Author Topic: Vinyl Wrap.  (Read 22261 times)

Offline Khare

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #10 on: 23 July 2012, 17:38 »
Alex, what cleaner did you use to prep the area?

Just bought 1.5m x 3m of carbon wrap  :lipsrsealed:

Offline LazyLunatic

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #11 on: 23 July 2012, 17:54 »
Cheers bud, mirrors were a little bit of work, but decent WRAPPING vinyl really helps.

You will get the feel for it as you do it. Vinyl needs to be pulled in the right directions, held in place, heated and applied. For most of the roof though you won't need heat. I'd advise having a helping hand, even for something as small as mirrors. You need the mirror to be held in place and hands free to pull vinyl and apply and heat, etc.

Few tips:

Tools:
- Heat gun + extension lead
- hard squeegee with felt edge (used for most of the application)
- soft felt squeegee (good for large flat areas)

Decent wrap vinyl is very forgiving, you can crease it, roll it up into a ball, stick it to itself, etc. Then pull it apart, heat it, and it'll be good to use again. It's manageable too and can be stretched quite far but it does have its limits, which you'll find if you overheat it or overstretch when its hot. If you were to try wrapping your roof with cheap vinyl you'll struggle to do a good job.

Also to be noted and not to be ignored is the prep, surface needs to be CLEAN. Soapy water or a good car wash before to get all the dirt/bits off. Then use isopropanol or a similar alcohol cleaner that won't damage the paint; this will remove any contaminates like grease, etc. Any grooves/edges or recesses or parts where the vinyl will be tucked around need to be super clean or risk the vinyl coming out at a later stage.

Once its all applied, you need to cure it by going over it with a heat gun, especially on the bit where the vinyl has gone into a recess.

I'll try and make a picture guide for wrapping a roof or bonnet this weekend :)



Offline Khare

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #12 on: 23 July 2012, 18:05 »
Nice one buddy cheers. Just ordering the isopropanol now. Already ordered heat gun and hard squeegee with felt edge. THis is the vinyl wrap I bought.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220826716368?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_1300wt_952

Offline LazyLunatic

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #13 on: 24 July 2012, 23:55 »
Nice one buddy cheers. Just ordering the isopropanol now. Already ordered heat gun and hard squeegee with felt edge. THis is the vinyl wrap I bought.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220826716368?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_1300wt_952

Let me know how you get on. I would usually recommend staying well clear of really cheap ebay vinyl!

Offline VR6_Wherry

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #14 on: 25 July 2012, 10:07 »
I really hope that pink is going round the whole of your car!! :cool: :grin:

Offline LazyLunatic

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #15 on: 25 July 2012, 18:14 »
I really hope that pink is going round the whole of your car!! :cool: :grin:

Lol, no mate. I don't have a problem with pink and I like it on that BMW but not on mine. Going down a different route.

I stripped my car down today and got the roof done. Will be back on it Friday. Plan is to get the rest of the "on-the-car" stuff done, then Saturday get the "bolt-off" stuff done, like bumpers, bonnet, etc and piece it together Sunday.

Roof came out real good, got some pictures too. Will throw them up here with a little guide on what was done.

Offline Khare

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #16 on: 26 July 2012, 20:33 »
Alex, just wondering. How did you do the roof around the gutters? Did you just peel them back as you go along or did you remove them?

Offline LazyLunatic

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #17 on: 26 July 2012, 22:23 »
Alex, just wondering. How did you do the roof around the gutters? Did you just peel them back as you go along or did you remove them?

Take them off dude.

Offline Khare

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #18 on: 26 July 2012, 23:04 »
How do you take them off, aren't there some very easy to break clips holding them down?

Offline Khare

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Re: Vinyl Wrap.
« Reply #19 on: 27 July 2012, 21:41 »
Bought a new set of clips from B&B components, I know I'll be breaking one or two  :grin: