Applying sticker kits???

[Karlos247]

My custom graphics have been printed and posted. I have my technique of sticking them. I wanna hear how you stick em???

 

[Phil67]

Slowlyyyyyyyy. I usually start at a corner and very slowly peel off the backing as I go.

 

[Cordogs]

There's a few of these threads already to help you if you need them mate,

http://www.miniriders.com/tech-talk/14389-applying-sticker-kits.html

http://www.miniriders.com/chinese-minis/17197-applying-graphics-sparkplug.html

I'd put more but they basically all say the same thing, if your still having issues there's a couple of guys on here that do it for a living (more or less)
You could Pm them for advice.

 

[dynamicgs]

Heres the instructions I give to anyone who gets a kit from me...
Its the easiest way for a novice to do it, and Ive had plenty of practice, doing it different ways. Using water allows you to move the sticker around unlimited times until you are happy with the placement..

No matter how you do it, its not going to be easy. You have to take your time... I need a few cold beers on hand at all times... ha ha

Things you will need:
***8226; A felt squeegee if you can get one...
***8226; Water Spray Bottle with a few drops of dishwashing liquid
***8226; A hairdryer
***8226; Methylated Spirits and Mineral Turpentine
***8226; A clean, lint free rag.. an old tee shirt will do


1. Leave the plastics on your bike! ... it makes it alot easier as you dont have to worry about them
moving around while you are trying to put the stickers on.


2.You will need to clean your plastics really well with Mineral Turpentine and then go over the plastics
again with metho. Ensure the plastics are rinsed and thoroughly dried before installation...
Make sure you remove all old adhesive from previous decals... Has to be 100% Clean!


3. Once the plastics are cleaned and have dried, peel off your decal from the backing paper. Spray
both the sticker and the plastic with the soapy water. Lots of water is OK...


4.Get the sticker basically lined up first, it should float on the surface and be easy to move around.
When you are happy that it is lined up well, start working the water out with your squidgee from the
middle of the plastic, out towards the edges.
If you stuff it up, you can pull up the sticker and try again... being careful not to stretch the vinyl, as
trying to pull it up once it is too stuck down may result in the laminate separating from the print.


5. Look closely for bubbles. You can work these out towards the closest edge to let the air escape
using your finger....


6. Using a hair dryer will help areas that are bunching up. Heat will shrink the stickers a bit, and allow
you to mould/push them into shape, but this also warps the sticker a bit and melts the glue, so it can
not be pulled up again after this.
With difficult areas, like the side plate over the exhaust, I hold the sticker up off the plastic, and slowly
work it down with the squidgee from top to bottom... Use heat at the end to get rid of ripples...
I usually only use a bit of heat once im committed to it going down... Once again,
work from the middle out towards the edge...


7. Push down hard on all the edges and over corners and bends using a bit of heat at the end. These
are the places that a sticker will get dirt under and start to lift if it is not stuck down well. For difficult
spots, Heat the vinyl, push down the ripple and hold it untill the vinyl cools down and conforms to the
shape you need.


8. You may need to trim up some areas with a stanley knife... most kits need a bit of adjustment. Also
use heat around any holes or depressions and push the vinyl in, make sure it is totally stuck down
everywhere!


9. If you get any air bubbles that you cant work out to the edge to release, you can make a small nick
in the bubble with your stanley knife to push the air out.


10. Allow at least 48 hours for the sticker to bond correctly to the plastic before riding or washing your
bike.

 

[Cordogs]

Speak of the devil ^^^^.

Awesome write up mate!

 

[Karlos247]

Thanks heaps mate. That's exactly the way I've done it in the past. I'm just returning to the Moto scene after a 5 year hiatus. The guy I bought the custom sticker kit off said he'd never heard off this method with the soapy spay. I needed to hear from someone else that this is still the way to go. I have brand new plastics so they should go on nicely. Will be plenty before n after pics for a build thread I'll start eventually. When I figure out how to post pics on here

 

[my67xr]

Karlos,
start up a Photobucket account (free) and upload your pics there,
then copy the IMG code of the pics from there, and paste them into your post here, easy as !

 

[Karlos247]

Can I do all that from my iPhone?

 

[Cordogs]

Yeah there's a photo bucket app too.

 

[8r3nd0]

Can I do all that from my iPhone?

Hey mate download the tapatalk 2 app on your iPhone. You can browse through miniriders and upload pictures with it.
Its awesome and free as well at least was when i got it, i use it more then my computer so much easier to stay up to date.
I'm a signwriter by trade mate I've always advised to apply graphics dry. I made a video on how to apply graphics but cant find the link.

 

[Karlos247]

Sik! How do I post a profile pic?

 

[Cordogs]

Another top tip, when looking for a specific thread. Google the thread name and put miniriders on the end of it,
Works a treat!

 

[my67xr]

Sik! How do I post a profile pic?

go into the settings tab below your name in the top left of the screen,
then go down into avatar pic, and load one up from your computer/phone

 

[dynamicgs]

Just for anyone else who may be wondering, When taking off any old stickers, I did some testing last night....

I just peeled off one numberplate as it.
It left a heap of old adhesive on the plastic. Tried to clean it with metho and turps, neither really did the job.
Tried some acetone, or nail polish remover.. Worked OK.
Tried WD40.. It was epic.. melted the glue right off.
I was worried about the WD40 residue preventing the new sticker from sticking correctly, so I cleaned it with metho, and also with boiling water from the kettle.
Will let you know if it sticks OK!!!

Second side, I used a hairdryer to help peel off the old sticker.
Best thing EVER! Just came off so easy, and left NO adhesive on the plastic. Barely even had to clean the plastic afterwards!!!!

Anyway, just thought someone might find this and get some use of it.. maybe save someone a hell of alot of time one day!

 

[GooseMan]

yeah wd 40 is great for that stuff, just don't use a heat gun to melt the glue cause the plastics melts tooo

 

[dynamicgs]

yeah, just a hairdryer on the sticker when pulling it up...

 

[Karlos247]

Cool tips mate. For anyone who wants to know how I stuck mine. I used the soapy spray and a hair dryer. I got a near perfect result. Only crinkle was on the side plate over the exhaust

 

[dynamicgs]

Ahhh..... the side plate over the exhaust... About as fun as getting your pubes plucked out with tweezers...

 

[Karlos247]

Yeah I'm happy with just 1 crinkle

 

[zwebx]

Cool tips mate. For anyone who wants to know how I stuck mine. I used the soapy spray and a hair dryer. I got a near perfect result. Only crinkle was on the side plate over the exhaust

yeah they use that method on dream car garage