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I purchased the RTape diamond plate vinyl, the large Engine Turn and the chrome vinyl all of which are a metallic vinyl. I have such a hard time making any of this stick to raw metal. It barely adheres to any surface actually. Today I was working with a piece of smooth aluminum and tried to apply the engine turn vinyl with poor results. I clean the surfaces thoroughly but the vinyl easily peels off, almost like a low tack masking tape would. Do any of you have any experience with metallic specialty films? If so, how do you get it to stick to the surface? Thanks for any insight.

Sorry for the delay. It was absolutely the problem. My test sample cleared up after a couple days and was just as glossy as the beginning of the roll. I now unwind and rewind my vinyl by hand when it arrives to avoid any hassles. It happens to most tightly wound rolls but is more visible on darker colors that's why it always seemed like it was only my black rolls.

We're all trying to save money, I understand that and I'll take on jobs where the customer wants to save money but I can't take on another job like this one where it costs more to "repair" the substrate then to buy a new one. That was my mistake and lack of experience on this type of project. eh, you win some, you lose some and as long as I win more then I lose I'm happy Despite the monetary factor I really enjoyed this job.

Sure thing. I dropped off the sign this morning, the customer is having someone else install it per our original agreement. Here it is midway through the cleaning process. It's upside down. Here is the finished sign minus the trim. I used black Gemtrim on the final piece but cant find the photos on my camera. I'll post pictures of it installed when I take them.

I'll definitely take your approach next time on any similar jobs. Thanks for the T4000 info. I finished the job ,and just as all of you said, it wasn't worth it. I lost money on this one but the sign came out great. The customer is happy and now I'm doing their window graphics next Saturday. I'll break a profit on this one, so I'm happy. With that said, I've learned my lesson, I wont be taking on any more "I need it done cheaply" jobs. Thanks for all your great advice, I really like this forum everyone is so helpful.

Thank you , and a double thank you for the extra info on the glue. I really appreciate it. I searched high and low but would have never guessed "JEWELITE".

Hello everyone, I need to replace this banding/stripping but I can't find it online. Does anyone know what it's called or where I can find it. It feels like plastic, very pliable without breaking.

Hello, So I took on a job today where the customer has an existing sign from the previous store that occupied the space. The customer wants to save money, as we all do, and wants to keep the sign that is already there. Here is the problem, the new customer used spray paint to cover the cut vinyl of the old store and...yes... spray painted their store name and phone number over it. What can I use to remove the spray paint without damaging the acrylic? It's a white back lit sign with a custom shape so I can't just replace it cheaply with a new piece. After I remove the spray paint I'll have to strip the vinyl, but I'll use some vinyl remover for that unless any of you have suggestions. Thank you for any help you can send my way.

After extensive internet searches I found that this condition is called "mottled vinyl" the "mottling of vinyl" is usually caused from the roll being too tightly wound. Based on the articles I read, it will disappear over a few short hours after being applied outside. You can regain the luster on your roll by unwinding it and then loosely winding it back up. The articles state that this method will give results in a few days. Hope this helps anyone else with this same problem. I'm testing a piece of vinyl now to see if it works and will post back here with results. Do a google search for "mottling vinyl graphics film" for more info.

I originally thought that too but it's tightly wound when it arrives. It's shipped to me by UPS and is only in transit for 1-2 days because I'm a state away from the supplier. It comes in a standard vinyl box (with the core plugs that hold it in place) it is taped on the end to prevent unwinding and placed in a plastic bag. One thing I do notice that is different from the other rolls I purchase is the black seems to "stick". As I unwind it, it sounds like tape sticking. The other colors don't do this. Do you think it is wrapped too tight? I'm placing another order this week. I think I'll unwind the entire roll as soon as it arrives and see if it's like that when it arrives.

No, I haven't called anyone yet. I wanted to know the source of the problem before I complained. I order this online from Harbor and like I said it always looks great the first few feet.

***UPDATE*** After extensive internet searches I found that this condition is called "mottled vinyl" the "mottling of vinyl" is usually caused from the roll being too tightly wound. Based on the articles I read, it will disappear over a few short hours after being applied outside. You can regain the luster on your roll by unwinding it and then loosely winding it back up. The articles state that this method will give results in a few days. Hope this helps anyone else with this same problem. I'm testing a piece of vinyl now to see if it works and will post back here. ********************* UPDATE AGAIN Yesterday after posting the solution I tried a test piece on an outside window. After an hour there was a noticeable improvement in the appearance and now today it has fully regained it's original appearance. Thank you all for your help. ********************* Hello, I've been using Avery vinyl for sometime now. I've noticed a problem, which up to now I've accepted. I only notice it on the black vinyl, but that might be because it is easier to spot on black. When I receive a new roll the first 3-6 feet are perfectly glossy and look beautiful, but as the roll unwinds I notice blotches and spots until the super high gloss is no more and the vinyl just looks dull and blotchy. I thought this was a quality issue in grades so I upgraded to the Avery 900 cast. It does the same thing. After about 6 ft of material it gradually gets worse as the roll unwinds. I'm really frustrated with this, it has been this way for every black roll I've purchased (about 6 rolls) 4 were Avery 700 and the other 2 Avery 900. Do any of you know what might be causing this? I store my vinyl in a dry, climate controlled area with low moisture, so I'm baffled. I think it might be the supplier, but then the first 3-6 feet look great, I'm lost. Any help is greatly appreciated. I included images below of what I'm talking about. This roll of Avery 900 cast started out perfectly smooth with a very high gloss finish but has now diminished to this. I've only owned this roll for 1 month tops.