Start of rear vinyl project

[428street]

Stalled as I'm to afraid to do it myself...everything is cut out and ready but having second thoughts as seems like anyway I look at it I have one shot once I stick it on and I've been told that the summer heat is my friend...it isn't that warm up here yet...

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by 428street

Stalled as I'm to afraid to do it myself...everything is cut out and ready but having second thoughts as seems like anyway I look at it I have one shot once I stick it on and I've been told that the summer heat is my friend...it isn't that warm up here yet...

Probably so. I assume this is one big piece of vinyl. Are you going to apply contact cement to just the center section first - apply the vinyl and smooth it out? Then do one side and then go back and do the other? I guess you can do it in as many increments as you feel comfortable with. That inside corner at the bottom step is probably one of the trickiest areas. If there is any tension in the vinyl when applied across it, it will tend to loosen up in a bubble.

[ERA Chas]

OK here's a tip to help you guys (especially if you're chicken to get started) we professional picture framers use.

It's called a 'slip sheet'. When you have an area (any size) to have adhesive applied to (especially 'contact' with no repositioning time) you put a barrier sheet (which the glue will release from) between the glue and the piece, position the piece and slowly peel back the barrier while rolling the piece flat with a 6" rubber roller. This is how we mount movie posters or multiple small piece picture montages.

Now framers sometimes use foamcore mounting board which is adhesive on one side. That comes with a peel-away contact sheet which is discarded. But that sheet has a waxed-paper type finish on the face (and a paper back) which allows it to release from the sticky side of the foamcore. We save these sheets and use them as slip sheets for these type of adhesive mounting jobs.

NOW-you have to test for your own application. Gather a roll of ordinary waxed paper, a swatch of your vinyl, a scrap of aluminum and your particular adhesive. DO NOT USE 'SARAN'-TYPE CLING WRAP!)

Coat the vinyl and aluminum, cut an oversized piece of waxed paper and position it between. Place vinyl down on one thin exposed edge and slowly peel back the wax sheet evenly, while lightly pressing the the vinyl as you go. When the sheet is removed, the vinyl and aluminum should be pressed flat with some strength. Use kitchen rolling pins of smaller sizes-works great.
NOTE: If you use actual slip sheet and not waxed paper, only apply adhesive to the aluminum side, not the vinyl side. The paper side of the slip sheet would stick to the glue if you do both surfaces. Should still hold the vinyl just fine, even in sun's heat.

No bubbles, no wrinkles and placed accurately. You can do this on vertical surfaces like the rear bulkhead (just use dabs of tape on the top edge of the slip sheet to be your third hand) or flat like the dash on a worktable.

This is much harder to write about than to do once you've practiced enough.

If you want the real stuff go to the art supply store or on-line sites like Dick Blick and get adhesive foamcore, rubber rollers, sharp cutting tools, etc. The foamcore is great for making templates when fabricating parts.

This is why your grand daughter's 8 x 10 costs $300 matted and framed...there's a lot goes into the making.

Write back if you have any questions.

[DanEC]

Wow Chas - I wouldn't have suspected you were so "artsy".

Thanks

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by DanEC

Wow Chas - I wouldn't have suspected you were so "artsy".

Thanks

A. Look at my car.
B. NOT just a pretty face...

[DanEC]

Any progress Frank?

I started to get around to the process of ordering foam and vinyl for mine to get started but the more I study the rear bulkhead, the more I'm convinced there isn't a practical way to cover it with a single sheet of vinyl. It looks like 3 pieces with some sort of vertical lap or seam at the inside edge of both wheel closure panels would be necessary. Were you planning to do it in partial panels?

Dan