For some wrappers, they specialize in certain types of vinyl wraps for wrapping. Things can get messy when they have to try new materials.
In fact, if you have a car wrap that you’ve never used before, you can take a small sample and test it out for a few minutes to see its properties. This will help you avoid many potential problems. Here are some tips:
Get to know its adhesive
Take your sample piece and pull a bit of its liner to look at the adhesive. You can figure out a few things: whether it is water-based or solvent-based, and the type of air regress feature it holds (if there is any). This will give you a clearer mind regarding how you should handle the car wrap.
Heat and shrink
Heat the sample piece on a working table. Go in the direction where the material is made with overlapping heat. Then, you can check out how the vinyl shrinks. Some only shrink on both sides, while others shrink on all sides.
Squeegee strength
Put the sample piece on a hood and squeegee it. You can check out how the tack of the material is afterward. If it is low, you might need to squeegee more or add heat during the application.
Air regress
You can create a bubble on the vinyl wrap piece and flatten it out. By doing it, you can see how the air regress feature of this material works.
Self-heal
Make some wrinkles on the side of the wrap film and trigger its memory effect. You can check out how the film self-heals. Some do not self-heal properly. And if you assume it does, it might lead to a re-do during your installation.
If it is a full print wrap, you can also do a stretching test to see how the ink becomes. Heat the film and overstretch it, you can then check if the vinyl gets whitened. Then, test if it can self-heal. If not, you should be careful when handling compound curves and recessed areas.
Cut
Some vinyl wrap film performs better when cutting. Thus, a cutting test is necessary when you have a new material in hand. Try to make a relief cut and see how the material splits. You will have a better idea about the film you have.
Find out the post-heating temperature
Put the same piece on a door handle and post-heat it. After heating, it, hang the piece in an open window and heat it again. If the shape stays still, you have hit the right temperature. However, if the piece shrinks back, the post-heating temperature should be higher.
After all these small tests, you should know much better about this new material you have. If you are worried about the durability issues it might have, you can also apply it on problematic areas like mirrors and check how it performs after 24 hours. Now that you know its properties, you can apply the vinyl accordingly and achieve an efficient and high-quality finish.
