Best vinyl to use?

[G-Artist]

Pretty soon we will have a job that consists of small decals that need to be applied to "felt".

Actually to casino gaming tables. Depending from whom those table covers were purchased it could be anything from a wool blend to some sort of microfiber. If you are not familiar with casino gaming tables think - pool table.

Most tables will most likely be on the worn side and probably have human oils on them as well as cigarette smoke and other airborne debris embedded in them.

So, I need a printable vinyl that has a very aggressive adhesive.

Thoughts?

Thanks....

 

[TresL]

Arlon DPF8000 or Convex.

That's going to be a tough job no matter what you use.
Heat gun may help a lot as well.

 

[artsnletters]

i don't think vinyl will work at all....totally wrong way to approach this. Think Iron on...thats the only way to get it to bond to the fabric. Either that or silk screen...
Tim

 

[AllSquare Jason]

Arlon DPF8000
That's going to be a tough job no matter what you use.
Heat gun may help a lot as well.

YUP - I had a customer use the Arlon DPF8000 decals on pool tables with success.

Note that most gaming tables are dye sublimated.

 

[G-Artist]

Thanks for those thoughts.

Just to clarify things. The decals will be installed by the casino's in-house staff. Same guys who replace the table coverings. The casinos will be provided the decals, a squeegee, and an install sheet complete with photos and a reference to some YouTube vids.

I just need a reference to the most aggressive adhesive possible within the digital print vinyl line. I trust the good folks here vs. asking a sales person from a mfg. I cannot afford failures.

I am also contemplating tossing in a small scrub brush with the package so as to loosen any impacted debris that can then be vacuumed up.

Down the road (about a year or two from now) I expect the decals will be replaced by sublimination print.

They cannot be an iron-on as they have to be removed at-will should the need arise. I am not worried about leaving behind any adhesive residue should the decals be removed. The important part is that they stick and stay stuck.

 

[tracey.peterson]

Ugh - this is a case where I'd be even more adamant than usual that the application surface be completely free of debris, as clean as possible (as far as that goes for felt). I'd worry mostly about the edges peeling up in a couple months (of course).

If you're looking more at Arlon due to the suggestions, I've found in the past that their website is pretty on the level with info about their vinyls - and DPS 8000 *is* a vinyl I used to use a lot, and it has really strong adhesive. It's also calendared, so it'll run you a bit less than cast - perfect for an indoor 1-year use application. I'd be afraid of it damaging the felt though, so you may want to run a few tests if that's important to you.

I'd probably look into your own ability to provide the sublimation though (either in house or with a sub) when they come asking for it as you suspect they will.

 

[G-Artist]

Thanks Tracy.

I would never get into the dye sub end. If the decals prove popular then I am sure somewhere down the road the graphics would be licensed to the specialty companies who are, in turn, licensed by the various gaming commissions to provide gaming table layouts. In fact, in some states that will be a prerequisite.

I am not necessarily looking at Arlon products per se. I'll buy anything if it will work. I am surprised no one mentioned 3M due to the sheer number of products they offer.

 

[tracey.peterson]

Makes sense about the dye-sub stuff when you put it that way. 3M does have some competing vinyls - and in fact I preferred using a lot of their stuff due to color response, but I've also used the Arlon DPF 8000 with good results.

As far as 3M stuff goes - I'd probably give IJ160 a go - it's got color response similar to IJ180 (which was ALWAYS my preferred vehicle wrap and what we'd call "High Performance" prints), but doesn't have the comply, which doesn't seem like it'll help in this situation and will save you a bit. Check out the link below for 3M's details.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...E3E02LECIE20S7M3_nid=H7D14K558JbeGW5VRFJ6Q9gl

Edit: Come to think of it, you can probably use Oracal too - their Orajet 3640 and 3651 lines were my go to calendared vinyl (I thought of it as "Standard Performance" but the sales guys didn't like it . Holds ink well, but doesn't stand up too great outdoors for long. Lam helps some. The 3651 has a more pleasing white and I think a stronger adhesive, but when I was buying it cost a bit more. Link below:

http://www.oracal.com/products/product.asp?seriesID=195

You may want to get some samples in from your local dealer and check em out - I didn't apply any of these to felt, so I have no solid advice, but these 4 vinyls were my workhorses.