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Is the lines to thin?

denniswa

New Member
Regarding Orafol 3551 RA – do you have any recommendations on the minimum thickness for thin lines on cars? I made some that were 1mm, and they peeled off quite quickly.


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denniswa

New Member
3-6mm. But I would use Oracal 751 on that. 3551RA thin lines won't stick as well as 751 on a window.
thanks! Would that thin decal work better on the side of the car or on the hood? It’s for a customer, so is there anything I could recommend? 3551 ra is the only vinyl i have unfortunally
 

weyandsign

New Member
I think it would stick much better on metal instead of the glass, if it needs to be that thin. I've stuck extremely thin 3551RA on doors and it stayed on. But on your design if you thicken it just even a small amount I think it would hold much better on the glass.
3551RA also should be post heated on stuff that thin.
 

denniswa

New Member
I think it would stick much better on metal instead of the glass, if it needs to be that thin. I've stuck extremely thin 3551RA on doors and it stayed on. But on your design if you thicken it just even a small amount I think it would hold much better on the glass.
3551RA also should be post heated on stuff that thin.
Thanks, can I recommend the customer to place a big transparent film over the decal or use some sort of glue or something to fix this issue? Or should I just make a return of the money? I dont know how they mounted the decal because i send it by post
 

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
I don't think it matters what type of vinyl you use. Anything that thin is going to fail pretty quickly.
 
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Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
1/8th of an inch. However, the bigger issue you have here are the fine points at the ends of the lines. Those will be the initial fail point no matter how thick the lines are
 
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Stacey K

I like making signs
1/8th of an inch. However, the bigger issue you have here are the fine points at the ends of the lines. Those will be the initial fail point no matter how thick the lines are
This! And car washes, hand washes, wipers grab those pointy spots and pull the decals up.
 
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VizualVoice

I just learned how to change my title status
Thanks, can I recommend the customer to place a big transparent film over the decal or use some sort of glue or something to fix this issue? Or should I just make a return of the money? I dont know how they mounted the decal because i send it by post
NO. You can NOT glue or tape down failing vinyl and expect it to last or work.
 
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Gino

Premium Subscriber
Looks like you already put some kinda laminate down. I can see the trapped air around certain areas. We almost always round sharp points.
 
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denniswa

New Member
Looks like you already put some kinda laminate down. I can see the trapped air around certain areas. We almost always round sharp points.

It has to be something to do with the cold weather because its no air under the laminate that is laying only over the vinyl :) thanks for your advice!
 

denniswa

New Member
1/8th of an inch. However, the bigger issue you have here are the fine points at the ends of the lines. Those will be the initial fail point no matter how thick the lines are
Thank you! What should be the minimum radius for edges and angles like this decal? And at which angle can I use sharp edges?
 

Geneva Olson

Expert Storyteller
that looks like a back window graphic. I would have sold them window perf.

Thin lines are irritating.
 
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Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
Here is the real problem.... Your customer has wants, but you don't seem to know what you're doing enough to tell them what the solution to what they want and what is realistic.
 
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VizualVoice

I just learned how to change my title status
It has to be something to do with the cold weather because its no air under the laminate that is laying only over the vinyl :) thanks for your advice!
you said it's cold weather and that the customer installed it. I bet that's the magic combo of why it started to fail so soon. How cold was the glass when it was installed? How was it cleaned and prepped? Was it properly squeegeed? Etc. All things anyone here would likely know to do properly but Joe Customer maybe not.
 
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Superior_Adam

New Member
3551 is a intermediate removable film. You need a good cast vinyl for this. I would still thicken the lines up some but for this I would use cast vinyl. Proper cleaning and install is critical here as well. You are saying that is the only vinyl you have on hand but you can order a few yards of a cast vinyl to get this job done instead of buying a whole roll.
 
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denniswa

New Member
you said it's cold weather and that the customer installed it. I bet that's the magic combo of why it started to fail so soon. How cold was the glass when it was installed? How was it cleaned and prepped? Was it properly squeegeed? Etc. All things anyone here would likely know to do properly but Joe Customer maybe not.
I recommended the customer to install it in a warm garage and use cleaning
 
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