Bubbles - ahhhhhhhh

Don't do vinyl while taking a bubble bath and you won't have these problems.

 

practice!

 

I use a Big Squeegee for mounting prints & laminating.. and a speed press for doing cut vinyl.

For windows & vehicle doors I mask with paper tape (TransferRite Heavy)
and then hinge install(center or top depending on design). Once in a while I'll use some RapidTac or "Splash" app fluid, but most installs go on dry.

My tip would be to make sure you are masking on a smooth surface. your masked graphic should be just as smooth and free of bubbles/wrinkles as you want the finished product to be. A bad masking job will lead to a bad install.

 

Welcome from OK.

The Big Squeegee is an all around vinyl working tool. It is faster than the speed press for applying cut vinyl and it also applies the transfer tape smoothly. Check out the links in my signiture for a demo of each type of Big Squeegee.

 

BIG SQUEEGEE...



Do a search for it on the threads... People love it for a reason.

 

Get some BIG SQUEEGEES. They come in different sizes for different applications. It's a great invention. I wouldn't be without it, now that I've found it.

 

ok, Dale..

I'll try my squeegee on some cut vinyl next time!

 

If a customer askes about bubbles just act surprised and say "gee we usually cherge extra for those" and start to count them. Funny how they are not so worried about them after that.

 

Why apply vinyl with bubbles at all?
A good install will have no bubbles.

 

i find that if you squeegee with enough pressure, there wont be any bubbles. i also found that if you pull it up and reposition it, it will bubble as well. i think its all about the pressure. the big squeegee rocks too!

 

Practice practice practice.... and you'll develop a technique.

 

The Big Squeegee is the tool you need. Every sign shop should have one

 

All kidding aside, we had a translucent print we did for a customer yesterday and the guy came back early this morning for it. We double teamed the two prints and my employee said he was going to put it down with a felt squeegee, since it was so small. The prints were 24” x 36”. I used the ‘Big Squeegee’. Time-wise it was close. He took about 3 minutes. I took about 20 seconds. He hardly had any bubbles…. I had NONE.

Check out the ‘Big Squeegee’….. they’re Great !!​

Have to check out some smaller sizes of this thing. Thanks Dale !!!!!!!!

 

The big squeegee is a great tool, but like all tools it's not a cure all.
If you have bad technique with a regular squeegee, then you will have
bad technique with the big squeegee, thus causing bubbles and wrinkles.

I would find it hard to describe technique here... maybe someone else would be better at it here. Or maybe someone can point to a video.

Briefly, a good squeegee with no nicks in it. Hold the squeegee on a 45 deg angle with much pressure. I try to imagine an arrow, and pass the squeegee over the center of the arrow as I move down the panel.

Once you learn it, you won't need fluids.

Like Flame says.... Practice.... Practice..... Practice

jt

 

I have to disagree with you on this one.

The tecniques used with the Big Squeegee are totally different than the ones used with regular squeegees.

With regular squeegees you are trying to lay 2 flat pieces together and get out any air that should get trapped in the process. The squeegee is pulled across the vinyl with a lot of pressure to ensure the bubbles are pushed out. A sharp edge has to be maintained to be able to push the bubbles out.

With the Big Squeegee you are installing the graphic the whole width all at once along a narrow strip. Very little pressure is needed because the air don't get trapped under the vinyl in the first place.

Wrinkles? The only way to get wrinkles with the Big Squeegee is to start it with an uneven taping job or to put pressure on the ends insteed of the middle 3rd.

You can get bubbles if you don't pick up the back side and even then I have customers say that they push it flat across with good results. I don't recommend it though.

The biggest difference is the learning curve. It may take years to master a regular squeegee to get the same results you will get from a couple of days using the Big Squeegee.

 

Dry on the Fly . . . Wet on a Bet . . . !

 

For digital prints on a rigid substrate I always use our laminator. Depending of course on the size of the project or indivdual piece. It cuts time down to almost nothing and never a bubble to be seen.
As for hand application... I'll really have to get ahold of one of those big squeegees. I mostly use the Golden Squeegee. I think the basic idea here is a firm even application with whatever you use. And I do believe that masking your vinyl or print well will play a part in the final product. For example, if you lightly apply your mask, say a medium tack mask, you are more likely to get bubbles once you have applied the vinyl or print to your substrate or surface.
This is only an observation I have made in the past to help correct my own problems with bubbles. But thanks for all of the good advice everyone. I will try the Big Squeegee out.