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I just got back from a customer's house. I did some vinyl lettering on his vehicle back in November.
The logo looks great, (well, everything except one particular color.). The h/p gold metallic looks like I used Vaseline for application fluid.
I've got rolls of various colors all over the place.
How do you know when it's time to throw them out? (other than when your customer calls and say's that he was expecting them to last a little bit more than two months on his vehicle).
-------------------- Great White Signs Logan, Ohio
"All signs now come with new and improved vinyl." jimw@1067wwtl.com Posts: 53 | From: Logan, Ohio | Registered: Jan 2002
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Jim....expect no more than 2 years vertically stored shelf life on cast vinyls....believe it or not, the adhesive will migrate due to gravity....and constant temperature/humidity changes can shrink/grow the liner and eventually cause issues.
I'd take a marker and right the date on the inside of the core the vinyl is wrapped around....assuming you're getting fresh stock from your supplier.
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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if you got vinyl...older then 2 years...in most basic colors....you aint doin enought work or buy to much vinyl at a time. for special colors i buy 10 yd rolls. customer pays extra which covers the cost of vinyl. i use what i need for his job, whats left i keep(sometimes 3 yrs)and if it wont stick, then i toss it. ive had vinyl more then 3 years and its still useable. my basic color intermediates...and i buy 24"x 50 yd. dont last more then 6 months, some way less then that.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thats why I like to buy vinyl from Gregory. They carry Avery, 3M, Oracal and Trendfilm. Every roll is marked with a "use by" date for warranty purposes.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5396 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Interesting post...I have a lot of "scrap" vinyl and "little used vinyl (all stored vertically) and we use it from time to time to fill in shortages (some of it over 5 years old) and have never encountered any of the problems described here ...why is that?
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
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Monte....the air is thinner in OK, and gravity has less pull out there..
Could be several reasons...heat and humidity in the storage area...being the first to come to mind.
I too have used vinyl as old as you mention....2 years is generally the standard that a manufacturer will stand behind....not to say it isn't good longer than that.
Scraps layed flat will last longer than vertically stored vinyl.
Did you know that glass, such as that in windshields and home windows, actually sags over several years? The adhesive on a vertically stored roll of vinyl acts the same way. Gravity is unforgiving....
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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