Best Way To Re-Stick Lifting Decal Edge?

[player]

I have applied a number of 4.5' x 12' Orafol 3751gra vinyl with 290 lam to some trucks. One of the decals has an edge lifting. It was either not cleaned well enough or the driver has lifted it with a pressure washer. Do you recommend a glue or the best 2 sided tape I can use to stick the edge back down?

I am also looking for suggestions for a liquid clear I can use to seal some small splits that are over rough welds on the same batch of trucks.

 

[GAC05]

The best way to repair a lifting decal is to replace the whole thing.
But if that is not your first choice:
Get yourself some 3M edge sealer, edge sealing pen or clear nail polish (your favorite brand).
Coat the adhesive side (just a light coat) - stick it down & let it dry
Seal the edge all the way around the decal with a thin clean brushstroke half on the decal the other half on the paint.

Worst case - reactivate the adhesive by licking the back of the decal and holding it down until it dries........
(always worked for my mom on that one cowlick of mine that would not comb down.)

wayne k
guam usa

 

[player]

Thanks for the suggestions. I would never replace a 4.5 foot by 12 foot wrap because a 1 foot by .25 inch edge has lifted...

I thought I read somewhere Orafol says not to use 3M edge sealer. I could be wrong about that...

These are large recycling trucks so I won't be licking anything that is on or attached to them.

 

[GAC05]

It's 3M primer 94 adhesive promoter that you don't want to use on Oracal.
The edge sealer should be fine.
The stuff in the sealer pens is clear acrylic paint - about the same as over the counter nail polish.
Just read that these are garbage trucks. After you get the edge back down cut thin 3/8 to 1/4 strips of clear lam and seal the edges with that. I think you can buy the edge strips in a roll but I'm not sure (no need to).

wayne k
guam usa

 

[player]

It's 3M primer 94 adhesive promoter that you don't want to use on Oracal.
The edge sealer should be fine.
The stuff in the sealer pens is clear acrylic paint - about the same as over the counter nail polish.

wayne k
guam usa

OK. Thanks. I would like to use the edge seal but also I would like to stick the decal edge back down with 2 sided tape, then edge seal.

 

[GAC05]

Don't put tape under the decal - would be the same as using carpet staples or blind rivets to hold the edge - not a pro move.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[player]

Don't put tape under the decal - would be the same as using carpet staples or blind rivets to hold the edge - not a pro move.

wayne k
guam usa

I remember years ago getting some 3M tape that was pretty much just the glue from vinyl. It was very thin.

 

[Stormyj]

I was going to say trying banner hem tape. That stuff is thinnnnnn. Micky mouse way to do it, but in a pinch. Also. Best to let the company know that there is no way to really fix it, and if they insist on pressure washing their trucks, you can set up an account to have images replaced yearly. Nice chunk of change.

 

[Gino]

Reprint the area of 1/4" x 12" with a 1" x 15" replacement patch. Cut the old bad portion out and overlay this where the problem occurred and you should be fine.

 

[player]

I was going to say trying banner hem tape. That stuff is thinnnnnn. Micky mouse way to do it, but in a pinch. Also. Best to let the company know that there is no way to really fix it, and if they insist on pressure washing their trucks, you can set up an account to have images replaced yearly. Nice chunk of change.

I don't understand why replacing the adhesive is so terrible?

 

[Stormyj]

I don't understand why replacing the adhesive is so terrible?

I am in no means the professional. But in my experience, once the vinyl peels away, dust dirt oils accumulate on the old adhesive and you never quite get the same adhesion. By all means, if it works for you and you have no problems... But I have tried it and it just fails again. If I have a customer call me for a material failure, I definitely don't want him calling me back for the same failure again.

 

[player]

I am in no means the professional. But in my experience, once the vinyl peels away, dust dirt oils accumulate on the old adhesive and you never quite get the same adhesion. By all means, if it works for you and you have no problems... But I have tried it and it just fails again. If I have a customer call me for a material failure, I definitely don't want him calling me back for the same failure again.

Definitely need to completely clean the underside lifted area, then replace the adhesive with the proper adhesive.

I have lots of white border, maybe I will trim it back and try edge seal.

 

[MikePro]

clean and use a light amount of rubber contact cement.

 

[petrosgraphics]

3M #77 it is a great all around spray adhesive. works right away, clean up
with a little bit of naphtha when done. *you should be able to find it at a good
hardware store

 

[player]

I have some 77. Is it good for long term outdoor?

 

[MikePro]

spray77 can get messy, but it should last.

best long-term outdoor fix, however, would be to finish-off with some clear laminate... applied to the graphic, and wrapped-around/tucked underneath whatever you can.

 

[Techman]

geeses,, replace the b!tch and do it right... geeses..
Disgusting.
15 bux worth of vinyl and some time to get it right.. geeses..

Vinyl jockies look for shortcuts. pro's make it right.
Gino has a good alternative,,
but otherwise dumping some hacked up nonprofessional fix on the client is just plain dumb.

 

[Desert_Signs]

but otherwise dumping some hacked up nonprofessional fix on the client is just plain dumb.

I tend to agree. UNLESS the customer damaged it and doesn't want to pay to fix it right. In that case, I might do it in a way that I usually wouldn't.

 

[Techman]

right,, if the customer damaged it,, then he gets what he gets. But still.. replace it and make him pay..

And I believe the client is at fault here even if by proxy.. A good install of 14 other vehicles and one bad one sure looks like its their fault..

Trim it or replace it. All other choices would be not so good.

 

[player]

geeses,, replace the b!tch and do it right... geeses..
Disgusting.
15 bux worth of vinyl and some time to get it right.. geeses..

Vinyl jockies look for shortcuts. pro's make it right.
Gino has a good alternative,,
but otherwise dumping some hacked up nonprofessional fix on the client is just plain dumb.

BS...

These are large decals and a small lifting edge does not merit reprinting, laminating trimming, removing the old decal and then reapplying the new decal.

Gino has a solution, that leaves a seam and an obvious defect/repair. If I use the proper adhesive and edge seal there will be no visible repair, and the decal will look perfect. No seams, no piece sliced in...

"geeses,, replace the b!tch and do it right... geeses..
Disgusting.
15 bux worth of vinyl and some time to get it right.. geeses.."

If you do that for every small problem you are out of business.

There is nothing hacked up or non professional about applying adhesive to a lifting edge when the rest 99.999% of the decal is perfect. These are also on curved trucks with huge welds that run through the decal that take a lot of extra time to apply.

I would also add when I was with the owner and I pointed the lifting edge he said who cares they are GARBAGE TRUCKS! That's what my customer said to me, as he was contracting another 3 trucks and a 4 x 24 reflective billboard.

I cannot understand why everyone here thinks you can only replace the vinyl, not repair a small area. I guess they have never used the 3M adhesives.

As I said before, I have tons of white so I am trimming the decal 1/2" and re-rounding the corner. Fixed. The nay sayers are still trying to remove the decal so they can reprint and reapply a new one.