Vinyl (wet technique), Decal (dry technique) How-To

Vinyl How-To is shown in 2 parts

Vinyl Prep (You may or may not need to do this step)

Vinyl Application (wet)

Decal How-To is shown in 1 part

Keep in mind, you need a small ammount of "tools" for Vinyl
1) Ruler/Tape Measure
2) Spray bottle with dish soap/water (a few drops is fine) If it beads - to little, if you get soap bubbles too much.
3) Application Squeegee
4) Stabilo for making reference lines on your car (fancy name for a colored pencil)
5) X-Acto Knife
6) Heat gun (to seal the edges) You might be able to get away with using a hair dryer

For Decals, you only need a Application Squeegee.

Added the (Dry) Decal application at the end since some comments came up.

 

Here's the first part to my vinyl how-to, weeding and taping-up vinyl. I'll make the actual "wet" application how-to part asap. In the meantime, you can use the tutorial link I posted in the previous post. If anyone has questions or it seems too vague, let me know.
-K

 

Actual photos for up to this point of the how-to
-K
Vinyl right off the plotter.

Weeding the Vinyl

Weeded Vinyl

Taping-up the Vinyl

Squeeging the taped Vinyl

Taping-up for the other side

Taped Vinyl

Trimed-up, ready for application

 

Here's my "wet" application How-To.
-K

 

Here's actual photos of the "Wet Application How-To!

Clean surface area. It was hard in this particular instance since there was adhesive that had to be removed prior to application. Sucks since some of the gray vinyl came off too when I removed the old "GT" vinyl. Heat gun didn't help either, it just ripped off with the "GT". Looks crappy, but no big deal it's going to eventually get re-done with "GT-S" anyway.


Backer removal. Try to keep it flat or the vinyl will pull off the transfer tape on you.

Backer removed, wetting vinyl for application.

Applied vinyl and squeegeeing

Applied vinyl, re-wetting and waiting to remove transfer tape

Removed tape, re-squeeged, heat gunned and DONE for now.


Notes and other References:
* http://www.australiasigns.com.au/diy-si ... signs.html
Not affiliated, but this is a decent tutorial for DRY APPLICATION. I would seriously suggest do it wet in step 4. "Wet" meaning using a spray bottle with dish soap to float the graphic into place.

Step 6 Bubbles may or may not dissapear. Yes you can pop the bubbles with a pin, but you might not like the results. Technique is everything and it's not all that easy. Practice makes perfect. Bigger applications will require 2 people to keep it straight when applied.
This tutorial does not show the first steps, plotting, weeding and taping.

 

Bubbles will go away most of the time. In this case, some of that is the old adhesive that I couldn't get off. I was hoping it wouldn't show, but it does. Good example actually. Make sure surface is COMPLETELY CLEAN :roll: Like I said, I don't care it's getting redone. I did the GT example just to give people an idea of the process, tips, what to do and what not to do and why.
-K

 

All things considered it didn't take that long, maybe 4hrs tops?

Edit: Meaning actually doing the tutorial, photos, illustrations and text directions etc. Application maybe took me maybe 10 min. :roll:
-K

 

Most decals are done dry. Unless you know fore sure, do not you do a wet application with decals.
-K

 

Here's the Dry Decal How-To as how I was tought. Same tools really, just a slightly different technique without dealing with a wet surface.

Note: Some decals you can do wet and some not at all. If you like the "wet" technique, ask whom you bought the decal from if the adheisive is ruined if a wet application is attempted. If they don't know, stick with the dry technique.
-K