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Cast Hell

MrSalumi

MrSalumi

New Member
Hey Y'all,

Today I mistakenly cut some decals in 751 rather than 651 and thought "ah well they'll work".. After all I was applying to a glass door and an aluminum blank.

Holy Hell it went south. I dry applied one glass door. It bubbled like hell and I had to scratch the install. I then wet applied another door. The adhesive didnt want to stick and all the letters wanted to come off when I pulled the premask. It took three times longer than it should have but I got that one done.

Then I applied to an older aluminum painted panel. About two letters into ten I gave up.

I dont know if it was because it was cold or what but that cast gave me a LOT of trouble today.

Any tips?? Am I right in thinking that cast on glass is the right application?

I plan on recutting in 651 just so I know that it will work.
 
Biker Scout

Biker Scout

New Member
One thing I've learned about vinyl and glass, is you should never be in such a hurry to pull off the premask too fast. Let the adhesive set-up a bit, and then when you do peel the masking, peel 180° flat. Because even the act of removing masking can introduce bubbles. Especially if you do a wet install, or in the cold.

I do all my vinyl installs dry now. It's quite possibly you have a bad roll, or there was silicone in the window cleaner and thus still on the surface. You have to use denatured alcohol to clean the glass prior to install to make sure.
 
401Graphics

401Graphics

New Member
If the glass/surface is cold or the letters are small, install it dry. as said above, when peeling off the masking keep it flat against the glass. You can also spray your transfer tape with application fluid and it will help release it.
 
A

Asuma01

New Member
I really try to avoid using soapy water on glass while applying. That said. Let it set for a while. And if its cold out. DONT install. It will just fall apart on you.
 
Techman

Techman

New Member
soapy water and glass in the cold or hot is the super pain..

Cast call for genuine rapid Tac. It will stick hot or cold. Not Rapid Tac II...

But, Home brew weasel **** fails at every turn.

Also make sure you sharpen your squeegee. A bad squeegee will almost always cause pickle skin.
 
C

Cole Not Cold

New Member
Pat White said:
See the 2 grooves in the middle of the squeegee? Run the sharp edge of one squeegee in the grooves of another squeegee back and forth until it sands down the nicks and brings back a smooth edge. :thumb:

Otherwise, lots of good advice here, don't think I can add much. Except to add emphasis on not using weasel **** on glass (especially cold) and being patient with removing the premask. Soak it like crazy after squeegeeing the whole area and let it sit for as long as you can.

But ideally, dry install works much better provided you're comfortable with it and you're not applying solid panels. When in doubt, use air-release.

In the end, I don't think the cast vinyl was the culprit. Probably just a combination of conditions that weren't ideal and user-error.
Click to expand...

Good to know!
 
BobM

BobM

New Member
Sharp squeegee, clean with Rapid Prep, apply dry or with Rapid Tac, spray transfer tape after application, peel back at 180 degrees. No bubbles.
 
MrSalumi

MrSalumi

New Member
Well it sounds like I was doing a number of things wrong. First off I used baby shampoo and water, second it was cold, third I was pulling the premask off in all sorts of directions and angles.

Ah the lessons you learn....

Thanks everyone
 
C

Chriswagner92

New Member
Pat White said:
See the 2 grooves in the middle of the squeegee? Run the sharp edge of one squeegee in the grooves of another squeegee back and forth until it sands down the nicks and brings back a smooth edge. :thumb:

Otherwise, lots of good advice here, don't think I can add much. Except to add emphasis on not using weasel **** on glass (especially cold) and being patient with removing the premask. Soak it like crazy after squeegeeing the whole area and let it sit for as long as you can.

But ideally, dry install works much better provided you're comfortable with it and you're not applying solid panels. When in doubt, use air-release.

In the end, I don't think the cast vinyl was the culprit. Probably just a combination of conditions that weren't ideal and user-error.
Click to expand...

I never knew this, and now that I do and we are slow today guess what I'll be doing.
 
Geet Faulkner

Geet Faulkner

New Member
Wtf?

I will never understand the concept of anything other than cast (premium) vinyl for outdoor use.
If your pricing is so low that intermediate vinyl may net you a few pennies more per sq. ft. then you have failed
business 101. kinda like cheep tires on a race car.... what's the point? JMO ~ Geet
 
F

fresh

New Member
Geet Faulkner said:
I will never understand the concept of anything other than cast (premium) vinyl for outdoor use.
If your pricing is so low that intermediate vinyl may net you a few pennies more per sq. ft. then you have failed
business 101. kinda like cheep tires on a race car.... what's the point? JMO ~ Geet
Click to expand...

We have used Avery HP700 Series Calendered vinyls for MANY outdoor signs, and have never had a problem with cracking, shrinking, or fading. There is no reason to use cast when the sign is flat. The sign we installed on the back of our shop 8 years ago is a little faded, yellows in the sun tend to do that, but there is no other shrinking or cracking.

Actually, yesterday we went to check out some old equipment from a retired sign guy. He had rolls of Avery vinyl that hadn't been touched in probably 10 years. I was really surprised that there was no shrinking on the liner.
 
Baz

Baz

New Member
Carefull with your hands as well when applying on cold glass. The glass can fog up under your skin wich will give you problems sticking down vinyl.
 
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