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Bubbles with metallic vinyl

gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
Simplest job has turned into an ordeal, trying to make some vehicle magnets with a metallic silver background and black lettering. Everything I've tried to lay the metallic down nice and smooth has failed. I've tried it with both Oracal 651 (calendared) and Gerber 220 (cast 3M product)...tried premask vs no mask, wet vs dry. Used my Big Squeegee to lay it down in one smooth pass. All failures with too many bubbles that won't smooth out. Both of these vinyls are over 2 yrs old, they're left over from other jobs, might be a factor? Using Rtape 4075RLA...should I try a low tac tape instead? I know metallic vinyl tends to be thinner and less forgiving. Anything else I can try before I just cancel the order?
 
Billct2

Billct2

Active Member
Try without the Big Squeege, either with transfer tape and a regular squeege dry or no mask wet with felt squeege
 
White Haus

White Haus

Not a Newbie
Do you have a laminator? That's how we mount our vinyl most of the time.

If not, I'd soak the crap out of it with rapid tac and squeegee it down. Use light pressure with a felt squeegee then come back full force with a straight (fresh) teflon squeegee or similar.

I've with 220 silver for a long time and know how unforgiving it can be, but it CAN be done if you use a ton of app fluid.

Failing that........you could always get some IJ180 silver which should lay down without bubbles.
 
Boudica

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
I was going to suggest using a laminator too, but I don't think she has one.
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
Boudica said:
a pile of rage, or a pile of shame?
Click to expand...
You decide. Tried taking a close up of the bubbled surface, hard to see in a photo. In reality it looks 10x worse than this.
I'll reattempt it next week after I've calmed down. :toasting:

20230728_120723.jpg 20230728_120813.jpg
 
Boudica

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
Gino said:
Looks like bad squeegee technique.


Why do you have stolen milk crates in your possession ??
Click to expand...
Who doesn't have milk crates? They are so useful. I have a bunch of them at home. No idea how I acquired them though.
 
S

signheremd

New Member
It looks to me like the substrate is moving while you squeegee. Do you have a sheet of steel or steel composite (SCM) around? Even a metal door? If so, that would allow you to flatten the magnet, getting the arch out of it, and keep it from moving while you squeegee. We use a table laminator to apply color like this now a days, but years ago we used a piece of steel to lay the magnet on to flatten it out and then squeegeed. Hope that helps
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
Actually, yes...the magnet was slipping a bit which surely didn't help. I don't like putting masking tape on the back of magnets because it leaves residue.
Thanks for all these ideas, I'll be tackling this again on Monday.

No idea where my crates came from either. Milk crate fairy?
 
Mike Paul

Mike Paul

Super Active Member
Rapid tac the crap on the magnet and the adhesive side of the vinyl should work fine.
How’s the edge of you squeegee look???
Sharpen those nicks out with 300 grit sand paper. Wet the the top of the vinyl when applying to minimize scratches.
 
marsuni

marsuni

Unitype-GR
Laminate Silver above an AirFree Polymeric and squeeze on magnet gently, using some water with dish soap!!!
 
S

somcalmetim

New Member
gnubler said:
Simplest job has turned into an ordeal, trying to make some vehicle magnets with a metallic silver background and black lettering. Everything I've tried to lay the metallic down nice and smooth has failed. I've tried it with both Oracal 651 (calendared) and Gerber 220 (cast 3M product)...tried premask vs no mask, wet vs dry. Used my Big Squeegee to lay it down in one smooth pass. All failures with too many bubbles that won't smooth out. Both of these vinyls are over 2 yrs old, they're left over from other jobs, might be a factor? Using Rtape 4075RLA...should I try a low tac tape instead? I know metallic vinyl tends to be thinner and less forgiving. Anything else I can try before I just cancel the order?
Click to expand...
Some 3M 180, 1080 or 2080 silver with air release adhesive works great if the job can afford it...lil more expensive but so much faster to put down with way less bubbles/smoother finish...I am super annoyed if I have to and only as a last resort use Avery or the 220 or anything without air release now...we do almost all vehicles so its what we have around but we used others in the past, with non air release you have to make sure the vinyl doesnt touch the car before squeegeed and still get bubbles if not done perfect but air release is slidable, repositionable, stretchable and heat-able back into the original shape, its even removable and reusable if you kinda mess up something and carefully pull it back off right away... and bubbles like that (if you even get them) usually push out after install with your thumb...

I didnt like 3M back in the day, especially removing their older metallics but the newer wrap materials are WAY better for install, removal, everything.
 
U

unclebun

Active Member
Big squeegee will always leave bubbles with non-air-release material, especially with magnetic that won't ever lie flat on your table. To get the magnetic to lie flat you should keep a piece of galvanized sheetmetal to lay it on.

However you can get a totally bubble free application if you put application tape on the vinyl (with no bubbles under the tape either) and put it on the magnetic with a regular squeegee using the hinge method from the center of the piece. We do it all the time.
 
G

GraphixGirl79

New Member
gnubler said:
Simplest job has turned into an ordeal, trying to make some vehicle magnets with a metallic silver background and black lettering. Everything I've tried to lay the metallic down nice and smooth has failed. I've tried it with both Oracal 651 (calendared) and Gerber 220 (cast 3M product)...tried premask vs no mask, wet vs dry. Used my Big Squeegee to lay it down in one smooth pass. All failures with too many bubbles that won't smooth out. Both of these vinyls are over 2 yrs old, they're left over from other jobs, might be a factor? Using Rtape 4075RLA...should I try a low tac tape instead? I know metallic vinyl tends to be thinner and less forgiving. Anything else I can try before I just cancel the order?
Click to expand...
have you ever tried using a rubber roller / speed roller for this type of application? i've had to lay vinyls to magnetic like this before. that's what I use. good luck!
 
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