posted
what is the common thinking about graphics on leased vehicles? magnetics? or paint on paint receptive vinyl and peel it off after two years? or just vinyl-only? (in other words, what do i sell to somebody when they say "you can't paint a sign on my truck - its leased." ?)
------------------ :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: San Francisco :: :: don't blame me... i'm just a beginner ::
Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
Good question: I saw a post yesterday about vinyl graphics on Race Cars. jim@Summit mention "ProPrep". Was going to ask him about what exactly the purpose was. My assumption was it would be easily removed. Maybe Jim can explain it more in detail if this could be used for the same purpose. Gary H.
------------------ Gary&Dawn Hoopes SignCountry Overland Park, Ks. 913 831-1152
Posts: 40 | From: Overland Park, Kansas USA | Registered: Apr 2001
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You could hand letter clear vinyl then cut a contour around it with an X-acto, apply the premask then apply to the doors, if you dont have a vinyl cutter.
------------------ Mike Pipes Digital Illusion Custom Graphics Lake Havasu City, AZ http://www.stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
Do yourself and the customer a favor by using straight vinyl letters!As the TRUE definition of "Graphic" means Stark Contrast.ie a very graphic discription of the murder scene included the Blood and Guts of it all.As compared to...he died. Black Letters on a white background is "Graphic" or are you reffering to some sort of picture that has been mis-named as a "Graphic design" similar to a posterized cartoon? Either way straight vinyl is the way to go for easy removal when the lease is up. Hope this helps
------------------ PKing is Pat King of King Sign Design in McCalla,Alabama The Professor of SIGNOLOGY
Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Sell em' what you can get them to pay for (vinyl ... or paint/ink on vinyl ... or mags if they really want) And still use cast vinyl ... just because it's a lease doesn't mean it should look like crap in a year. We recently did a job for a brewery that leased 50 pt crusiers ... we screenprinted control tac for the graphics ... told them straight up removal would NOT be "easy" ... but if it was then what's the point in the first place. Cut, then paint, then weed. Paint lifting with mask wont be problem if said paint is compatable with the vinyl.
Also let them know that after a few years the paint will have a "ghost" image that is NOT your resposibility.
------------------ Designing... it's like an itch in the brain... an itch you can't scratch, that if you can figure out how to scratch it, it just itchs more
The only times I've ever had paint lift off the vinyl is when I was first starting out trying to put paint on vinyl.
Nowadays, I actually keep a box of 1500 grit sandpaper next to my cutter and I literally sand the vinyl before running it through the cutter. Get a good scuff on it. I scuff before cutting to avoid lifting the edges and getting vinyl dust/grit on the adhesive.
After cutting, I use Denatured Alcohol to prep the surface. The DA removes fingerprints, dust, dirt, any other oils and evaporates as quickly as you can wipe it on. I've also noticed that the DA leaves a dull (possibly etched?) surface behind. Try it on non-scuffed vinyl and you might see what I mean.
Now the vinyl is prepped and clean (took me longer to type that than it does to prep the vinyl.. hehe) and I use pretty much any paint, including waterbased acrylics, which I have never had any problems with lifting. I start with a very light coat, let that dry, then come back with a heavier coat until the desired coverage is achieved.
Then I clearcoat with either FrogJuice or Krylon Crystal Clear, and sometimes the aerosol clearcoats you can find at any auto parts store.
Frogjuice seems to yield more gloss with less material, and minimal "welding" the vinyl back together.
I weed as soon as it's dry to touch. It's still wet underneath but that makes it easier to weed without welding or peeling the edges of the paint up.
Then I like to give it two or three days to cure, just to be absolutely sure it'll be OK to apply premask and ship out. Most everything I do is shipped out so I dont try to rush painted/airbrushed jobs, and I let the customer know up front it's gonna take a few extra days as a precaution.
If you use screenprinting inks for vinyls, that stuff dries completely in minutes.. in fact.. I dont know why I haven't already bought more.. I got white ink for doing highlights and it works out great.
------------------ Mike Pipes Digital Illusion Custom Graphics Lake Havasu City, AZ http://www.stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I sold my first shop truck after 5 1/2 years of service with airbrushed vinyl on the doors. When I removed the vinyl the typical ghosts were sitting there plain as day. I took the truck to my fav body shop and for $25 a door he buffed them out. I scanned those doors at every angle in both sunshine and overcast and could not see where the vinyl was. I finally noticed some of the small letters at the very bottom of the doors when it was up on the rack during an oil change just before I sold it, but from ground level you could not see them at all. I figure he didn't spend quite as much time on the small letters at the bottom. By the way, it was a red truck.
------------------ Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 ICQ: 21604027 sherwood@up.net
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