Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
We use 30" gloss cast laminate over reflective but can't find any. 30" isn't available in all brands, we have checked Oracal, Arlon and 3M. Does anyone have another suggestion?
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30" Cast Laminate
- Thread starter Notarealsignguy
- Start date
victor bogdanov
Active Member
easy to cut 60" rolls in half with a miter saw
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
It takes me every bit of a year to run through a roll of reflective, I didn't really want to chop down a roll if I could avoid it.
victor bogdanov
Active Member
I use this 12" sliding miter saw. Cuts almost though whole rolls in one pass but then I have to rotate the roll a bit to finish the cut. Have cut thousands of rolls for various reasons.
Geneva Olson
Expert Storyteller
grimco will cut rolls for you.
signheremd
New Member
If that is the case, sounds like the runs are not that long. Roll out the lamination and trim down to desired size. Save the other 24" to laminate other small things. That is what we do when we only have 54" in stock...
As mentioned grimco will cut it.
What material are you using? technically reflective glass bead isn't a cast...Maybe the vehicle wrap stuff is, but the other signage is made a different way and its not labeled a cast or a calendared (At least for 3M?) Not saying to use the cheapest overlam on it possible, but a good 5 year UV overlam is good enough for non vehicle grade reflective signage (Not traffic), But we use 8518 for stuff like vehicle grade reflective.
We use 8508 or equivlant on parking signage or simple decals.
Otherwise...Call Grimco and ask what they have in 30" for cast, unfortunatelly 30" Doesn't seem to be used so much these days - So getting a 60 cut down into 2X 30's, or a 54 into a 30/24 will likely be your only option. With suppliers still having supply issues, theyre mainly focusing on 54 + 60" rolls.
My advice would be get a 60" roll of brightline cut in half... probably be half the price of a 30" 8518 roll...and it'll still last 5 years. Unless it's for vehicles... then ignore and pray you can find some cast. Or if you're set on a cast and it's not vehicle grade and a thick overlam will work... 1170C is whats certified for traffic signage, so its in stock in most places that carry 3M. It is very thick though, so I wouldn't use it on anything but signage
What material are you using? technically reflective glass bead isn't a cast...Maybe the vehicle wrap stuff is, but the other signage is made a different way and its not labeled a cast or a calendared (At least for 3M?) Not saying to use the cheapest overlam on it possible, but a good 5 year UV overlam is good enough for non vehicle grade reflective signage (Not traffic), But we use 8518 for stuff like vehicle grade reflective.
We use 8508 or equivlant on parking signage or simple decals.
Otherwise...Call Grimco and ask what they have in 30" for cast, unfortunatelly 30" Doesn't seem to be used so much these days - So getting a 60 cut down into 2X 30's, or a 54 into a 30/24 will likely be your only option. With suppliers still having supply issues, theyre mainly focusing on 54 + 60" rolls.
My advice would be get a 60" roll of brightline cut in half... probably be half the price of a 30" 8518 roll...and it'll still last 5 years. Unless it's for vehicles... then ignore and pray you can find some cast. Or if you're set on a cast and it's not vehicle grade and a thick overlam will work... 1170C is whats certified for traffic signage, so its in stock in most places that carry 3M. It is very thick though, so I wouldn't use it on anything but signage
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
Usually 5650 and Nikkalite. I can stick calandared on it, I just thought it had to be cast. I have a roll of Oracal 215 in 30"
I called Grimco (painful), closest slitter is in Atlanta and they don't have a 60" roll of anything. As far as cutting 54" down, it's a PITA and pretty much everything we print is done with a takeup so those drops will end up getting trashed.
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Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
Sometimes it is a short run so I can use the end of a roll but it's usually 20-30'. We don't have a table where the laminator is either. The printer and laminator are in a seperate shop building so my lazy ass has to go carry the crap back and forth and I am trying to maintain my southern physique.
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
Who? You and Tex? When we're done you can buy me lunch
The printer and laminator are in the same building. Finishing is done in the other
