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Need Help Can I Apply Laminated Cast Prints Wet?

player

New Member
I have two 4' x 8' prints on Orafol 3951GRA (Air Egress vinyl) laminated with 290 being applied to ACM. Can I do this using water (with a drop of dish soap)?
 
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ams

New Member
My answer is no. Since it has commandform, it would trap the liquid in and fail. Most printable vinyls you should only apply dry. Why would you want to wet apply it?
4' X 8's are extremely easy to lay down if you do it the proper way. Also some people do the dish soap route, but I won't, I use Rapid Tac for any wet apply application. I trust a professional product made for vinyl adhesive over trying to mix something myself and getting it wrong.
 

equippaint

Active Member
My experience is that the liquid gets trapped in air egress material. We use glass cleaner if we have to wet apply against all the do gooders recommendations and have never had any failures. It's easier and faster dry, just hinge it in the middle. Grab an extra person to hold the vinyl while you squeegee if you cant on your own. Can you run it through your laminator?
 

TimToad

Active Member
Did you buy the prints or produce them yourself?

If you have a laminator, then its the best way to mount with the least amount of effort and best results. Using liquid on material with air egress like others have said, defeats the whole purpose. If you are worried about stretching of the image running it through your laminator, use transfer tape over the whole thing and it won't stretch.

If we hand mount prints that large, we use two people, a hinge about a third of the way in on the side we start with and the whole process takes but a few minutes.
 

player

New Member
My experience is that the liquid gets trapped in air egress material. We use glass cleaner if we have to wet apply against all the do gooders recommendations and have never had any failures. It's easier and faster dry, just hinge it in the middle. Grab an extra person to hold the vinyl while you squeegee if you cant on your own. Can you run it through your laminator?

Did you buy the prints or produce them yourself?

If you have a laminator, then its the best way to mount with the least amount of effort and best results. Using liquid on material with air egress like others have said, defeats the whole purpose. If you are worried about stretching of the image running it through your laminator, use transfer tape over the whole thing and it won't stretch.

If we hand mount prints that large, we use two people, a hinge about a third of the way in on the side we start with and the whole process takes but a few minutes.

I do have a laminator, and that is the way I would normally do it. I am just inquiring because I am concerned with the print stretching in the laminator. But I guess that's the way I will do it. Thanks.
 

TimToad

Active Member
I do have a laminator, and that is the way I would normally do it. I am just inquiring because I am concerned with the print stretching in the laminator. But I guess that's the way I will do it. Thanks.

If you apply transfer tape over the prints, they won't stretch. I know its an extra step and a little more material, but transfer tape is cheap and it insures that you'll get a good result.
 

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
Dry applying should not be hard... was trying to post a video of it but I cant figure it out
 
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ams

New Member
My experience is that the liquid gets trapped in air egress material. We use glass cleaner if we have to wet apply against all the do gooders recommendations and have never had any failures. It's easier and faster dry, just hinge it in the middle. Grab an extra person to hold the vinyl while you squeegee if you cant on your own. Can you run it through your laminator?

Not recommended due to the chemicals in it, but make sure it does not have ammonia in it.
 

equippaint

Active Member
Run it through like youre laminating a single piece. Start at the front, then youre removing just enough backing paper to keep it from sucking back under the roller as it pulls through rather than removing half of it at once. The backing paper will keep it from stretching.
 

ams

New Member
I will share a secret about laying down 4' X 8's with two people. Get a 4' ruler and attach it to the edge 1" in. Have the person hold the ruler, one hand at each end of it. This will keep it perfectly flat and it will go down like glass. The person holding the ruler should slowly lower the vinyl to the material as you squeegee it. The ruler is also great if you need to pull it back off the material for like creases or anything. Helps prevent stretching.
 

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
Maybe I should of videoed the first one, That was my I think fifth panel so by that time I was mentally checked out.
 

Sign Works

New Member
My answer is no. Since it has commandform, it would trap the liquid in and fail. Most printable vinyls you should only apply dry. Why would you want to wet apply it?
4' X 8's are extremely easy to lay down if you do it the proper way. Also some people do the dish soap route, but I won't, I use Rapid Tac for any wet apply application. I trust a professional product made for vinyl adhesive over trying to mix something myself and getting it wrong.

3951 Commandform is NOT an air egress vinyl, Yes it can be applied wet.
3951RA (Rapid Air) IS an airegress vinyl and should not be applied wet.
 
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