posted
Using Oracal 651 on a flat truck window and on a corplas sign. Size apr. 12"x12". Temp 60 to 72. Dry application. Cleaned both surfaces with water. gold squeegee. Premasked with a piece of 3/4" tape running vertical to hold in place. I feel that I am doing everything right. But apparently not. I am getting alot of small bubbles. I read the book (Vinyl Graphics How-To), but I must have a chapter missing. Need some basic guidence, (soon)thanks... Jim
Are you getting bubbles on the window or the coroplast or both?
I would do a horizontal hinge myself. Prep with Rapidprep. I donno about the straight water thing. Is your squeegee new? If not, I think I would venture to say that the squeegee has nicks in it. Dress it up with a piece of 400 grit sandpaper.
Many tiny bubbles will leave when they are good 'n ready to.
Hope I helped some.
-------------------- Mike Berry New England Posts: 534 | From: New England | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Apply dry using FIRM PRESSURE with the squeegee. Don’t let your vinyl touch the substrate until it is applied with the squeegee. Also, the back of your vinyl sheet may be picking up and transferring a little dust from wherever you have it before actually hinging it into place. These small dust particles would also look like bubbles. Hope this helps. John
-------------------- John Weber 3863 Buckskin Rd. NE Carlos, MN 56319 800-853-7051
posted
Heres my advise; 1- 12"x12" is not large enough to need to fool around with a "hinge".
2-Everything and anything MUST be cleaned, now what and how you clean is MOST important. The Rapid products are "designed cleaners" in that, they only leave "compatible residues", also important ,use only "cheap" grocery store paper towels to wipe,(others have chemical contents, and cloth usually has as well).
3-doing wet on glass/coro/etc., can be a matter of measuring where to put it, mark it, clean it, spray again, remove liner, lay it, squeegee with "firm" preasure, spray top surfase of trans tape, wait 2 minutes, remove trans tape, go home!
4- this may be acheived in temperatures as low as 20degrees f. THATS RIGHT!
Want FREE samples or more info./ e-mail your street address to mail@rapidtac.com or visit my site www.rapidtac.com
Roger
-------------------- Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated 186 Combs Dr. Merlin Oregon 97532 Posts: 3020 | From: Merlin Oregon | Registered: Dec 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
All of the advice above seems to cover the problem in everyway. Let us know how it turns out. Fortunately, good vinyl is nice to work with since we can take it off and put back on in most cases if it hasn't tacked up yet. That's the part I love.
When I have had the trouble of many small bubbles, it is for the mostpart the dust that has found it's way to the back of the vinyl in transit from the vinyl backing as it is in midair or upon hinging. And sometimes, I have had to take the vinyl and wipe it down again by spraying more solution on the back,( almost rinsing )after I pulled it off due to the problem, then reapply.
I normally get some kind of chunk of dirt or small hair or road dirt behind when working in any place that has any airflow. Just by lifting an edge I an usually get it out. Your problem will probably be solved by the other instructions in the posts before mine, though.
Just wanted to add: be careful if you are "reapplying the vinyl without tape, as a squeegee will scratch the surface, but you probably already know that.Good Luck!!!
[ November 06, 2003, 02:50 PM: Message edited by: Deb Fowler ]
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Three things, I can think of: On Coroplast, always keep your squeegee parallel to the lines. Don't MOVE it parallel, but across the lines. Keep your strokes short and overlapping, and slow down. I've had a young employee who always got tons of bubbles, before he finally learned to move that squeegee slower. As for the glass, I would suggest, you take Roger's advice. Good luck, hope this helps.
posted
Great place to ask questions...! Great answers, print them out & refer to them constantly. Unfortunately, often a word or phrase here or there is left out of the explanation, and all those who know how to do it, understand it fully, not knowing something's absent, while all those who can't yet do it, can't quite figure it out either! Unfortunately also, you're still stuck in a learning curve, and experience is at the other end. It still comes down to practice, practice, practice- at your own, or your customer's expense! After a while the penny will drop, and you'll see how to minimise bubbles, wet or dry. We all still seem to get them from time to time, too, but follow the advice above!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I see alot of bubbles winding up in customers graphics because they do a 'sloppy job' masking the graphic before application.
That is, if you get bubbles in your mask, you will get impressions in your vinyl upon application, regardless of how good you are. The bubbles in the premask/vinyl layer don't allow you to get your 'intimate adhesion' between your vinyl adhesive and the substrate. Ditto with 'ghosting' of lines from your tables, cutting mat, whatever your vinyl is on when you mask it. These tiny marks may show up in your applied vinyl as well.
I always found glass to be a tough application. Rapid works great.
And, ditto what Lotti said. If you're getting bubbles etc when applying to CORO, try going at 90 degrees to what you've been doing. I usually recommend to apply ALONG the flutes instead of across them...
posted
Just because your squeegy is new, it doesn't mean there might not be a nick in it. Slide the edge of it lightly along your bottom lip. If you can feel any rough edges, sharpen it by rubbing that edge along the grooves of a second squeegy.
