Tips
to help you apply your graphics
- Roughly cut
out the stripes/decals from the sheet (if not already).
- Clean the surface
that the decal will be applied to. The surface must be free of cleaners,
solutions or solvents. If the surface has been freshly painted, allow
at least a week for proper curing time. Paint that has not cured properly
will attack the vinyl adhesive.
- The clean part
is carefully marked up with low tack masking tape or similar as a
guide to correctly position the stripe.
- Lightly mist
with a mixture of water and a drop of dishwashing liquid, covering
the whole area. Too much dishwashing liquid in the water will affect
adhesion. This mist will enable the decal to be gently lifted off
if the initial positioning is not accurate.
- If the decal
is between a backing paper and a transparent application tape. Peel
off the backing paper making sure the whole graphic sticks to the
application tape.
- The exposed
part of the stripe should be carefully aligned to the guides on tank/panel
and gently placed in position. If the positioning is not right at
this point the stripe/decal can be carefully pulled off the piece.
If too much pressure has been has been used the vinyl can easily be
stretched. When satisfied with its positioning the stripe can be smoothed
down with a plastic squeegee or a piece of stiff card, expelling the
water.
- Peel back the
application tape carefully, should the graphic start to lift push
it back down then continue peeling back the tape. While it is still
wet, push out any air pockets while being careful not to move the
decal out of position. Always work any water or air pockets to the
outside edges of the decals to avoid trapping them.
- Decals should
be allowed 24 hours to dry. If you have pushed out all air during
the previous steps, the decal should not have air bubbles. Should
any appear after drying, use a sewing needle to extract air with a
very small hole. Small bubbles will disappear over time with exposure
to sun.
- Allow at least
2 days before applying a clear coat over your new graphics.
- The decals should
be carefully spirit wiped and allowed to dry, twice, before applying
clearcoat to remove any traces silicone from the surface.
- Applying a clearcoat
is best left to an experienced painter. The decals must not stay wet
for long. The first coat of clear must be what is sometimes called
a dry coat. This is a light coat to seal them, which is
allowed to dry before the final coat(s) are applied. If they are sprayed
heavily with clear without doing this, the solvents in the clearcoat
may attack the decals causing the them to wrinkle or lift.
CLICK
HERE to view application of our decals in the Japanese publication MOTO
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