water, still looks great, 8 years runnin'!
Mack has some awesome water based brushes I use, check em out!
Posted by Ray Skaines (Member # 3702) on :
Hey Jeff. Using the Advance vinyl inks over the years I have thinned with T-920 thinner to brushing consistency. The thinner I presently have is Nazdar VF192 (Low Odor) Scren Ink Retarder. I have not used it on a job yet. Lee's Screen Process Supply here in Houston says Nazdar VF or GV is the ink to use for inflatables. As did Doug from an earlier post. So I'm going with their recommendation. As far a coating white on a darker backgroud it may take two or three coats. Nice thing about it is the inks dry fast so you can recoat pretty quick.
Posted by Pam Eddy (Member # 1858) on :
Thanks for the help. It's good to hear others have worked on rubber and have had success. I will contact the manufacturer once I see the boat. They may or may not have recommendations on what to use, but I will have your advice to go by if they don't have a product they recommend.
Thanks for taking the time to answer this question, I know it's a busy time of year for everyone.
Pam
Posted by Jeremy Vecoli (Member # 2278) on :
I have painted rubber boats and giant inflatable slides, I use Flex-Art waterbase polyurethane vinyl paint, which is the standard for recreational inflatables.
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
I have done several of these and noticed they often come with vinyl on them, usually some identification of the manuufacturer. I also know these are rather expensive and have been afraid of solvent migration and penetration, that could make a weak area and become the demise of the rescue. I've used reflective vinyl on most of them and used high performance vinyl for numbers. They've been on for several years now.
Many years ago, I put some vinyl letters on the inside of some windows and painted on outlines backing up the entire letter. Later on I read that 1 Shot won't stick to vinyl. Well it worked on that job eighteen years ago that is still in good shape, but if I did it once I had the information that it won't work, it would fail. This has proved true, leading me to a conclusion that God gives an extra measure of grace to the ignorant!
