Wrapping problems. Any pro advice?

[Flame]

Ok, so I'm fairly new at wraps but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Here's a problem though that I've been having on ALL of the trucks I've been trying to do. I'm going to use todays job as an example of what I'm running in to.



File #1. Shows the truck from a distance. All I have to do is lay a 2 color stripe along the bottom of the vehicle.

#2. Vinyl wrapped pretty well for the most part. 3551 and 290 lam.

#3. Vinyl still wrapping around pretty well. No wrinkles or anything.

#4. Here lays my problem. In the space where the truck body meets the bed, there's a gap. Now, getting a decal to wrap into that gap without a bunch of wrinkles... IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!



Do you....

A. Cut it short and add in 1 or 2 small trimmed pieces, hoping they blend together well?

B. Heat it MORE? I'm using a torch for this, and it heats that sucker up nicely... but it still doesn't seem to be enough to get it to lay down well?

C. Not wrap in there at all?

D. Use an extra long piece to fold in there a long ways so you can stretch it in enough?



Or something else?????


Mason... all you other pro's.... what do YOU do in this situation? How would you get it in there and looking good?



:thankyou:

[mtmdesigns]

peel up pick 4 and stretch the s..t out of it.. then heat bend a exacto blade into a 90 and cut it straight freehand.

[Pro Signs & Graphix]

It all depends on the vehicles intended use and budget. To get into areas behind a cab (on a pickup), or behind bumpers, very often requires removal. If the budget allows for it then break out the tools and start removing the obstructions. Other than that, try and take the obstructions into consideration while designing and give it the best appearance possible.

[Replicator]

what the f..............k:help:

patience, slowdown, think it through, use great care !

Looks like you initially cut it too short !

[SignosaurusRex]

You have to finese the hell out of the vinyl. Use your thumbs instead of a squeegee. use the heat to shrink the vinyl as you work. At these points you need to slow down and again, finese the Vinyl.

[Derf]

As designsbymtm said, Strech the S#!t out of it then trim! Get it hot but not toooo hot!

[Valentino]

looks like you cut it short, I always give myself about 8 extra inches for fudge room and then cut.

we just did striping on a bus and we installed it with two people, one holding the vinyl, stretching and pulling the release liner and on squegeing (spelling)

[Valentino]

also sign-o-rex says some very true words, over the curves, use your fingers to set it over the curve.

we also made slits in the cut to allow the vinyl to go on wrinkle free for over curves.

[Derf]

the problem is that you have not wrapped a jacked up Bumper yet. after one of those bad boys your going to laugh at how easy what you just did is.

[Flame]

Half of you missed the point.

Everything goes fine, except in the area of trucks like I showed.

One thing that might help is to leave it longer. To lay this one on, I layed it on in one piece, then cut everything out. Maybe I should design it to have extra to tuck in there.......

I don't think heat's a problem. I've torched it as hot as it will go before it turns brown.:wink:

[Valentino]

yeah like I said, we give ourselves 8 extra inches, to pull around wheel wells and gaps. we also slit the vinyl, so in your second picture to go around that curve we would've cut it like this..... (the 5 white lines are cuts to release the tension in the vinyl to we can wrap that whole area in one piece.

[SignosaurusRex]

Flame, to avoid wrinkles on the compound curve rolled edges like the back of the cab, you need to use your thumb and gently push and shrink the vinyl around the bend, gradually warming the vinyl to shrink it as you go, massageing the vinyl into place. It is best done dry in these locations. A woman I once knew in the biz said that "vinyl is sometimes like a woman, you need to slow down, be patient, warm it, finesse it, massage it and eventually you'll get it to where you want."

[Derf]

Yeah and some times you need to get pissed off and just make it work!... LOL

Slap it around and strech the hell out of it!

[SignosaurusRex]

I can't afford to try that one. The other alternate worked for a while but that was expensive too, very short lived and unappreciated. LOL

[Valentino]

one time i missed the edge by about 4 inches, I was shocked because I knew I cut the vinyl stripe the right side, so I just overlapped a new piece and cut it at the end of the first piece and it came out seemless.

