vinyl wrap

Just wondered if anyone has experience of using self adhesive vinyl wrap on model locomotives ? Over boiler cleading etc., Arguments against it? I know cars are covered in this way

Helped out a taxi chap who sometimes got a "full wrap" job instead of "super sides" and the stuff they can do would cost a hand painter job 10-20k easy, plus there are no errors because its a type of cnc computer printing

Heat is your obvious enemy but if that can be overcome the sky really is the limit

Don't know about foil printing which would be better for heat, the whole subject has become very advanced

linky winky

Edited By Ady1 on 19/12/2020 17:07:09

Thanks ady. most useful and informative

David, incase you weren't aware, car vinyl wrap and adhesive vinyl are 2 different things, adhesive vinyl has a peel off sticky back, car vinyl is applied then shrunken over the surface with a heat gun, moulding it to the contours and curves.

Hi Pete, Sorry for the late acknowledgement of your posting, but I was not aware, many thanks for the info much appreciated

Interesting link Ady1.

Just an observation..... have you noticed that most if not all of the cars on show (when the link is first opened) are of German origin? .They are probably considered as the expensive brands but these brands are now very common.

I remember when boy racers like these guys would be trying to tidy up rusty Mk1 Ford Escorts, Minis (original ones)or Vauxhall Vivas.

How times change.

Apparently it's good for a few years and he could park up against bushes and other things with no obvious effect on his advert plus the paintjob on his new 40k cab was completely protected from scratches

Its tough stuff and sticks hard, they use heatguns to remove it so it can deffo handle moderate heat

Very sticky though, even when being removed, sounds like new parcel tape, so any weakpoints like car filler or rust would probbly get yanked out when it gets pulled off

This is interesting. It could be a good solution for some of the very colourful and striking diesel and electric prototypes.

This would look good:

transportdesigned.com/train-many-colours-10-best-uk-rail-liveries-since-privatisation/

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 22/12/2020 12:00:35

Probably have all these liveries so that Hornby can sell more train sets !!!

Mike

There will always be those who think that branding makes the world go round, bless their little technically incompetent heads.

Self adhesive vinyl comes in various guises, with different lifes and adhesives, when I was at work the vinyl was either classed a 2 year, 7 year and 10 year life. The first two were calenered vinyl and the 10 year is cast vinyl which was normally use for bady wrapping. Both my sons are factory trained appliers, but even they chickened out of doing a brand new Alfa Romeo one of our customers wanted wrapping, we got a specialist in!

I've vynil wrapped quite a few motorcycle bits & bobs.

A hood heatgun is essential.

Also, be prepared for burnt fingers. AMHIK

If you take your time to work it around contours properly, you can get a fantastic and durable finish.

Don't buy the cheaper stuff, as it's pretty thin. The thicker stuff lends itself to much more pulling and stretching around curves.

How is the artwork prepared? Is it like home made water transfers that you can design something and print it on special paper to apply to your model? bearing in mind Neil's post above and the effectiveness of the old litho printed flat steel toy trains this could be quite good for quick models for stand off scale.

I'm not aware of any ability to print on to the car heat shrink vinyl, but if you want to create two colours joining like the photo above, you lay a line of 3m knifeless tape where you want the join, you overlap both colours, then you peel the knife less tape which slices through both layers leaving them butting up to each other.