Need Help Bubbles

[Lylie]

Hi all,

I'm quite new to this so please bare with me...

I've got a Roland XC-540 and I'm just playing at the minute, I've got some self-adhsesive vinyl along with some clear & paper application tape; I've put some prints on to application tape, but when peeling back, they have bubbles, obviously when I've put the application tape over the vinyl i've used my squeegee etc but I'm unsure if someone can point me in the right direction of where I'm going wrong, any help would be hugely appreciated

Many thanks

 

[Gino]

Did you put this down using the wet method or dry ??

 

[Lylie]

Did you put this down using the wet method or dry ??

I'm sorry to sound so dense, but wet method? I peeled it back, stuck it down and squeegee'd it onto the vehicle - so I would say dry?

Could you elaborate on the steps you would use please? Sorry I feel a right turnip!

 

[rjssigns]

When applying dry you need to take your time. For small pieces with transfer tape get a small bit of vinyl tacked in place and remove backing. Then while holding the vinyl slightly off the surface squeegee 4 or 5mm at a time and overlap squeegee strokes. A new squeegee with a sharp edge goes a long way in preventing bubbles.

Wet method: Buy some Rapid Tac and follow the tutorials on their site.

 

[Gino]

As explained by rjs, you need to go slowly and be precise with your squeegee technique. A good squeegee is key, but yours looks more like technique failure. Seems you didn't use near enough pressure, thus trapping air all over the place. Practice and then practice some more as long as this is just playtime for you as you pointed out.

The wet method is more forgiving, but not always preferred, as it can take extra time.

 

[unclebun]

The problem is that you peeled off the backing and stuck the vinyl on the surface, then squeegeed. The goal is to have the squeegee give the vinyl its first contact with the surface. When you do it the way you did, you trap the air under the vinyl.

Unless you are dealing with very small lettering or shapes, with no wide swaths of vinyl, you cannot install by peeling the whole carrier paper off and sticking.

Check out YouTube videos on applying vinyl with the center hinge method. Not all of them use proper squeegee technique, but they will give you the gist of how to do it.

 

[Tyson Mowat]

There are pressure sensitive vinyls that are more forgiving with vehicle applications than others. Try ordering some vinyl that has an air release system in the adhesive, like Orajet Rapidair. It helps with the evac of air pockets during installation.
If your bubbles are showing up some time after install it could be due to fresh paint, automotive paint tends to “gas off” as it cures, and the vinyl can trap that process at the surface.

 

[decalman]

Bubbles go away by themselves. If the bubble is bigger than a pencil eraser I will pop it. Most vinyl has little air release holes. It's porous and breathes.

Smoothes out much faster when it's in the sunshine