Eradicable awning mask material or technique.

[DesireeM]

I was able to find a previous thread on this topic but it didn't really help me. I've used permanent adhesive calendared and cast vinyl to mask eradicable awning material recently and the edges bled through and seemed to eat away the vinyl. We use CooleyBrite2 awning material with Cooley Magic eradication fluid.

Our supplier does not sell the Cooley mask so I'm wondering if you guys can suggest a material or technique we can use for masking?
I have some Avery paint mask here so I'm wondering if you think that would work better than the cast and calendered vinyl we've used in the past.

When the fluid bled through the calendared vinyl our previous shop foreman (no longer working here) told me it was because I should have used a dark color of vinyl. I didn't put much weight on that explanation because it didn't seem to make sense (and he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.)But maybe he was on to something..?

 

[player]

I would use the fluid very sparingly. Wipe away from the edges, and not have the fluid running or pooling at all. I would also wipe a spot and move on to another. I would not concentrate on one area, but lightly go over the whole thing a number of times.

 

[DesireeM]

I would use the fluid very sparingly. Wipe away from the edges, and not have the fluid running or pooling at all. I would also wipe a spot and move on to another. I would not concentrate on one area, but lightly go over the whole thing a number of times.

Thanks for the tip! What do you think is better to use - the vinyl or the paint mask? Or does it matter?

 

[Schickworks]

In my experience, the eradication fluid works so much better and quicker when you can get a good amount on and keep the area "wet". the time to spend removing it a little at a time and constantly worrying about it bleeding under the edges would seem to eat up profits so much that it would be better to try and source the correct mask?

if my memory serves, i think we tried using antigraffiti laminate as a mask one time with OK results.

 

[visual800]

We eradicate ALOT of awnings. We use oracal 651, why? Cause we have it. I dont waste money on masking nor do I waste it on cooleybrite. For eradication we use dt reducer from PPG. We have awnings over 8 years up with no issues.

we use cloth and blue scott towels. The cloth is a torn up tshirt we cut several handsize peices out of it. We soak one peice and wipe a letter at a time. You may not get alot of the color off but we got to next letter anyway. We do about 2 or 3 at a time and then go back to first one with a new cloth and then wipe it clean with scott towels.

we may get about 1/4 of the awning done and then take vinyl off those letters. We never soak the awning but just the cloth. Whats not being eradicated is covered with transfer tape to protect it

 

[Stanton]

Practice on scrap. Mask will work when you have the technique.

I would use the fluid very sparingly. Wipe away from the edges, and not have the fluid running or pooling at all. I would also wipe a spot and move on to another. I would not concentrate on one area, but lightly go over the whole thing a number of times.

player has played this game before.

We eradicate ALOT of awnings. We use oracal 651, why? Cause we have it. I dont waste money on masking nor do I waste it on cooleybrite. For eradication we use dt reducer from PPG. We have awnings over 8 years up with no issues.

we use cloth and blue scott towels. The cloth is a torn up tshirt we cut several handsize peices out of it. We soak one peice and wipe a letter at a time. You may not get alot of the color off but we got to next letter anyway. We do about 2 or 3 at a time and then go back to first one with a new cloth and then wipe it clean with scott towels.

we may get about 1/4 of the awning done and then take vinyl off those letters. We never soak the awning but just the cloth. Whats not being eradicated is covered with transfer tape to protect it

This too.


The key is DO NOT over saturate.

 

[DesireeM]

Thanks everyone! Your answers are exactly what I was looking for.
I definitely feel more confident that we will be doing this the right way. Went through your technique tips with my shop foreman and we did some tests this morning. One major problem we had last time was that our shop crew was wiping against the edge of the vinyl causing it to fail (and of course blamed it on the vinyl...) We are going to use a calendared vinyl because it's thicker. The eradication fluid does thin and soften the vinyl quite a bit so I'm thinking this will help overall. Plus it's cheaper.