10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

JUST STICK IT!
BY PENNY J. TOWNER - ARTIST AND TRUCK OWNER

How many times have you seen a large car standing tall and there it was – an awful-looking company door sign standing out like a sore thumb and clashing with the truck’s paint. And the worst part is that chances are, in a couple of months or years, the owner will change companies and have to remove the sign and put another one on. An owner operator may prefer hand-painted lettering, but unless you have your own authority, most of the information on the truck changes whenever you change companies.

The next time you are handed an ugly door sign to stick on your truck, I’d like to recommend that you take it to a vinyl sign shop and have it made into a nice graphic. And to save money, you can stick it on by yourself at home. Truth is, about 1/3 of the cost of a vinyl graphic is the installation – and anyone can do it. Even if you’ve never done it before, you can do a door graphic. And after you’ve done one or two and get a little more comfortable, you’ll be able to do larger, more detailed graphics as well.

Some company drivers take just as much pride in their trucks as owner operators, but their hands can be tied when it comes to permanent modifications. But since vinyl isn’t paint, it can be easily removed. The advantages of applying your own vinyl are many. Vinyl is quoted in two different categories – installed and ready-to-install. The price difference between the two could pay for an additional color or higher quality vinyl, not to mention the one less appointment you’ll have to make waiting for someone else to come and do it. There are plenty of vinyl graphics packages, including custom door signs, available over the Internet at reasonable prices. But in order to take advantage of these packages, you’ll need to learn how to apply it yourself. Let’s walk through the process step-by-step. To help illustrate, I created a simple 10-4 Magazine graphic that I’ll apply to a simulated door panel.

To get started, all that you will need is a spray bottle of soapy water (water with a squirt of dish liquid works great) and a squeegee. I like to use the plastic spatulas used for body work, but anything similar to that will work fine. A stiff window squeegee, a credit card or any somewhat firm, flat piece of plastic will work well. And, of course, you’ll need the graphic. So let’s get started.

STEP ONE: Thoroughly clean the surface you are going to apply the vinyl to. A truck wash, soap and water or window cleaner (in a pinch) will do. You want the surface to be nice and clean so that no dirt or dust gets trapped under the vinyl after it is applied.

STEP TWO: Soap down the surface real good. There are other products out there but soapy water works just fine. Get the entire area nice and wet. The soapy water is key to being able to position your vinyl and get it aligned correctly. It also helps prevent air bubbles from forming under the vinyl.

STEP THREE: Remove the vinyl backing. The vinyl you are applying is sandwiched between the backing and an application tape. The application tape is on top of the letters and should stay with your vinyl letters. It will be either white or clear. To remove the backing, pull slowly at a tight angle towards your vinyl. If you see a letter beginning to stay with the backing rather than with the application tape, lay it back down to pick the letter back up. You want to remove the backing but keep the graphic intact and stuck to the application tape. Still following?

STEP FOUR: Apply the vinyl graphic. Carefully place the vinyl on the desired surface and gently move it around until it is straight and where you want it. It should be pretty easy if you used enough soapy water.

STEP FIVE: Squeegee the vinyl. Even if you don’t use soapy water, you still need to squeegee the vinyl before you pull off the application tape. Starting in the middle of your vinyl, rub your squeegee outward towards the edges. Continue working from the center to the outside edge, overlapping each pass until the entire sign is done. This process “transfers” the graphic from the application tape to the surface it is being applied to and removes any air bubbles or excess soapy water. The reason that you want to start from the center and work your way out is to move the air pockets to the edge and then away. Almost done!

STEP SIX: Remove the application tape. The application tape should have a lower tack (be less sticky) than the vinyl. Pick up the edge of any corner and pull it back slowly and at a tight angle to your sign or graphic. If you see that a letter is coming up with the application tape, lay the application tape back down and squeegee over it some more. If you used a lot of soapy water, it’s a good idea to let everything set for a few extra minutes and squeegee a bit more before removing the application tape. And that’s it!

If you are dealing with a large sheet of vinyl, you may want an extra person to help you. For a full door sign, remove 1/3 to 1/2 of the backing and spray the vinyl down with soapy water as well. Hold the sign up to the door and get it in position. Once it’s in position, have someone stand back and check that it is level, then squeegee out the top line of the vinyl towards where you stopped pulling the tape off. Spray down the surface again with soapy water and proceed to pull off the rest of the backing. Doing a large graphic in sections helps make it more manageable.

REMOVING VINYL: The longer a vinyl graphic is on, the harder it is to remove. There are a couple of different methods you can use to remove it. Heat guns or hair driers are the most common. Heat will soften both the vinyl and the adhesive, making it easier to peel off. The key is not to get the vinyl too soft or it will just stretch and break when you go to pull it. You also don’t want to burn or blister your paint, so don’t get it too hot.

Start on one edge or letter. Heat it enough to get just the corner lifted then move the heat away and onto a different area as you begin to peel off the first area. Steam cleaners work well too. Once all of the vinyl is removed, you will probably have some adhesive residue left on the paint. Cleaning the area with bug and tar removers, adhesive removers or denatured alcohol should get the remainder of the “sticky” off of the paint.

But the easiest way to remove vinyl is by using a remover specifically made for the job. There are a few different brands that you can buy at just about any sign shop. These removers are biodegradable and easy to work with, but it’s still a good idea to wear gloves to protect your hands. Simply apply the product on the vinyl to be removed with a towel and let it set for 15 to 20 minutes, then carefully scrape the vinyl off using any flat, ridged plastic. The amount of time you save using a vinyl remover makes it well worth the cost. Do not use remover if you are working on fresh paint or if you have pinstripes or other lettering, including something that has been hand-painted. The remover will not damage your truck’s original paint, but it has been known to remove and/or damage pinstripes. Never use a razor blade to scrape off vinyl. Even if you are quite efficient with a blade, the risk of scratching your paint is just too great.

So the next time you are handed an ugly door sign that you don’t want to put on your truck’s door, what are you gonna do? Take it to a sign shop and have it recreated in vinyl instead and then apply it yourself. You gotta admit, it sounded pretty easy, didn’t it? Well, that’s because it is (my apologies to all the sign shops out there that would like you to believe otherwise).

And speaking of vinyl, one of the latest things I have been seeing out there that is really cool is simulated etching on chrome and stainless. I have mostly seen flames, but any graphic would look neat. I have seen this simulated etching done on fuel tanks, bumpers, visors and air clearers. It is simply a special vinyl called “etching vinyl” that is almost clear (and slightly colored) which is applied the same as any other vinyl graphic. The vinyl, which is not quite fully transparent, looks like etching or engraving when stuck on chrome. There are a handful of companies out there offering products with this vinyl already on it (mostly flames), but now that you know how to apply vinyl, you could go to a sign shop and have them cut you any shape, graphic or lettering design and apply it yourself – anywhere.

I do vinyl as well as custom paint and I have found quite a few fun uses for it, including sayings on mud flaps and candy canes on truck hoods at Christmas. One customer of mine orders little, red, devil ladies whenever he buys a new set of hub covers. The cost of ready-to-apply signs like these is little, while the benefits and possibilities can be endless. Vinyl may never replace paint in regards to quality and depth of color, but you can do a lot of creative things with it – and none of them are permanent!

If you have any questions for Penny or would like to hire her for some paint or vinyl work, she can be contacted in New York at (607) 336-3180. Or, you can visit her website at www.custompaintandairbrushing.com for even more ideas and inspiration. Good luck, and happy sticking!