Question Bubbles in vinyl?

[CKCUSTOMKC]

Is this a moisture problem? Or a manufacturer defect? The vinyl did sit idle for about a week and there was a significant temperature rise outside during that week

 

[Geneva Olson]

bubbles are normal. If they don't resolve themselves you can use an air release tool to pop them. or a needle.

 

[Gino]

No, bubbles are not normal, not at all, unless ya have lousy application technique(s).

What kinda vinyl ??
Wet or dry instal ??
What kinda substrate ??
Applied outside or inside ??
Temperature in area where doing installation ??

 

[Stacey K]

What Geneva said...most will resolve themselves in the sun. Unless they popped up AFTER you installed the vinyl?

The vinyl is breathable - so to speak - so the air will go away with the heat of the sun or if wet applied the moisture will evaporate sucking down the vinyl. A lot of times if I get the vehicle lettered one day I won't bother popping anything...I'll wait until the next day and most have already resolved themselves in the evening and morning sun. When you have a vehicle in and out in a day or a few hours then pop any large ones and tell the customer that if there's any smaller ones they will go away within a few days and if they don't they should call you back. I've never once had anyone call me back.

Ideally, you don't want any bubbles at all and you will get good enough eventually where you won't have any or very few small ones. In the meantime, be prepared to make it right and be honest.

 

[CKCUSTOMKC]

its not installed anywhere that is fresh off the press

 

[Johnny Best]

The longer you install vinyl the fewer bubbles will occur. Try to get them out before you remove the transfer paper by pushing them to the edge.

 

[Stacey K]

I'm confused, can you post a pic? Fresh off the press...like it's printed vinyl and it's bubbling on the carrier paper? Or is it like Johnny says...transfer paper and vinyl bubbled?

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I'm really confused here.

 

[Boudica]

Ckapex - More info needed... pictures too.

 

[Geneva Olson]

No, bubbles are not normal, not at all, unless ya have lousy application technique(s).

What kinda vinyl ??
Wet or dry instal ??
What kinda substrate ??
Applied outside or inside ??
Temperature in area where doing installation ??

I will say that with autowraps (which is what we deal with the most). Those bubbles will pop up in some crazy places. And sometimes it's a while after the installation. I walked by my daughter's car the other day and saw a bubble that had just appeared. We wrapped her car back in August of last year.

 

[Gino]

Mot likely, ya never noticed it. However, in those channels, air can travel around for quite some time. So, if you don't get all the air properly squeegeed out up front, it will generally migrate to a weak point and suddenly show up. If it's been there too long, it most likely lost any adhesiveness that was there in the beginning. That's the important step we all talk about...... 'Post Heating'.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

The only time I see a big bubble pop up is when my flunky here mounts a sign and with his do first think later do everything as fast as possible to squeeze in 50 cigarette breaks an hour work ethic, he manages to get them somehow and not run them out. Like gino said, it all migrates to one weak spot and pops up into a gigantic vinyl tumor that I don't see until a few days later when I'm loading up the sign.

 

[Gino]

No, bubbles are not normal, not at all, unless ya have lousy application technique(s).

What kinda vinyl ??
Wet or dry instal ??
What kinda substrate ??
Applied outside or inside ??
Temperature in area where doing installation ??

Yo black star........... Care to elaborate on what you disagree with in this post ?? I don't understand your findings.

 

[Geneva Olson]

Mot likely, ya never noticed it. However, in those channels, air can travel around for quite some time. So, if you don't get all the air properly squeegeed out up front, it will generally migrate to a weak point and suddenly show up. If it's been there too long, it most likely lost any adhesiveness that was there in the beginning. That's the important step we all talk about...... 'Post Heating'.

yea, we have a big IR heater..AND we live in Houston! LOL.

Side note: a guy just got his hybrid porsche wrapped last week. He had a textured carbon fiber stripe going down the middle. It was beautful matte black with this texture carbon fiber stripe. They guy was SO jazzed about it. He was so proud of it he decided to wash it. I'm not sure what he did but he scratched up the carbon fiber. He called us up and we're going to fix it. but that poor guy. He was so bummed that he screwed it up.

 

[CKCUSTOMKC]

I'm confused, can you post a pic? Fresh off the press...like it's printed vinyl and it's bubbling on the carrier paper? Or is it like Johnny says...transfer paper and vinyl bubbled?

hey sorry all I thought I attached a picture with the original post, I guess my phone lied to me when it said it attached the image

 

[Geneva Olson]

That actually looks like somethings wrong on the substrate (car?) was it freshly painted? within the last 30-45 days?

 

[CKCUSTOMKC]

That actually looks like somethings wrong on the substrate (car?) was it freshly painted? within the last 30-45 days?

well that picture is the vinyl fresh off the press

 

[Gino]

Wow, that looks mighty bad. Can you answer any of my earlier questions ??

 

[Geneva Olson]

well that picture is the vinyl fresh off the press

it hasn't been applied?

 

[Stacey K]

well that picture is the vinyl fresh off the press

Is this applied to something or just the vinyl on the backerpaper?