Intercoat adhesion refers to either the bond of a primer coat to a substrate, or to the adhesion of one coating to another. In many cases, a primer or top coat bonds to the primer or another coating mechanically. Although you may not see microscopic imperfections on a surface, a primer or paint will grip onto these rough areas.
Read more »Surface Gilding
The first time that I saw the gilding process, I was visiting the sign shop in Disneyland in Santa Ana, California. The craftsmen were refurbishing the carved wooden horses for a carousel that dated back to the early days in the park’s history. That day they were gilding some of these antique horses, which had […] Read more »
Painting Aluminum Composite Panels
I had asked an old sign painter what primers and paints he used when painting MDO. “Why would anyone today use MDO, when you could paint on Dibond® or Polymetal™?” he responded brusquely. Read more »
Supply55 releases ReelPRO V2™ a universal take-up system for wide format printers and laminators
ReelPRO V2 is an affordable, easy to install, easy to use universal take-up system allowing users to improve efficiency and profitability when printing longer jobs; vehicle wraps, banners, wallpaper and signs. ReelPRO V2 is compatible with all wide format printers and laminators allowing shops to incorporate the system easily into their workflow and use it […] Read more »
Paint Driers
Paint driers (dryers) accelerate the chemical reaction that occurs as an oil paint cures. Artists, house painters and sign painters have used driers, such as Japan Drier, for years to accelerate drying. These driers can be useful when you need to paint two coats in one day. Read more »
What You Need to Know About Air Purifying Respirators
Identifying Airborne Health Hazards Depending on the type of products that you manufacture, you and your employees can encounter a variety of airborne hazards. Most of us know that we should wear some type of air respirator in many of our work environments. What can be difficult is identifying the particular hazards and determining what […] Read more »
Cutting & Weeding Tips for Heat Transfer Vinyl Films
Not all polyurethane heat transfer films are the same. That’s because some of these flex films aren’t 100% polyurethane, which are very flexible, and other heat transfer vinyl films are blends of polyurethane and vinyl. These blends are much stiffer that a pure polyurethane film. Read more »
Avoiding Application Tape Problems
For many indoor applications, you can generally leave most paper application tapes on vinyl graphics for a year or longer, provided that the graphics are stored away from sunlight in moderate temperatures. Read more »
Correcting Plotter Cutting Problems When Cutting Heat Transfer Films
Troubleshooting Checklist If you are having problems cutting polyurethane heat transfer films, check the following possible causes: Read more »
Application Tape Guide
To help you in working with application tape, I have compiled some tips and tricks. This guide covers laminating the tape onto graphics, transferring graphics from the release liner and the basics of application. As important as this is, it’s also important to select the right tape for the job. RTape offers several adhesive-tack levels for […] Read more »
