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Post by hosschick on Apr 28, 2016 19:55:37 GMT
I have a Silhouette Cameo that I picked up as a Christmas present to myself. I've played with it just a little and only with paper. DH wants me to make vinyl race car decals for his buddy. I said his friend would be better off buying them  , but he said this is a good way for me to learn (darn him for being practical). I think I have about two weeks to pull this off. What do I actually need to do this? Do I need "better" vinyl than those little rolls from the craft store, or would those work? I am being told another friend has some "industrial" vinyl; if I cut this to 12" wide or whatever, can I use it? What about making it sticky? I have a roll of something called "transfer tape" here; will that work? I am assuming the self-adhesive crafty rolls of vinyl aren't intended to be all that strong. These decals will be affixed to the actual car itself and are intended to stay there. Oh, and I need to change the blade depth, right? to what? and does it vary depending upon what vinyl I end up with? I'm not overly-panicked about the software (yet), although I haven't messed with it in a while, but I think (hope!) I can choose a super-basic font and go up to the appropriate dimensions without too much trouble. DH uses drafting software at his workplace so he can probably guide me through whatever I don't grasp in that regard. If anyone can steer me in the right direction or offer any sort of hint, I'd appreciate it. TIA! |
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Post by Basket1lady on Apr 28, 2016 20:04:39 GMT
-Watch some YouTube videos.
-Yes, you can use the vinyl you buy in the craft stores. Use the permanent, not the repositionable kind.
-Yes, you need transfer tape. The vinyl is thinner than a sticker and won't lay nicely to adhere. Watch a YouTube video and you will see how.
-Yes, you can remove it later, even if it says permanent vinyl. Apply it to glass and when you pull it up, use a little Goo Gone or something similar to remove any residual adhesive.
Vinyl cuts even better than paper.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 28, 2016 20:52:03 GMT
Actually, most of the vinyl the craft stores sell does NOT have permanent outdoor adhesive. If it says Oracal 631 on the back, it's rated for indoor use. It might stay on for a while, but for vehicle decals intended to stay on long term in the weather and through repeated washing, you'll want something with a permanent adhesive rated for outdoor use. I used Oracal 651 for some outdoor commercial projects I've done but I think there are some others that would work too. I would suggest going to the Sign Warehouse website and do some reading there to see what will work best. Once you know exactly what you're looking for you can do some comparison shopping online for what you need. Hope this helps! Sign Warehouse |
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Post by hosschick on Apr 28, 2016 22:59:42 GMT
Vinyl cuts even better than paper. This is encouraging! You helped talk me down last summer when I had to feed 40 people; thanks for bailing me out again.  I would suggest going to the Sign Warehouse website and do some reading there to see what will work best. Thanks for this. It looks like the 751 is ideal, but the 651 might work and happens to come in 12" rolls so I wouldn't have to deal with cutting it. If I'm reading correctly, it's sticky to begin with, allows for minor re-positioning before squishing it down (there's probably a technical term for that) and then adheres well on its own once full pressure has been applied. Was that your experience? |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 28, 2016 23:28:35 GMT
Thanks for this. It looks like the 751 is ideal, but the 651 might work and happens to come in 12" rolls so I wouldn't have to deal with cutting it. If I'm reading correctly, it's sticky to begin with, allows for minor re-positioning before squishing it down (there's probably a technical term for that) and then adheres well on its own once full pressure has been applied. Was that your experience? I used the 651 and yes, it's really sticky to begin with. There is a vinyl application fluid that you can get to spray on the surface you're putting the decal onto to allow for some "slip" so you can get the air bubbles out with a squeegee and to get the decal positioned correctly. I put some numbers on a jet ski and it worked pretty well. My brother had me cut a bunch of numbers to apply to exterior doors where he works. I'm not sure what he did since I wasn't there but they weren't very big decals so they couldn't have been that difficult. The bigger something is, the harder it is to get it applied right. |
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Post by Basket1lady on Apr 29, 2016 0:51:36 GMT
Actually, most of the vinyl the craft stores sell does NOT have permanent outdoor adhesive. If it says Oracal 631 on the back, it's rated for indoor use. It might stay on for a while, but for vehicle decals intended to stay on long term in the weather and through repeated washing, you'll want something with a permanent adhesive rated for outdoor use. I used Oracal 651 for some outdoor commercial projects I've done but I think there are some others that would work too. I would suggest going to the Sign Warehouse website and do some reading there to see what will work best. Once you know exactly what you're looking for you can do some comparison shopping online for what you need. Hope this helps! Sign WarehouseThe permanent vinyl I've used works quite well. I put a decal of DS's jersey number, along with "Mascot" Football, on the back window of my van in 2013. DD drives that van now and just scraped off the number. The rest is all still there. It's out of reach of the wipers, but has withstood the rain, snow and sun for almost 3 years now. It's bright yellow and hasn't seemed to fade. I'm sure the 651 is better, but I've had great luck with the 641. But I've never applied it wet--that may be worth it for a big design. |
