Air Bubbles

[cdiesel]

Using calendared vinyls is also part of your problem. You can't squeegee as hard on that as you can cast without possibly tearing or slicing your vinyl. It's not made for that. Also, calendared is not a good idea to have more than a bottom layer and a top layer with none in between.

Your not quite using the right materials for your intended application.

Cutting corners will also bite you in the end.....................

What?

While I agree cutting corners will almost always come back to bite you, calendared vinyl applies the same as cast (as far as flat surfaces). There is no difference in ability to lay a certain grade of vinyl, brand, color, etc, with the exception of an air egress media.

It all comes down to technique. Is the surface clean? Is the transfer tape smooth? The squeegee must cause the vinyl to contact the substrate. The vinyl should not touch the substrate until the squeegee causes it to do so. Master this with the proper squeegee angle, and you will not have any bubbles.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Agree with Bob and would make these points:

1) The whole idea is to get it right the first time. Focus on laying down the premask smoothly with unidirectional single strokes and with the squeegee doing the laying down. The vinyl will then take care of itself.

2. There seems to be a widespread myth that one can improve on the application by using excess pressure and repetitive strokes. Do not go back and forth when squeegeeing. If you get a bubble, no amount of squeegeeing will do anything but make it worse. Left alone, bubbles go away by themselves. Wrinkles, tears and rips don't.

3. Whenever possible, section down your graphic so as to work smaller areas at a time. I personally prefer a horizontal hinge and vertical scissor cuts between letters and objects.

4) Your squeegee should be replaced when you can see light under it when it is placed on edge on a flat surface.

5) Vinyl application squeegees are designed and engineered to deliver the correct downforce where, when dragged, they bend. The squeegee should always be dragged or pushed against while held at about 45 degrees to the surface ... much like you would hold and work with a paint brush.

The attached images show dry, sectioned down, horizontal hinge application of the letters and a wet application of the graphic because it was in panels that required perfect alignment to each other.

 

[Gino]

What?

While I agree cutting corners will almost always come back to bite you, calendared vinyl applies the same as cast (as far as flat surfaces). There is no difference in ability to lay a certain grade of vinyl, brand, color, etc, with the exception of an air egress media.

It all comes down to technique. Is the surface clean? Is the transfer tape smooth? The squeegee must cause the vinyl to contact the substrate. The vinyl should not touch the substrate until the squeegee causes it to do so. Master this with the proper squeegee angle, and you will not have any bubbles.

Cast has some resilience in it due to how it is manufactured.

Calendared has none in it, because of how it's made.

When doing dry [or wet].... if you have a bubble or even a series of bubbles, on a flat surface or with obstacles in the way.... a hard stroke with your squeegee on the right angle and pressure will take that bubbles out and you can completely get rid of bubbles in cast. I've seen bubbles the size of Popeye's arms come out and I've seen them like pencils erasers come out.... flawlessly.

In calendared, you have about a 1 in 5 chance of smoothing out that same bubble. The vinyl is much more brittle and will probalby wrinkle or tear when using the same method. Therefore popping bubbles and or waiting for the sun to take the small ones out is your only hope, unless you take it off and do it over.

I've personally been doing this for 26 to 27 years.
​

I'm not referring to any air release types either.

 

[Fred Weiss]

When doing dry [or wet].... if you have a bubble or even a series of bubbles, on a flat surface or with obstacles in the way.... a hard stroke with your squeegee on the right angle and pressure will take that bubbles out and you can completely get rid of bubbles in cast. I've seen bubbles the size of Popeye's arms come out and I've seen them like pencils erasers come out.... flawlessly.

I'd like to see a video or a step by step with photos of that.

 

[Gino]

Fred, you're tough. I'll see what I can do. We don't video too much of what goes on around here, plus ya never know when a bubble is going to happen so, it's a little hard to try to create the situation, but when it does, I'll try to get the camera rolling.

 

[scarface]

Use a squeegee with a nice edge and no knicks. Also spray app fluid on the tape and let it sit and then peel. It releases less aggressively. I use 4076 conform higher tack on everything for years.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Fred, you're tough. I'll see what I can do. We don't video too much of what goes on around here, plus ya never know when a bubble is going to happen so, it's a little hard to try to create the situation, but when it does, I'll try to get the camera rolling.

