3M Vinyls Smell Really Bad

[Mike Paul]

Rapictac smells nice.

It’s water base and a special no foam soap mixed with a couple drops of vanilla extract.

 

[Mike Paul]

Works good but you can make your own.
RT 2 works really good in cold weather.

 

[Patentagosse]

hahahahaha my boss loves the smell of 180CV3

is this bad or what, I have to admit I like the smell of Rapid Tac, smells like vanilla, lol

My wife and I say the amber RapidTac smells like Bailey's...

 

[Patentagosse]

you know what really smells bad, when you cut acrylic sheets on the panel saw, instant headache.

Changing subjects: Has anyone noticed near the end (last 20-25 feet) of lamination rolls, a "modeling or hazy effect" especially with 8518. It looks terrible on dark color backgrounds of vehicle wraps. What do you all do, just waste it.

Every rolls... depending on the level of matte spots, I run the heatgun and it turns gloss again. Better for print n' cut as you can heat only the individual letters you want gloss back.

It's like if they roll 'em too hot or too tight

 

[alexajames]

I also miss the old High Performance Automotive Grade from 3M. The adhesive smelled like apple juice (kinda). My van was full of striping rolls when I was doing dealerships back in the days. Adhesive was also visually recognizable by the tint: a li'l darker than usual. Never understood why they dropped that line. It was especially made for automotive clearcoat. They also had some amazing colors, never seen in regular sign films.

But that smell...

Wow, that's interesting! It’s funny how the smell was actually kind of pleasant back then compared to the strong chemical odor we’re noticing now.
I wonder why 3M decided to discontinue that line sounds like it had some unique qualities, especially being designed for automotive clear coat.

Do you think the formula changes over the years could be what’s causing the stronger smell in today’s vinyls?

 

[DL Signs]

Do you think the formula changes over the years could be what’s causing the stronger smell in today’s vinyls?

The reasons could be anything from chemicals needing to be sourced from other manufacturers because of shortages or just cost, advancements in vinyl/ adhesive technology put into service, could have something to do with the ever increasing regulations on chemicals, so formulas need to be modified to reduce usage on select ones. Believe it or not, some of the "not so bad" chemicals can actually smell worse than the really hazardous ones. Things change, the reasons are endless... I haven't had any complaints about smell after installation, so as long as they work like they should...

 

[alexajames]

The reasons could be anything from chemicals needing to be sourced from other manufacturers because of shortages or just cost, advancements in vinyl/ adhesive technology put into service, could have something to do with the ever increasing regulations on chemicals, so formulas need to be modified to reduce usage on select ones. Believe it or not, some of the "not so bad" chemicals can actually smell worse than the really hazardous ones. Things change, the reasons are endless... I haven't had any complaints about smell after installation, so as long as they work like they should...

That makes a lot of sense, especially the part about regulations and supply chain changes forcing adjustments in formulas. I hadn’t considered that some “less hazardous” chemicals could actually smell worse, that’s really interesting.

From a health standpoint though, do you think shops should be taking any extra precautions (beyond normal ventilation) when working with newer vinyls? I just want to make sure the stronger odor isn’t a red flag for long-term exposure.

 

[Gene@mpls]

Smells like money?