[Pro Signs & Graphix]

If you are concerned about area coverage, then you need to add more material. Distance is distance, regardless of what direction you are going in. As for the wrinkles, slow massaging (stretching/shrinking) with heat helps (practice required). As for getting into a deep recess, that is where you learn to start looking for ways to access without removal, and yes, in some cases for some jobs, removal is necessary (because it is faster and invokes less stress.)

On occasion, splicing is still necessary and considered acceptable. The question would be if you would consider it acceptable. Most customers do not know, or even care for that matter. When it is a "showpiece", splices are often frowned upon, but then again, that is where their budget comes in (as mentioned before).

[johnnysigns]

it's all been said: more material and the best tools, your hands.

[mark in tx]

Flamey,
On those edges, I lay the vinyl across the gap, then cut in the middle.
Then let the loose end sit for a minute, take a minute to look over the whole stripe or wrap piece for bubbles.
Trust me, let it sit for a minute.
I use a heat gun first, just lightly warm the loose flap, watch how it reacts, it will start to lay itself down, follow the lead of the vinyl with your finger, or the palm of your hand.
Heat, then finger bang it.
Heat, then finger bang it.

As far as the visual effect of how far back into the space between the cab and the bed the vinyl goes, I've never had a customer say it's not deep enough or far enough into the gap.

We, as the person applying are looking at it from the perspective of a few inches viewing distance. And we are looking with a super critical eye for flaws.
They are looking at it with a less critical eye, and a viewing distance of 1-2 feet. You have to remind yourself to step back 10 feet, and look at the flow of the graphic, and remember that the customer will only look closely (1-2 feet) when they pick it up, after that, they will always look at it from a greater distance.
That greater distance creates the optical illusion that helps the eye connect the 2 pieces.

As far as the area between the bumper and body, you have 3 choices really, trim and lay the vinyl wider so more lays into the area, remove the bumper to to get more vinyl in there, or tell the cheap SOB they should be painting that one color on, because vinyl will never cover exactly the same way a two tone paint job will.

[Mason]

Flame,
The truth is, there really isnt a good solution to that particular area and at the end of the bed where the bumpers are, getting behind those areas just plain sucks. Ive tried piecing it in, but apply the pieces first before you lay down the main portion that way you have the proper overlap (no forward facing seams) heat, more heat and lots of patience, Im doing a Dodge Ram 1500 next week and Im not looking forward to just this exact issue..

[MobileImpact]

Flamey,

Heat, heat and more heat. Cut the peice a little longer. Instead of squeege, we use an old oven mitt. after its worked into the grove and around the bend, we then work the vinyl again with a felt squeege. then cut a small releif strip in the groove. You may have to cut another peice to go over it. Sometimes we'll peice it together, sometimes we get lucky. After all that is done, then trim it out. Again if the budget allows, remove what you can, but we have never had to remove a truck bed to get around corners.

It does goes easier the more times you do it.

Good Luck

Kevin

[mark in tx]

I'll have to try the oven mitt, sounds like a great idea!

[flat rock stan]

Boss da mitt, da mitt! Great idea to go in my mental toolbox.
Thanks Stan

[gROUND cHUCK]

Try using a rag and start from the sharpest or highest point of the bend and run the rag, slowly up and down right at the edge. Pressing down only small amounts as you go around the edge. If you start to get a crease, work out the area till it's smooth and continue with the rest.

Like others have said, "you need to finesse it into submission".

[Bogie]

Just an alternative, and this won't apply to a lot of jobs...

In this case, the customer was getting black down low.

I know of a local shop that does bedliner. Here in Misery we've got more than a few gravel roads. Some folks are bedlinering that area. Looks kinda cool, actually...

Heck, cut a deal with a local bedliner joint, and offer it.

[Flame]

LOL. I'm doing this because he didn't want to spend so much to get it bedlined.

Ya know it would've cost $800 a SIDE to get this sucker bedlined? I was cheaper and made it look cooler. :thumb:

BTW, tried it again with a longer piece, my thumbs, and a torch... and it went down a lot better. Not perfect, but a lot better.

Thanks guys!

[Craig Sjoquist]

Thank You ya'll ...that was a great lesson ...had several solutions to a normal situation
all solutions workable, mostly suitable to the installer
solution best fitting at the time of the situation with experance on hand
outstanding forum here

13 folds