Mounting vinyls on acrylic/glass the modern way

Advice and guidance on repair and restoration techniques.
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coppinpr
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Mounting vinyls on acrylic/glass the modern way

Post by coppinpr »

While finishing off the latest batch of top glasses and award cards it occurred to me some people might not know of the method I use and might like to try it out.

The traditional wet method is definitely not the best way. The more modern "hinge" method is near perfect every time, correctly positioned with no air bubbles or damage to the artwork, and it works just the same on any size.

I have made a simple jig to hold the acrylic sheet firm during the work and this is a key factor to making the job easy. Two pieces of scrap plastic sheet attached to my glass desk with masking tape does a perfect job.


pre start.jpg

Place the unpeeled vinyl, cut to the right size, on the base sheet and hold in the correct place with a small belt of masking tape a little over half way along. I only allow the tape to contact the artwork on the very edge by using a strip of glossy photo paper to blank the rest, so the art won't be damaged by the tape (actually it doesnt usually hurt the artwork but very dark colours can lift on occasion so I take no chances).


start.jpg

Now that the vinyl is held firmly on the base, lift the long side carefully and peel back the backing paper as far as the belt (hinge) will easily allow; hold back the now exposed sticky portion with a small piece of plastic sheet (only enough to hold the sticky side back for a short while); then with a very sharp knife remove the backing paper as far as the hinge. If the knife is very sharp there will be no paper dust from the cut, but take this chance to wipe the base to be sure.


first cut.jpg

Remove the weight from the sticky side making sure it doesn't start to fall onto the base and stick, then using a felt pad gently brush the sticky side down onto the base from the hinge to the end.


first smooth.jpg

You can now remove the belt (hinge)as it is no longer needed.
Reverse the work in the jig so it's easy to complete the second half in the same way as the first. Fold back the remaining half and the backing paper will be easy to fully remove. Be sure to keep the sticky from falling back on the base too soon.


second peel.jpg

Using the felt pad lightly brush the artwork onto the base as you did with the first half and there you are, dead straight and no air bubbles. If there is any overhang from an oversized printout, slide the sharp knife round the base and it will come straight off but don't let the sticky trimming fall on the job, it can ruin all your hard work.


finished.jpg

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