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Suggestions WRAPPING A CONVEX SHAPE

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Splattgraphics

New Member
I have a couple logos printed to Orajet 3551, lammed with 290. I need to place them on the back end of a propane truck. They measure rougly 18x24 inches each; I'm concerned about the compund curve of the back end, unlike the sides...Any words of widsom out there??
 
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OPENSignsInc.

New Member
Start in the very middle if possible and work your way out in a circular pattern. Dont put transfer tape on it, take off as much of the backing as you can, go slow, and use a felt covered squeegee. A second set of hands to hold the opposite side your working on helps too. You'll need a heatgun or propane torch (hopefully no leaks on the truck so you don't go boom). You can also use some 3M Primer 94 on where the edges will be (just mark where it will be with a grease pencil. Apply 2-3" wide strip overlaping around perimeter and let sit 15min before putting on decal. Wipe off excess afterwards with Isopropyl alcohol), to keep from lifting. You will undoubtedly have some stretching towards the corners, so having no outline/border helps too since you can then trim it straight afterwards. You'll also need to post heat the vinyl so that it learns the shape of the tank.

Couple things ive done in the past is make my print 1in bigger and then trim it off square after putting it on (this takes some of the tension off the edge so it doesn't curl) and the other is try doing it with a scrap piece first (just don't push hard and no primer 94) to get a feel of how the vinyl will conform.
 
Modern Ink Signs

Modern Ink Signs

Premium Subscriber
Pics people!!! It helps so much better to see what you are doing!

Different techniques for different applications!


At 18x24 that is small but what are you are putting it on matters
 
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iPrintStuff

Prints stuff
Might be a little late, but our seller just recommends the 3551 for signage/flat stuff. Should be alright for this application but I’d keep an eye out. (Pics would help)
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
Bumpity bump. I tried doing this yesterday on a tank truck and failed. I was using 3M IJ80 with a matte laminate (outsourced, so I don't know what type of lam). It was a 20" circle and I started from a center hinge working outwards, but things quickly went south. Using a heat gun made it worse, stretching the vinyl even more. I told the customer it wasn't going to work.

Anyone else tried this with IJ80, in case I decide to attempt it again?
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
Here's images of the hatch and my failed attempt. Told customer to bring it back with the rusted areas sanded & painted and I can install lettering in smaller sections instead.

20230426_130159.jpg 20230426_131338.jpg
 
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weyandsign

New Member
Yeah just seam it along the white part under the truck. If you stick it on one piece, you end up needing to slice in from the edge a couple inches to relieve the hump.
 
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signheremd

New Member
3951RA or ProSlide would have been a better choice than 3551 for this job. But when laying something like this you have to squeegee differently. No up and down or the material tunnels and has no where to go. Center hinge can work to position and start, but you only wantt o do a few inches in the center and then peel off the wax paper on the other side and, as OPENSigns said, squeegee in a circle working your way outward. Squeegee should be held on an angle, like 30-45 degrees, and your motions should be more like slices. Also, slow down when laying something like this. Do not use the Primer 94 on Oracal vinyl, as Mmmkay said.
 
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Rayd8

New Member
From my limited experience - newbie alert :p - use Grafityp ae38c or Arlon slx for this, that last one even shrinks nicely when you heat it, is nice stiff. I tried such round things with standard calendred polymer and didn't have success (had exactly the same thing going on), but that might be due to my newbie-status and limited experience with calendred for such things thanks to all courses being most cast-only-substrate-coursed (upsell anyone?):p
 
DL Signs

DL Signs

Never go against the family
gnubler said:
Here's images of the hatch and my failed attempt. Told customer to bring it back with the rusted areas sanded & painted and I can install lettering in smaller sections instead.

View attachment 165122 View attachment 165123
Click to expand...
The problem could be the lam on it, might not be right for that application. If it's all cast it should lay good with a little pre-stretch & heat to let the memory do it's job, if it doesn't do what it's supposed to, it's whatever lam they used. If you can, try a scrap piece of laminated cast you have laying around on it, if it works like it should, that'll let you know if it's the lam or not. I've gotten customer provided decals to install on equipment with good cast vinyl, and non conformable polycarb lam from wherever they got it from because they thought, or were told it would last longer. Just makes them impossible to lay on compound curves. If I don't know what the material is, I prefer just having them send artwork and print it myself :rolleyes:
 
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