Suelynn
-------------------- "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot
Suelynn Sedor Sedor Signs Carnduff, SK Canada Posts: 2863 | From: Carnduff, SK Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
I was going to try to explain in more detail how to sharpen a sqeegee, but I realized I couldn't do it without a picture. So I made one and posted it with a new topic title. (I remember somebody trying to explain it to me over the phone once, and I had NO CLUE what he was talking about until I saw it on a video.) I hope this helps out.
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks to all for the help. I have been practising laying vinyl wet. It seems to help alot. I suppose when I get it down using the wet method, then I will (hopefully) be good enough to do it dry.
posted
Try using a a rivet brush on the coro signswhether you're doing it wet or dry,you can sharpen the squeegee till it gone and not get in the ridges of the coroplast as well as you will with the rivet brush ....and make sure you wet the premask b4 you pull it off.
-------------------- Gavin Chachere Plotter in the garage,New Orleans La.
"Sgts Shugart and Gordon again request permission to rope down to crash site two" Posts: 1223 | From: new orleans.la. | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
You can clean the substrate until you're blue in the face, but if the vinyl backing paper is fouled, you may end up with chunks and bubbles. Ask me how I know...
I make it a habit to wipe the backing paper before it gets anywhere near the substrate.
Good luck!
Cher.
-------------------- Co-Host: SANDCASTLE Panel Jam 'a Dixie Letterhead Reunion' Fort Myers, Florida
Cheryl Lucas a/k/a "Shag" on mIRC Vital Signs & Graphics, Etc. Cape Coral, Florida 239-574-4713 VSignsNgraphics@aol.com Posts: 987 | From: Cape Coral, FL USA | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, I'll probably get flamed for this but here I go; Corc "wet applications" are easy enough that I had my grandaughter doin em when she was 6 or 7, and I'm very meticulate (no bubbles, no bridging over bottoms of flutes !!
I don't think you guys are getting the substrate wet enough, maybe try wetting more.
When I hear someone having trouble with nicked squeegees I can't relate, they don't seem to be as much a problem on wet apps.
And debri under the vinyl? well depending on the substrate "dry" can set up a "static" problem, which draws debri to your substrate, the solvent in my app. fluids actually takes this "static" problem away.
Jim, the statement about gettin good enough to do it dry is not necc. true, I have applied films of all kinds on all types of substrates since 1965, sure I can lay it dry, but I choose wet about 90 5 of the time. If its just a small decal(logo or verbage)Then I'll just slap it on dry, but anything over 12"x12" I lay it wet, no problems and not any more involved, I mean, you have to clean the substrate anyway?
The biggest reason for wet; Its like insurence in a bottle, those few times when you "missalign the film" if applied wet you can save it and not have to go back to the shop and cut new stuff, then theres the guarantee of the utmost in quality of the wet application! OK, I can feel the heat already !
Roger
-------------------- Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated 186 Combs Dr. Merlin Oregon 97532 Posts: 3020 | From: Merlin Oregon | Registered: Dec 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Roger In my opinion, your product has a good reputation all round. I hear folk many years in the trade give it good feedback. Good for you.. I mean that. If I was to apply wet I would only use fresh water though. But would probably advise anyone starting out & doing it regular to use your product as opposed to soapy water. I’m not kissing your products butt here.. Im only going on what I have heard and that is if it has to be wet then maybe your TAC juice is the way to go. Having said all this.. If professional vinyl application is your future goal, I would suggest doing it dry whenever possible. Over in your side of the pond, the weather is much warmer and I would think wet apps dry out much faster. Not here in the UK though… I have read on this site of folk using rapidtac for rivets etc.. My first thought is “eeeekkk” other than flat panel work I would never ever suggest any type of wet application. Especially vehicle wrapping.
Large/small flat applications can easily be done wet.. so if your having bother then your wasting money.. do it wet and get on.. anytime you find yourself twiddling your thumbs. Get some scraps of vinyl and practice dry applications.
Regarding the problem. Before starting to apply or even mark out. Wipe down the table area your working on with a damp cloth. Make sure your clothing has no loose fibres or dust on them. Clean down the substrate with a wet paper towel and dry. Before placing the vinyl near to the substrate wipe the rear carrying paper with a dampish cloth.. “Not moist wet” then the face of the backing tape. Mark & tape in place… Now try and remove the carrying paper and lay the vinyl with some pressure.
Remember as soon as you remove that paper there is a certain amount of static build up. If you have dust or fibres loose anywhere near your work it will jump straight onto it.
-------------------- Robert Lambie Glasgow Scotland UK
posted
Robert, get hold of "All Print Supplies" in Manchester. They will provide you with FREE samples of my product, then you'll know first hand why the weather in the U.K. won't make any difference as to "how long it takes to dry'.
Roger
-------------------- Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated 186 Combs Dr. Merlin Oregon 97532 Posts: 3020 | From: Merlin Oregon | Registered: Dec 1998
| IP: Logged |
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
THATS RIGHT!![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic