Applying Sandman decals

[Absinth]

Just wondering how many of you guys know the trick to applying the decals, how do you get them positioned correctly and without any air bubbles??

There is a trick to it....... what's yours?

[mick h]

hey mate wouldnt have a clue but at 500 a pop for the decal set i can tell you that when i put my new ones on i will be paying someone to do it for me! do you know the secret?

[wayne g]

Go and have a chat to a signwriter who is a good guy - and see if they will do it for a carton of beer.

I got a boat name palced on my boat a few years ago and the lad who did it asked me if I wanted to put the name on. I told him that I would not be that confident to do it. For $20 extra he placed the name on the boat without a problem. The boat name decal would be similar in size to the HX tailgate.

Remember beer is the univeral currency.

wayne

[mick h]

like your thinking wayne - and infact - i have bought a tailgate sandman decal as a spare for my boat to name her 'sandman' oddly enough. that will be a good test for the budding sign writer that gets the job. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........Duff!!

[HZSandman]

Plenty of water (think it was just water from memory) which lets you slide them around with ease once applied. Slide, slide, slide to get them in position and wait wait about 2 weeks for them to dry. They will appear very milky for the time it takes to dry, but don't worry about that as they will clear up completely when dry.

It seriously takes that long for them to completely dry

[jbsandman76]

Yep just as HZSandman said. The paint needs to be cured for a long time and free of polish so that the decal adheres properly. We waited approx 9 months for the paint to cure before the decals were applied. Soapy waper used on mine and as you say slide into position. Probably the most nerve wracking part, even Max who did the paint didn't want to do them!!

[HZSandman]

Interesting that you waited 9 months for the paint to cure.

Ours went on about 3 days after the paint.

Sorry, about 8 days.

[Absinth]

Ok, there is a trick to it and all you need is a good Squeegee and a spray bottle full of water with a half a teaspoon of dish washing detergent added. This is how the professionals apply window tint and sign decals.

1) Spray the solution on the panel.
2) Spray the solution on the sticky side of the decal as you peel the backing paper off.
3) Place the decal on the panel and slide it around to the position you want it in.
4) Spray the solution over the face of the decal.
5) Using a hard rubber squeegee work from the middle out and squeegee the decal onto the panel with one hand while holding the decal in position with the other hand. Make sure you work any air bubbles out as you go.
6) Rinse off any detergent with plain water when finished.
7) Allow 1 hour dry time before driving car.

My Squeegee is a specially designed one for window tinting and is V shaped for getting right into the corners but as long as you have a hard rubber one it should work fine.



New paint should cure for a minimum of 7 days before applying decals. Dish washing detergent won't harm your paintwork. Surface must be clean and free of any polish or oils.
Thoroughly wet all surfaces with solution. Do it on a cool day in the shade or preferably under cover, night time is also good...... the solution won't evaporate as fast and it gives you more time to work out the air bubbles.

It's that easy............ Try it first with any old sticker/decal onto a piece of glass or whatever you like...... a bit of practice and you'll wonder why you ever thought it would be difficult.

There you go Blocker, your first "how to" on the Forum.

Cheers, Sean

[HZSandman]

[Absinth]

Excellent how to with pics Ian, where did you score that? .....Jason????

Pretty much what I said except for the amount of detergent which I disagree with. Not enough detergent and the solution is not slippery enough, detergent won't affect the tackiness of the adhesive back and I've never had the problem of clouding adhesive.