the edges of the plastics where the stickers wrap around are coming loose.. i thought i followed the instructions to the letter by spraying a mist of water on both the plastic and the decal but the adhesive doesnt have much bite and the decals are very thick, SO thick that the tension is too much for the adhesive. should i just experiment with some contact adhesive and tape it down till it cures or will heat or something set it off better?> anyone know what to do??? i have a super cool honda cr500af and i want it to look nice !
We use carb cleaner on a paper towel and rub the area prior to installing graphics on plastic. Plastic has a bad habit of holding on to oil, this is probably why the decals are releasing at the edges.
First, with a paper towel or q-tip, clean the plastic where the decal should be sticking, but isn't.
Then you can try applying some heat with a heat gun - sparingly!
Keep the gun at least a foot away from the surface, and always keep it moving, touch the heated area carefully every few seconds to be sure you're not over heating it. Once it is very warm, and you see the rest of the decal start to detach, now is the time to squeegee out the bubbles.
Once this is done, press down hard on the curling edges, then tape the edges that are trying to escape with masking tape. You can also try wrapping it in plastic wrap to hold down a complex decal. Let this sit overnight, then carefully remove the tape or plastic wrap.
If the decal still tries to curl on a few edges, a tiny bit of spray adhesive may help, but probably will wear off after a few rides.
If this doesn't work, then unfortunately you're probably going to have to start over.
If you're trying to apply decals to a gas tank, they'll always bubble. The gas fumes escaping the tank cause this.
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I was going to suggest cleaning the area before applying the decals with lighter fluid. The bubbles are probably from air trapped or dust particles. When we apply labels like decals at my work we clean and then start the decal at one end and try to apply the decal so the air is pushed in one direction only. Example left to right across the decal. Thick Decals could be warmed up with a heat gun so they form better to the surface, but it depends on how much heat and the adhesive being used. Last resort is super glue on the end of a needle and held down with a non stick plastic, like the bottle it came in. Hope that helps. Good Luck.
References :
I work in the Aerospace industry and we have many applications for labels, Decals, Logos etc.
We use carb cleaner on a paper towel and rub the area prior to installing graphics on plastic. Plastic has a bad habit of holding on to oil, this is probably why the decals are releasing at the edges.
First, with a paper towel or q-tip, clean the plastic where the decal should be sticking, but isn’t.
Then you can try applying some heat with a heat gun – sparingly!
Keep the gun at least a foot away from the surface, and always keep it moving, touch the heated area carefully every few seconds to be sure you’re not over heating it. Once it is very warm, and you see the rest of the decal start to detach, now is the time to squeegee out the bubbles.
Once this is done, press down hard on the curling edges, then tape the edges that are trying to escape with masking tape. You can also try wrapping it in plastic wrap to hold down a complex decal. Let this sit overnight, then carefully remove the tape or plastic wrap.
If the decal still tries to curl on a few edges, a tiny bit of spray adhesive may help, but probably will wear off after a few rides.
If this doesn’t work, then unfortunately you’re probably going to have to start over.
If you’re trying to apply decals to a gas tank, they’ll always bubble. The gas fumes escaping the tank cause this.
References :
i kno more than any-body on earth about dirtbikes
References :
hoinda cr250r
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