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?

 

[jcskikus]

I find that Conform RTape 4075RLA will, at times, smell like dog crap that's been sitting out in the grass for a few weeks. Nauseous, but it keeps people from coming around me asking questions.
As for the 3M IJ175 with 8518 gloss...oh yeah, it's a Saturday morning with my neighbor working on his race car and the exhaust fan blowing his "ganga" smoke into my driveway.

 

[Regina]

Yes,
The laminate on the clear liner
Smells like skunk when it comes off / applied

 

[XtremeXccessories]

I don't mind the smell of 3M, it's Oracal 3651 Clear that smells like sour ass.

 

[jimbug72]

it's Oracal 3651 Clear that smells like sour ass.

Sour buzzard ass! The whole store smells like there's a dead racoon in the back when we run it on the latex printer.

 

[zillion29]

Hi Community,

Is it just me, or do 3M vinyls stink up the shop way more than others? Lately I’ve been running IJ35, IJ480, IJ175, and IJ40. Even with solid ventilation, the whole shop smells like a chemical factory.

When I switch over to Avery materials I have no problem at all. Practically no smell.

So I’m curious:

• Are you all noticing the same thing with 3M?
• Is this just “part of the process,” or should I be worried?

Would love to hear if I’m the only one walking around smelling like IJ35 cologne, or if this is just part of the 3M experience.

Im mostly worried for my health. Something feels off.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s I worked in materials testing for Gerber Scientific. I was basically allowed to make whatever I wanted if I was conducting testing, so I did what we all do - make 10x more stickers and posters than we'll ever use in a 10,000 years. I made all kinds of anime prints and stuff on 3M 225. Flash forward to post COVID and my parents cleaned out a closet and discovered 20+ year old prints I had made on the Gerber Maxx, so I brought them home to Pennsylvania.
I take one of these things and start putting it on the wall of my garage and discover instantly that the outgassing is so nasty that it has now made the entire garage a toxic gas chamber, the odor is on my hands, my clothes. Then, of course, when I go to pull it off, it shreds and fractures and smells even WORSE.
So for anyone planning to keep stinky prints for that rainy day a few decades on, bring your gas mask!

 

[rastermaster]

We always run 3m. During the Covid era, we ran a lot of 3m that smelled like a dog had just taken a crap and we stepped in it. Interestingly, I have pulled out some of the overruns we had from those jobs in the last couple of weeks to use as scrap pieces, and they stank just as bad now as they did then. The 3m we are currently printing to, which is the same we were printing to then, IJ 35, 40c and 85, smells nothing like that. They have an odor but its not bad.