A few questions

[abadsvt]

Hey Guys and girls! I was wanted to wrap my toy vehicle (96 toyota) for a little practice and have been doing tons of research. One thing i didn't see was how you guys finish the edges of the wraps. For example: do you normally wrap the vinyl around the edge of the door or panel then trim it or do you cut it flush with the edge and not wrap it around the edge? Do you normally put any kind of light adhesive around the edges to help keeping it from curling a few years down the road? Last question. How long do you think the 3M controltac laminated should last (ink and vinyl) with normal vehicle usage. I'm aware that if the vehicle is garaged a lot then it gets less sun and ect. Just looking for a general rule of thumb on the life of the vinyl and ink. Thanks ahead of time everyone!!!!!

Josh

 

[Circleville Signs]

Practicing on your own vehicle is comendable. Trying to do it with zero training first is a waste of $$ and time. Your questions involve the most basic parts of wrap knowledge. If you dont' know what primer 94 is, or whether you should wrap over your edges (answer - it depends), you aren't ready to wrap yet.

Find someone who know what they are doing, and ask them if they would provide JUST the installation of your wrap. Design and print it yourself. Then, be there and help them wrap it. Probably cost you a few hundred bucks, but WELL worth it in education.

Better yet, find someone who actually TEACHES wrapping. Pay to take the class.


Gary

 

[SSG_SIGNS]

The only way to learn it is to do it. I never wrapped a vehicle when I started it and I had no choice but to dive in. I can now wrap almost anything. The questions you have asked are basic but everyone has to start somewhere. Typically we use 3m pirmer 94 around the edges to help get a good adhesion and if the gaps between the doors are thin and we can't do a full wrap around the door trim then we use either the 3m clear liquid seal or .5" strips of the clear laminate to help seal it. Wrap the edges where you can but keep in mind not all the edges allow you to wrap them, but as you do more wraps the more you will learn on your own. If you can find & afford the wrap classes they can be benificial but I learn best by doing. Hope this helps.