Drum roll puleeeeese! We shall await the First Annual Gino Versus the Bubble contest. Place your bets ladies and gentlemen and may the best man or bubble win!

 

[Malkin]

Because of the ability of cast vinyl to snap up a little, I can almost believe what Gino is saying, though I would be very careful about when I might try that trick. The adhesive on calendared is so gummy that it probably wouldn't happen.

Also, because cast vinyl is more dimensionally stable, I am more likely to pop a hole in it. Calendared vinyl will shrink cause the hole to get a lot bigger.

Bob - great tips on application technique. It's hard to explain, much easier to show. Even then sometimes...

 

[Gino]

Hey Fred..... do you want it wet method or dry ?? I do either.

Maybe I can do dry with my right hand and wet with my left and if ya stick a tweezers up my butt, I'll weed some vinyl while I'm at it...... all at the same time. ba-dom-bump

 

[Fred Weiss]

Hey Fred..... do you want it wet method or dry ?? I do either.

Maybe I can do dry with my right hand and wet with my left and if ya stick a tweezers up my butt, I'll weed some vinyl while I'm at it...... all at the same time. ba-dom-bump

Dry with bubble sealed all around.

As to tweezers and where you like them, I swing a little differently. :ROFLMAO:

 

[cdiesel]

Gino,
I'll give you that cast tends to be more "workable", but calendared is usually much more substantial, and therefore easier to handle for a novice installer. Cast film is much stretchier than calendared.

The OP asked about preventing bubbles, and no matter how much money you spend on your vinyl (again, short of air egress), it will not affect the ability to prevent a bubble. Preventing bubbles comes down to proper technique, a clean substrate, and using the right technique. Repairing bubbles is a different story.

Pushing the bubbles out like you describe above is possible sometimes. Again, however, it comes down to other factors, the main on being texture of the susbstrate. If you're working with a smooth surface such as glass or acrylic, you're not pushing the bubble out. It is possible, however, with a more textured surface such as coro or PVC.

 

[Spencer McMurtry]

+2 for air release vinyl its worth the extra money to save the labor of fixing bubbles. I only use air release unless its cheap single color cut vinyl.

 

[sdimmick]

air release vinyl

where do you get air release vinyl? I have never seen my suppliers have it in their catalogs.

 

[signmeup]

Drum roll puleeeeese! We shall await the First Annual Gino Versus the Bubble contest. Place your bets ladies and gentlemen and may the best man or bubble win!

My money's on the bubble.

 

[AUTO-FX]

Avery offers it , check the color chart. I personally will not use avery any more though after getting burned with their shrinkage problem. and no, it was not because they were in the pool , haha.

 

[JR's]

The best way to never get bubble and I mean NEVER! is to hire Bob Fred or Gino to install your Vinyl. ;-}

JR.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

if you are going to use Gino's technique and i have seen it work it has to be with a 'fresh' bubble also it helps to spray the surface of the vinyl with application fluid so the squeegee moves easily on the surface and doesnt leave scratch marks...i have also seen people do unrepairable damage using this method of removing bubbles, if the adhesive has a good hold or the vinyl is really tight (lots of air trapped in the bubble) i have seen it rip or wrinkle..but i've seen it work

 

[32bantum]

Drum roll puleeeeese! We shall await the First Annual Gino Versus the Bubble contest. Place your bets ladies and gentlemen and may the best man or bubble win!

My monies on the bubble!

 

[SignPainter]

99% of my applications go on dry. If I get a few large bubbles I poke them, the tiny ones the sun will suck down.

 

[Sticky Signs]

Use a squeegee with a nice edge and no knicks. Also spray app fluid on the tape and let it sit and then peel. It releases less aggressively. I use 4076 conform higher tack on everything for years.

Thank you Scarface. Yes technique is important, yes laying mask down properly is important, yes using the right material for the job is important but let's not forget (or overlook) the IMPORTANCE of a squeegee with a nice edge and no knicks.
Seriously, no knicks. they create bubbles. I keep a piece of automotive sandpaper in my kit just in case.