Installing our first wrap. Question?

[shirtz]

Hello everyone,
Our shop is installing our first wrap in a few days and I had a question. I've tried searching the answer and came up with nothing. Would it be easier to install a wrap wet with RapidTac or a similar product? I've always seen them done dry and wondered if there was a reason why. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[TresL]

Never install air release type vinyl wet.

 

[shirtz]

ok thanks for the advice, is there a reason for this or is it just something that shouldnt be done.

 

[SublimeGraphics]

I've been told that installing air release vinyl wet will actually trap the liquid in the air chambers and cause problems with adhesion and it's simply not necessary. The vinyl goes on perfect without liquid, there is no point in slowing down the process.

I would also recommend you take a course if you have never installed one before. We installed our first wrap on our own shop truck and took a course afterwards and we learned a whole bunch of tricks that would have come in handy on the first one. Now after installing over 60 full wraps I'm still glad we took that course.

 

[TCBinaflash]

Hello everyone,
Our shop is installing our first wrap in a few days and I had a question. I've tried searching the answer and came up with nothing. Would it be easier to install a wrap wet with RapidTac or a similar product? I've always seen them done dry and wondered if there was a reason why. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Do you guys know what you are doing?

Not trying to be a jerk but if you we're working on my car I'd hope you know not to to a wet app.

 

[shirtz]

we've got a good idea of what we're doing, it was just a question. I know i've never seen one installed wet, I was more curious as to the why. thank you for the helpful answers.

 

[MikePro]

first wrap?
dry apply only
aaaaand... make sure there's no wax on the car before you start!

 

[MachServTech]

Ignore the good advice above at your own peril!

Hire a trained installer to give you a one day in depth training....worth every penny Without training you will probably screw up enough jobs in the fist month to pay for the training.

Teaching yourself is learning the really really hard expensive way.

 

[Mason]

Always dry, Never ever ever wet!

 

[ddubia]

Never wet. While applying you'll see that you wouldn't need it anyway.

Clean, clean, clean the surface getting into crevices really well and remove any wax.

Take off door handles and anything else that could get in your way.

Take the time to plan out your procedure before laying any vinyl.

You'll find that you can use a lot more heat than you'd imagine you could.

Get a digital, laser-type thermometer (about $30) as heating the already applied vinyl in tricky areas (indentations for instance) to a certain level will set it's "memory" where it is installed so as to have less chance of it trying to pull away. (3M says 185 degrees. I doubted that but did it anyway. Vinyl didn't melt or burn or distort and seeing the job a month later everything was holding fast in place. Check 3M's site and read about it first)

Sometimes you gotta stretch it like crazy and pull it off and do it again several times to get it right especially if it's your first time. But you'll get it.

I did my first wrap a little over a month ago. It was a partial on the lower half of an HHR. It took me longer since it was my first but it turned out great and the customer loved it enough to have me do his full-sized van last week. It went MUCH easier and much, much faster having had the experience and knowing how to plan it out.

You'll get it. Just work at it. It's easier than you think and harder than you think but you'll get it just fine. I would have loved to had a class or instructor teach me how to do it. But I've gotten on many years pretty well by taking jobs I didn't know how to do and figuring it out on my own.

Read all over this board as the people on here have posted a lot of invaluable information on the subject. Take it all in then approach it in your own way with the knowledge gained here.

Good luck! Post pics when you're done.

 

[WOODBS]

I'm in Ocala, I'll come down and do it if you want? No worries

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

my advice...hire an experienced installer to work side by side with you on this first one...whatever they charge you will be more than worth it.

 

[Mosh]

Wet wrap install??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!


NONONONNONONONONONNONONONONONNONONON!!!!!!!!

 

[shirtz]

thank you mosh.... the questions already been answered and understood

 

[TheSnowman]

He drinks a lot...sometimes you have to tell him a few times.

