What do I do wrong?

[aqpaint]

Hi guys,

I'm new to vehicle wrap andI tried different parts to get familiar with the techniques. I'm pretty satisfied with the results but I get a lot of air bubbles. Even in flat surfaces. I read a lot in the internet and checked videos on YouTube and bubbes look easy to remove...

[video=youtube;k-i0ll8_yDo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-i0ll8_yDo[/video]

Mines can't be removed. Look like they are trapped..

Is there a trick or it is only practice?

Thanks a lot!

P.S. I use Vvivid wraping film.

 

[Desert_Signs]

Is VViVid an air release film? Their site doesn't seem to say and I've never heard of it.

 

[aqpaint]

Yes it is supposed to have air release technology.

http://vvividshop.com/products/xpo-gloss-films

 

[Techman]

you have to practice your techniques..Bubbles are caused by techniques.

 

[TimToad]

No amount of video watching or book reading is going to replace hands on experience and PRACTICE.

If that material truly has as cutting edge air egress as its advertising claims, you should have very few bubbles to start with, and the ones you do get should be able to be pressed out with a felt squeegee or your thumb for that matter. There are an array of reasonably priced "wrapping" tools available on the market.

My suggestion is turn off the YouTube, get some tools and start practicing on your own rig.

 

[HK Dude]

I have monitor well over thousands of vehicles being wrapped by hundreds of different technicians over the years. From quick installation such as Taxi, buses, minibus, to Trams, to medium requirements such as cooperate truck fleets, to high end fully wrapped vehicles... it is all technique as Techman and TimToad had mentioned.

Time and effort and the understanding of the material you are using is the very fundamental. Like martial art, there is no short cut. There are methods - but no short cut. The tools you use and the way how the material is being pulled or release when attacking single or complex curves comes with experience. I suggest you start with a material that you will be staying with for sometime and get the hang of it first. The hands-on feel is very important.

When selecting your material, do some study first. There are monomeric, polymeric, and cast films available each with different properties, pricing, type of adhesive, thickness, and spec to fill a good essay. As with the air flow, bubble free, air release (or whatever they call it) technologies, be careful with using this material.

Don't get me wrong, bubble free sticker are perfectly fine and is a great improvement over traditional material. However, the technologies that works for you might go against you. Air (bubbles) that is being released through the channels can actual comes back via that channel if not properly sealed. If your technique is good, then the Air flow technologies is there to make work simpler. It is not meant to be there to correct faulty installation.

Installation skill has a steep learning curve in terms of time and effort. Go and experiment with things such as application of heat, the ways to hold razor blade, methods of cutting without ripping the stickers when stretched, when to use squeegee and when to use hand, where to cut the material and how to "hide" the edges...

Getting rid of air bubble is only the first step. Making the wrap as tight and as smooth as a paint job is intermediate. Making that wrap to last over a long period of time knowing that the vehicle will be washed and handled just like any other car without problem and not having sticker bouncing back from recessive curve or having bits and pieces coming off from the edges is doing it like a pro.

Go out. Have some fun.

Good Luck : )

PS: wash the car. use clay bar. it does not matter how good you are. if the car is remotely dirty - it does not work. your sticker will tell you where you have missed down the road.

 

[aqpaint]

Ok thanks guys for taking time to anwser. I agree with all of you that I need to practice . Pratice makes perfect. But I just wonder if I did something wrong because bubbles can't exit like in the video,If there a bubbe I need to unstick then reapply..

Thanks!

 

[HK Dude]

i have played around with a few different brands of air flow adhesive from premium to Chinese made. there is no issue with pushing the bubble out of the way. some chinese adhesive that has a very high tact strength (adhesion on contact) might make the pushing a harder job, but the pushing is roughly the same.

have not tried Vvivid before and from the website, maybe the "bead" technology is doing its job of sealing the channel but before you get a chance to push the air away. maybe someone here with experience using Vvivid is in better position to answer your question.

if you have some scrap material sitting around, maybe try to recreate the issue you have. for example...try to create a small bubble and press hard around the area (another set not as hard) to see if pressing really hard will make the bubble hard to escape and try with other combinations. put the adhesive to the test. play with it. see what it does. see how it reacts. heat it up. do this before an actual job. in layman's term ~ trial and error. in management terms ~use a scientific approach.

it is amazing how adhesive technology had changed over the years and i am looking forward to learn something everyday : )

again, go out...have some fun

good luck

 

[Jester1167]

You shouldn't get tons of bubbles. If you do, make sure you don't have nicks in the edge of your squeegee. If you do it will leave rows of bubbles. You also need to use adequate squeegee pressure evenly distributed along the whole blade of the squeegee.

The bubbles you do get will come out, but the ease will depend on the material your using. It is best to lightly press in the center of the bubble with your finger and increase pressure as the air starts to dissipate. The air channels in the adhesive will only allow the air to flow so fast so start slow and increase pressure. The old style 3M cv1 with wide deep channels allowed the air to exit easily. All the new version of air egress vinyl have smaller channels and it takes a while for the air to escape through them.

Large bubbles need to be divided into lots of smaller bubbles and slowly worked out. If you use the blade of your squeegee, lots of pressure and push all the air to one side fast, you will stretch the vinyl and end up with a wrinkle.

If your using good squeegee pressure, you can sometime close the air channels and there are no other options than to poke the bubble specifically on 3Mcv3. If you don't you end up blowing up and air channel or two in a 3 to 6" long thin bubble following the air channels. It is uglier than a bubble but should go away.