posted
Shep, the resin is shot through a needle-like dispenser and onto the film, then it flows out towards the edges of the film and surface tension keeps the resin from spilling over.. unless yer like me and get a little frisky, then it spills over anyways. I put up a few pages on my site to show how the kit arrives, plus a few more sample images. http://stickerpimp.com/doming/doming-kit.htm
Alan, the resin I got is Loctite brand. They recently started making resins for this and are offering free sample kits on their website. They send you a 50mL cartridge of resin, two mixing nozzzles, and an adapter to seat the cartridge in a standard caulk gun.
I havent picked a specific resin supplier yet. I'll probably source a few different places. The stuff I got from Loctite is EXTREMELY flexible.. I had about a 1/16" thick dome on a test sample and after a full 24 hour cure, wrapped it tightly around my finger.. that would be nice for curved areas. Sometimes though, I'd want an absolutely rigid part and Loctite doesnt offer a clear urethane with that property, so I have some other sources for it - None of which are companies marketing their resins specifically for doming, they're just insanely overpriced. Epoxy resins are NOT on my list, epoxies are not UV stable at all so they wont do for outdoor applications.
As far as pricing, not sure yet. I have to get more resin and play around some more, but it's going to be a minimum of 100% over what I charge for a normal decal... It'll be more for something semi-involved, like doming cut lettering. My mazda logo was pretty easy, but I also did that dodge logo and I had to use the tip of my tweezers to break the surface tension so the resin would flow into the corners - slightly more time intensive there, although not too bad considering I got it done within the 10 minute gel-time of this resin.
Chris, you are gonna have a ball with this stuff.. just cut a good sheet of logos like I did and have them ready to go.. since there's only two nozzles supplied in the kit, ya only got two chances to use up the resin. Oh, after a few minutes of use, pump a good blob of resin through the nozzles into a trash can cause the stuff in the nozzle gels up, blocking the fresher resin behind it. The resin does go a long way, so it tends to gel in the nozzle before you use it up.
[ January 06, 2002: Message edited by: Mike Pipes ]
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
Hey Mike, go for it. These are some of my experiments with the stuff. Tip: use a heat gun & a superfresh exacto to trim near doorcracks, & test to be sure the epoxy isn't hitting anything with the doors fully open. Anyone with tips on how to apply this stuff bubble free would be a big help. I'm talking bubbles under the vinyl during final application. I can't tell until the next day whether it's down smooth or not. The spa sign saved me alot of carving though!
[ January 08, 2002: Message edited by: Jerry Steward ]
-------------------- Jerry Steward Sign&Print Bethlehem, PA Posts: 126 | From: Bethlehem, PA | Registered: Oct 2001
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Maybe the resin you are using is too stiff? The resin sample I got produced a very flexible graphic.. well... about as flexible as a 60 mil thick piece of plastic could be.
If you used a more flexible resin combined with wet application methods and a roller/brayer I bet that would help reduce the bubbles.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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