 

[jfiscus]

Here is another vote to hire an experienced installed for your first couple wraps. Not as much profit in the finished job for you for those first couple jobs, but having to reprint an entire side of a vehicle because it was installed incorrectly or something goes wrong will cost you much more. An experienced installer will also know the shortcuts that you would take a while to learn. (torch, heat, stretching correctly, straight installs, touch ups,etc)

I had an installer come help on my first couple wraps & learned a LOT, would have messed them up majorly if I just "went at it". Wrapping is entirely different than regular vinyl. Think about installing saran wrap.

 

[mark in tx]

First wrap I ever did was a nightmare. I was the assistant to an "experienced" vinyl installer, it was his first wrap as well.

Had to do it over again 3 times.
1st time the layout was completely wrong, had to redesign and reprint.
2nd time we tried to wet install.
3rd time we got it right.

Ended up getting the customer a rental car for a week while we dicked around with the wrap.

So, take a course or hire an installer, all the wrap DVDs in the world will only get you so far. And not everyone will be like Justin Pate wrapping a van in 2 hours.

 

[BALLPARK]

1) Never apply fluids on a wrap install.

2) Heat is your friend. (Torch is my suggestion, but a heat gun also works. Heat it up to 180 degrees around the contour areas.) Do not pull hard on the vinyl once you heat it up. In other words do no heat and try to lift before it is cooled, if you have a problem.

3) Make sure you layout the panels on the vehicle before you start your install. This will help ensure that everything is lined up.

4) Go to a local dealership and see if they have any car doors, fenders, etc that you can have. You would be surprised by the number of dealerships willing to give you some great test panels.

5) Practice makes perfect... You should really practice quite a bit before you attempt the wrap.

6) If you get a crease, try your finger to rub it out first. If that does not work, pull up and heat it. When you heat the vinyl it will return to its normal position. Just use caution when using heat, too much heat will stretch or burn your vinyl.

7) Buy a Rolle Pro and plenty of standard, 6" & 12 felt squeegees.

8) Watch plenty of videos on wraps. They are easy to find and give good pointers.

9) Buy the vehicle template, it will help with the design. Give yourself about 3-6" on top, bottom and sides for bleed.

...not really much more to say. It all depends on the vinyl, laminate and vehicle type.

Good luck...


My first wrap project was a sprinter van. Let's just say I lost a lot of hair... My second was a 53' Race Trailer with plenty of obstacles in the way...lol. My dream wrap projects are Race Trailers with no rivets!!! Its a shame that more racers do not buy them without the rivets.

 

[Mikeifg]

I would have someone with experience install it learn from them.............Big time mistake using any kind of fluid. If you've never done this before I hope your not doing this for a customer.

 

[jfiscus]

Also, biggest tip I can offer you: remove any and all traces of "Armor All" if this car came from a dealership or may possibly have been detailed. That stuff will ruin your day on a wrap install.

 

[phototec]

"Hands On School of Warp"

Mutoh is sponsoring the "Hands On School of Warp", a two day wrap training class for basic and intermediate levels, and an optional third day advanced class. I attended the class last week at the Sign Warehouse facility in Denison Texas. Justin Pate is a Master Installer and the instructor for the two day class, which was really worth every penny ($599). The class is only $499 for registered Mutoh users.

Justin Pate is the instructor on the Carwraps dot com videos and Real Wrap 101.

http://justinpate.net/

The "Hands On School of Warp" is going to different US cities, check out the website for a location near you. I strongly recommend you take the course, in the two day class we wrapped a van and box truck, Justin had a real good trick to use on all those rivet's.

http://www.mutohcarwraps.com/MutohSchoolofWrap.html


All attendees also receive one "free month" of video training from Carwraps® Video Training platform (MSRP $199/month), and Free copy of Speedwrap Xtra – Video of Justin Pate wrapping a vehicle in 2 hours.

I highly recommend you take this class before wrapping your first vehicle, as Justin address many common mistakes and also how to fix problems, like removing wrinkles.