how to prep bare aluminum

[Techman]

Every speed limit sign (caution, curve, route# ect) you see on the highways is vinyl on (replace with) STARTS OUT AS mill finish.

This thread is about aluminum and applying vinyl to mill finished aluminum..

The thread comments about applying vinyl to aluminum and then a failure caused by corrosion and how to clean regular old aluminum for prevent a failure. This is simply not possible. Every one knows that mill finished aluminum must be treated with special primers to get paint to stick long term. How in the world will vinyl stick long term if even paint cannot?

Street and highway signs are not mill finish aluminum. Street and highway signs are special alloys designed for applying paint and vinyl to the finished surface. That finished surface has a special amorphous chromate coating (dipped into a solution) applied during the manufacturing process. It is NOT raw metal.. I would suggest that some of us study our products a little more and get some knowledge about how these substrates are produced.

This coating is RUINED by scrubbing as it is very soft and thin. Therefor the scrub and clean group will find themselves scrubbing and using alcohol that will ruin that expensive material.

 

[Techman]

Aside from coro being a ridiculous substrate choice for a job like that what on earth could they have prepped it with to make it fail like that

Calendared vinyl applied using a laminator using way too much tension.

 

[FS-Keith]

Do you guys think for some reason that the signs for the ashville job where coro? They were def aluminum. Just applied incorrectly as this thread is all about.

 

[CES020]

Do you guys think for some reason that the signs for the ashville job where coro? They were def aluminum. Just applied incorrectly as this thread is all about.

You can see the ribs in the coro, can't you?

This looks like coro to me, but I guess it could be aluminum with that pattern to it, but that would be a new one on me.

 

[FS-Keith]

what you think is coro flutes is actually the base prismatic vinyl. they sheeted them with white first and its the second application of vinyl they did over that, and thats what failed. That company makes junk signs but they are not that stupid.

 

[CES020]

Good call Keith! It fooled a number of us. Now that you said that, I can totally see it. Thanks for clearing that up!

 

[FS-Keith]

No prob

 

[player]

Here is a comment from the peeling signs article:

"

• Russ Everwood
  I find this all quite absurd. We messed up here in Ashville by making someone use something they told us wouldn’t work… and when it didnt work(like they said it wouldnt) we blamed them. Now i know it’s hard to admit when you’re wrong but we dropped the ball. TIme to admit it…"
  
  
  Why did the signs peel? Can nothing go over prismatic reflective?

 

[skyhigh]

Good call Keith! It fooled a number of us. Now that you said that, I can totally see it. Thanks for clearing that up!

The "give away" was the transparent brown that was peeled.