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Post by Basket1lady on Apr 29, 2016 0:53:16 GMT
Vinyl cuts even better than paper. This is encouraging! You helped talk me down last summer when I had to feed 40 people; thanks for bailing me out again. I'm glad the meal went well. We just finished our spring musical and fed 145 people each night for 5 nights. That was a lot of food! I think we went through 25-30 big bags of lettuce alone! |
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Post by hosschick on Apr 29, 2016 22:35:17 GMT
I used the 651 and yes, it's really sticky to begin with. There is a vinyl application fluid that you can get to spray on the surface you're putting the decal onto to allow for some "slip" so you can get the air bubbles out with a squeegee and to get the decal positioned correctly. I put some numbers on a jet ski and it worked pretty well. My brother had me cut a bunch of numbers to apply to exterior doors where he works. I'm not sure what he did since I wasn't there but they weren't very big decals so they couldn't have been that difficult. The bigger something is, the harder it is to get it applied right. Thanks. I'd forgotten all about it, but I've seen dh use something that looked like Windex (heck, knowing him, it might've *been* Windex) to apply things before. I'm glad the meal went well. We just finished our spring musical and fed 145 people each night for 5 nights. That was a lot of food! I think we went through 25-30 big bags of lettuce alone! Haha, I can't even imagine, but good for you! I'm sure your efforts are more than appreciated. I can't even imagine that much lettuce. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 29, 2016 23:28:52 GMT
I used the 651 and yes, it's really sticky to begin with. There is a vinyl application fluid that you can get to spray on the surface you're putting the decal onto to allow for some "slip" so you can get the air bubbles out with a squeegee and to get the decal positioned correctly. I put some numbers on a jet ski and it worked pretty well. My brother had me cut a bunch of numbers to apply to exterior doors where he works. I'm not sure what he did since I wasn't there but they weren't very big decals so they couldn't have been that difficult. The bigger something is, the harder it is to get it applied right. Thanks. I'd forgotten all about it, but I've seen dh use something that looked like Windex (heck, knowing him, it might've *been* Windex) to apply things before. I don't think Windex will work. Here's a link to what will. Application spray |
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Post by hosschick on May 3, 2016 15:00:06 GMT
Phew. I managed to get the first set of decals done. I'm clumsy with the software so it took me a bit of wrangling to figure out how to get everything spaced correctly and whatnot (there were specific size & spacing guidelines I had to follow). Fortunately, it seems there's a tutorial somewhere to answer any question I can muster, so I'm super thankful to those sharing their how-to's with us newbies! DH said to just use the craft store stuff since this car will be mostly garaged and not running a whole lot; we figured the worst that'll happen is that they'll fall off and he'll have to improvise using electrical tape until I get the 651 or whatever. Haha, that article specifically warns *against* Windex so I probably did see that done!  Come to think of it, he might've been applying window tint with it, but it was eons ago. Fortunately, I won't be responsible for actually applying these thingies, but I've passed along the suggestion. Dh has his own car which does sit outside a lot, and he has grand visions of splashy-flashy graphics, so at some point we're likely to need it. I haven't done anything crafty in a bit and found it fun to tinker with this. Thank you both for your help! |
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Post by htstepper on May 4, 2016 1:37:28 GMT
I do a TON of vinyl, but wow, that is a big job to start. Yes, you need Oracal products for sure and transfer tape. There is a good Youtube on layering colors of vinyl and getting it perfectly even. You make registration marks to help you line it up and cut it one layer at a time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=80C3_ZpvuI0Here is more info on the different types of Oracal. I buy a lot of Oracal 651 for window stickers and it works great. I also use it on waterbottles, pencil boxes and such.  |
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, but he said this is a good way for me to learn (darn him for being practical). I think I have about two weeks to pull this off.
Come to think of it, he might've been applying window tint with it, but it was eons ago. Fortunately, I won't be responsible for actually applying these thingies, but I've passed along the suggestion. Dh has his own car which does sit outside a lot, and he has grand visions of splashy-flashy graphics, so at some point we're likely to need it. 
