write on erase lam

[gabagoo]

I am not to sure why this stuff is so hard to work with. Are they all so thin and tough to even peel the backing paper off of?
I just did a 4 x 4 sign and almost broke down in frustration as I went through close to 15 feet of the stuff. Just trying to peel the backing paper off drove me crazy.
if you hold it to long your fingers leave marks and incredibly hard to let go of... and then when you get near the end of peeling off that dreaded backing paper (static like I have never experienced BTW) there is a chance that a piece folds back on itself (that happened twice). So now I have soaked it with soap and water and also the board and I swing it across and use my big soft squeegee to get it initially down and then a small soft squeeggee to get all the water out. It looks really nice but somewhere along the line one of these two soft squeegees has scuffed the laminate.
Does this laminate come in anything easier to deal with? Thicker film with a thicker backing paper. I was terrified to try using the big squeegee with it..... maybe I should have!

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Wypet from Fellers (do y'all got 'dem fellers folks up there?). Works great, I think it's 4 mils thick, pretty stiff, comes on a heavy paper backing. As easy to work with as laminate can be, not sure what you're using but it sounds like a really thin (maybe 1 or 1.5 mil) mylar film on a film liner and yes that would be a bear to work with.

 

[Monsterkidz]

+1 For Wypet, use the stuff all them time works great. I actually have a new roll of my supplier's house brand dry erase laminate. Hopefully that works as well as the Wypet stuff.

 

[gabagoo]

no fellers up here and yes it is like a mylar. It is cheap too,and that figures!!!!

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Mylar laminates are a pain in the ass. There are alot of companies that make dry-erase vinyl laminates. General Formulations makes a good one (actually, they probably make the Fellers Wypet, but I'm not sure), you might see if any of your vendors sell it.

 

[sjm]

Use a 2.5mil Dry Erase all the time quite successfully. Be careful though of film to adhesive ratios. Like for example a 1 mil Film and 3 mils adhesive vs a 2.5 mil film to 1.5 mil adhesive.

 

[StopSignGraphics]

You may know this one already but when I get a laminate with a thin plastic/mylar backer I've found a couple of pieces of tape works great getting it started.

Usually I'll get (2) 1.5 in pieces of masking tape. I'll place one piece diagonally on the corner of the laminate side and then place another piece under it on the backer side. You have to make sure that both pieces of tape have good contact with the surfaces esp. on the very corner. Then just peel back. It usually starts with no problem.

Hope that makes sense.

That doesn't solve your other problems but it might help you getting it started.

As far as laminating it with a big squeegee I've actually taped the backer sheet down behind the big squeegee after I got it started so that the backer was being pulled apart from the laminate rather than being pushed apart against the edge of the big squeegee.

~Chris

 

[CentralSigns]

Don't use the dry erase from TCT. It doesn't work well. I made a sandwich board for a bar last summer. Since then I've replaced twice so far. I'm actually looking for a better product myself, one that lasts more than 3 months. Had a look at the sandwich board last week and it needs redone again. The TCT material was very thin as well. I noticed Avery has a product, any one use it. Is a better product available.

 

[gabagoo]

Don't use the dry erase from TCT. It doesn't work well. I made a sandwich board for a bar last summer. Since then I've replaced twice so far. I'm actually looking for a better product myself, one that lasts more than 3 months. Had a look at the sandwich board last week and it needs redone again. The TCT material was very thin as well. I noticed Avery has a product, any one use it. Is a better product available.

it was TCT's product, but they are also a general formulation reseller so thats weird. I do know the General Formulation Rep for Canada personally so I will call him tomorrow and see if he can get me a sample of their product.
Now this A frame you speak of... please tell me it is outdoors and it is a weather related issue...please. This magnetic write on erase board has to be shipped to Indiana, but will be used in a large car parts plant and I don't want problems coming back to me.

 

[CentralSigns]

Like I said gabagoo the product was sub optimal. The Calgary rep at TCT, shes a doll to deal with, says that you can only use Stabilo Pens on it. The A-frame was an outside one, it appears the dry erase material just wears out really fast. Not weather related. The material scratches and then the shade of the marker stains the underlying material. It doesn't work. And it is hard to install, very thin, hard to see, hard to remove from clear backing.

I talked to the owner of the bar last week and in June I'm having to replace it again, but for the last time. I warrantied it for 1 yr. The worst part is I only charged him $150 and I'll have replaced it 3 times in a year. Da was I dumb. To avoid embarrassment don't use TCT's dry erase dude.

 

[gabagoo]

I did some research and you are 100% correct. Fortunately this particular magnetic board has only a small 3" x 20" area that actually will be written in, so I can use some scrap from my reamaining roll of the ND brand (I think it is GBC) and put some in that area.

I called Graphic Commerce and have them looking into finding something that is reliable and long term. I was also warned that under no circumstances to use DOLLAR STORE MARKERS!!!.. I will suggest to the customers to use Expo markers only and not to use windex or any liquids to clean the board but a dry erase brush. Hopefully we get a few years out of it. I'm glad you mentioned this...

Thanks

 

[BigfishDM]

The Gen Form product is good and so is the Ritrama brand, I sell 54"x150' for $135.00

 

[gabagoo]

The Gen Form product is good and so is the Ritrama brand, I sell 54"x150' for $135.00

how thick? and how does it perform if being used daily and cleaned with liquids over time? I ask this as no matter what I tell the customer someone for sure is going to hit it with Windex or some such cleaning fluid.

 

[CentralSigns]

I'm curious as well on lifespan. I get quite a few requests for dry erase products. You can PM me if you want.

 

[CentralSigns]

That was actually one of my thoughts Pat, the last time. Should have followed through I guess. A cheap way to ensure you don't have to redo it to soon.

 

[gabagoo]

Funny you should post this....
I just had re-do 3 dry erase boards we did for one of our big customers. They were complaining that the ones I made weren't accepting the dry-erase markers very well ....staining them etc. So I picked up a roll of Ritrama 1 mil Polypropylene dry erase laminate. It was definitely hard to work with like you mentioned...even using a laminator.
I tested out every dry-erase pen we had in the shop...expo, bic etc. and it worked perfectly. Brought the boards back and installed them, just before leaving I tested out the customer's pens (the fat EXPO ones) and sure enough a couple of them still stained.
I think some of those markers just aren't compatible with laminates as opposed to porcelain boards. I'm thinking I might just buy my customer a box of the ones that DO work and let them use those, because I'm not replacing those things again!

which are the ones that you found work best and I will buy some

 

[Browner]

I've been using GBC's Arctic Write Erase without issue. Call GBC directly, the price is better than through ND (go figure).

We've been suggesting the customers use Quartet's "Enduraglide" markers.