I'm in a jam with a short-notice customer for a panel of vinyl. I ordered some application fluid (I'm new to larger vinyl) but it's not here yet and the customer wants ASAP. Is there a substitute material I can use just until the commercial stuff gets here? I know that most fluid is denatured alcohol and detergent in some ration, but I don't know what else. Thanks in advance. Great site!
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
What size is the panel, are there rivets or corregation?
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
Just a dot of dish soap in a quart of water in a sprayer. Do not shake it, rather, just roll it so the soap is mixed well. Joy works best.
I personally never use application fluid, espevially around rivets or areas where moisture can collect. Others may disagree, but that old formula will work in a pinch if you're hell bent to use something. Good Luck!
Posted by Bill Diaz (Member # 2549) on :
We use the same thing but we add 2-3 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol to the mix and we use Ivory liquid for the soap. This also is a GREAT cleaner, windows, vehicles, etc.
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
Welcome aboard Steve, I gotta go with Pierre first - Need more info. Second with Rick, I almost never apply wet. I've never tried adding alcohol to a home brew positioning fluid, but Bill's idea makes sense. Adding alcohol will allow the fluid to evaporate quicker. Rapid Tac does a good job as a general cleaner and application fluid (it's better than home brew) and Rapid Prep is great for cleaning rivets. I'm sure Roger will give you the scoop about his products and send ya a free sample.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Make certain that the "Joy" or "Dawn" dishwashing liquid does NOT have any hand lotions in it....which is basically some kind of oil.....if it says "softens your hands" or "conditions your hands while you wash" or something to that effect.....DON'T USE IT. Use the straight old style stuff....
I generally use 12 to 15 DROPS of dishwashing liquid to a normal quart size sprayer. You can add a dash of denat alcohol if you want, but I never have. And when i say "drops", I literally mean "drops"....as in "drip=1, drop=2, etc until I get to 12-15.
And like the others said...if it's going on something with rivets, beware....you'll be working with it forever - dry is better generally in this case (my opinion).
Posted by Stephen Sill (Member # 4358) on :
Thank you, thank you, to each of you. You'll grin at my solution (BTW, No rivets, it's a plain Ford van) I poured a pint of Denatured alcohol in a spray bottle and added several tablespoons of Dish soap. (Yes, the kind with the promise of soft hands AND clean dishes) Joy, I think. No water at all. The resultant substance smelled good, allowed me to place the 12"x48" panel right where I wanted it, but, oh, the bubbles, and, of course, oh, the oily residue , and, especially, Oh, the semi-adhered panel that would've come off in the first rainstorm and still left enough lather to do a load of dishes! LOL
So now I'll go and mix up some substitute and do it right!
Fortunately I selected as my first victim, er, Truck vinyl customer, a good friend of mine who knew he was a guinea pig and has been patiently waiting for me to get my cutter and learn how to use it. Have been doing raised letter signs for 5 years and only recently expanded and added vinyl, so your input is deeply appreciated. You can see some of our previous work at http://www.oldcharm.com/Signs.html
Thanks again for your help!
Posted by Stephen Sill (Member # 4358) on :
Actually, I forgot to mention, the only reason I was hunting for application fluid at all was I was afraid of bubbles with all that unbroken surface. Everything I've done up until now was letters, and I have always applied dry. SO how do I make sure bubbles are eliminated if I work exclusively dry? The surface is squeaky clean and in perfect condition.
Posted by TransLab (Member # 470) on :
Avoiding bubbles on flat surface...
Pull tight --- roll hard
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Stephen..To add to what Mike said...
try placing a masking tape hinge along on edge, if the surface has a slight contour place the tape along a straight edge. Fold back the panel and the backing paper. Peel back about 12-18" of the backing starting at the hinged edge. Flip over the whole thing and start squeegieing, starting at the taped edge and working toward the rolled back backing paper. You will notice that the rolled back paper stops the rest of the vinyl from contacting the surface until your squeegie actually contacts it. pull back the backing paper as you go.
Hope this helps.
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
Thanks Checkers ! Roger
Posted by Stephen Sill (Member # 4358) on :
Roger, I already visited your site and I'll be ordering some RT-II in a couple days. I only get to do signs on Fridays and Saturdays. The rest of the time I have a regular job!
Thanks all for your input!
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
Stephen, if you have any questions or problems, feel free to call my office (they will call me and I will call you "quickly").
Remember to follow instructions, you won't need "lint free or static free" paper towels, Rapid products are "anti static". And that means you won't be smearing silicone from paper towels (made to be static free/lint free)all over the substrate.
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