posted
Hello, So here is my first burning question. When my dad used vinyl for lettering, he always finished with Spar Varnish to seal the edges on the vinyl. Makes sense.
But I don't particularly like the yellow cast this gives the finished job... but hey, he has 50 years under his belt... but that might not include the latest techniques and products.
I must admit, the few signs and lettering he did for my business have lasted over 5 years and except for very thin letters, most have adhered very well.
How do you seal, or do you seal, the edges of your vinyl application? What product do you reccommend?
-------------------- Mindy Cassingham Way Out Ideas, LLC 182 W Main Street Green River, Utah Posts: 13 | From: Green River, Utah | Registered: Jul 2004
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Welcome to Letterville, even though I haven't been here long either. I have never sealed the edges of anything I've vinyled. I only use high performance vinyl and have only had one problem with adherence. I did a sign for a church and installed it myself using plastic drive rivets. In a few months the pastor called to say the vinyl letters were peeling at the edges. I hurried over and, sure enough, the letters were peeling. On close examination I noticed something like a clear or varnish over the sign, including the rivets. Some well meaning soul had decided to help the sign last by giving it a good coat of something to help seal it. Didn't work! And of course, everyone denied doing it. I replaced the sign at no charge, but I hand lettered that one. That really made me gun shy when it came to putting anything over the vinyl. I have noticed that someone does make a marker-like pen for sealing edges so it must work for someone.
Don't know if this helps or confuses...but, hey, its been a long, unfruitful day here in the wilds of the Ozarks...whatta ya expect...;o)
Jack "Did I spel that write?"
-------------------- Jack Keith Keith Signs and Graphics 12400 Stemmons Drive Cabool, MO 65689 Posts: 131 | From: Cabool, MO | Registered: Feb 2004
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No need to seal either 2 mil cast or 3 mil calendared vinyl at all. Thye are manufactured to stay where they are put for the expected lifetime of their application.
NOW...obviously if you are worried about prying fingers picking away at the edges, you could spray a clearcoat to hinder the vandals, but for everyday, regular applications it isn't needed at all.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
Unless there are some very unusual circumstances or you are using SignGold 22K film, which requires edge sealing, there is no need to seal. If you are using high performance cast vinyl film, the clear will break down long before the vinyl. In general, trying to edge seal will create more problems than it will ever prevent.
Once, a job superintendent called saying the building ID signs we installed at an apartment complex had letters bubbling and peeling a week after we installed them. I went out and sure enough, the lettering looked awful, the screen printed logos were blurred and the signs had a dingy yellow look to them. I got suspicious when this supervisor did not want me to go up a ladder and check the signs closely. I did so anyway and found out he had varnished all the signs after we put them up. The spar varnish and whatever he used to reduce it with had wrinkled many of the letters and eaten into the ink used on the printed decal logos. There were leaves, dirt and roller lint stuck in the signs. He ruined $5000 worth of building signs and they wanted me to replace them at half price. I refused and they bought some really terrible looking things from a local quicky sticky shop that in no way went with the theme we had designed for the property.
This same customer “saved” $500 on the monument sign by having his low price stone mason do the structure rather than us, although we provided the materials for his mason to use. A year later, the sign and the adjacent columns were leaning in three different directions. The sign face was off plumb by about 30 degrees. They called me asking a price to fix it. I told them they should call a foundation company. I related that I didn’t know how to fix it but I could have prevented it for $500. The money conserved was false economy.
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5095 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Hoozah! 2 no-need-to-seals. Thank you gentlemen. I have resisted sealing the few items I've put up in the last couple of weeks.
It's funny, I don't want to insult my dad, question his authority (odd how some things are just not outgrown...) - so I am really grateful for your input.
-------------------- Mindy Cassingham Way Out Ideas, LLC 182 W Main Street Green River, Utah Posts: 13 | From: Green River, Utah | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Gee David...I thought my horror story was bad...but the manager guy sounds like a real clever, helpful person. Don't blame you for not re-doing. I did it cause it wasn't a big job, I could replace it quickly, and I didn't want the reputation in our small town that the "church-lady prayer circle" would pin on me if I didn't. I did charge them enough on the next job to compensate so all wasn't lost.
Jack "Did I spel that write?".
-------------------- Jack Keith Keith Signs and Graphics 12400 Stemmons Drive Cabool, MO 65689 Posts: 131 | From: Cabool, MO | Registered: Feb 2004
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""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3489 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Thanks again so much - I was nearly certain that it just wasn't required, but without asking the pros, all I had was the bad info.
My father being a hand letterer just didn't like vinyl, and didn't work toward getting the best technique down. I now live too far from my cousins, so I am SUPER glad to have a such an awesome group to learn from.
I'll help where I can on website and adobe info - I've got those down pretty well over the past 8 years.
-------------------- Mindy Cassingham Way Out Ideas, LLC 182 W Main Street Green River, Utah Posts: 13 | From: Green River, Utah | Registered: Jul 2004
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