Stupidest question ever!!!! VINYL

Ok with the cost of paint and supplies and finding someone to do it, has vinyl print come along ways as to get metal flake roof done and it look good?
i mean design wise?
Or am i just fucking stupid.

 

Short answer is: No.

 

Long answer is: yes.

Scotty

 

I guess it would be possible. Some of that art work the wrap guys do is getting pretty good and the talent to apply it is all that is needed.

 

EEEEERRRRRR... Zodiac vinyl is not known for being even remotely color fast when exposed to the sun for any real amount of time. It wouldn't be my first choice for a top on a car.

 

C'mon, that shit peels off in a year or 2 anyway, so unless you want to change out your color every year......

 

I have 'flake vinyl on a motorcycle seat and it has lasted for years..............I think it is an interesting idea.

 

If you had a pal that has a printer it COULD be a good way to try out looks BEFORE the actual paintjob. Not to mention the ability to use vinyl masks to make that go faster. Go watch Ryan Ford taping off the roof on Vimeo if you want to see intricate.

 

see the space i have and am considering doing is on square 52"x48" roof on the top of my 60 galaxie
folks this is why i am asking for feed back, paint is perminent, vinyl can be peeled off and back to OG if you decide after a year that you dont like it or you want to sell the car.
any examples out there?

 

In this thread, we are not all talking about the same things.
Vinyl wrap, printing on vinyl, and also lamination. One post is talking about vinyl metalflake on motorcycle seat which is upholstery material.

UV is the key factor and vibrancy of color is another. I don't think vinyl can equal basecoat clearcoat paint at this time, but its quicker and removable.

Vinyl for masking prior to paint is a great way to save time and labor. I have been using vinyl for masking flames for 20 years.

Time for a decision.

 

I googled this subject because I knew that there was such a thing for sign shops,etc. Check out this link http://www.topvinylfilms.com/products/Ultra_Metallic_Vinyl-8-8.html?gclid=CN-QpoCsiLECFcXe4AodvXFkFA

Is this what you're looking for?

 

This would be a great option especialy if you get bored with a look and like to change from time to time , hell you could do panels and pin stripe the edge. I worked with a guy that put vinyl graphics on buses, we would air brush detail into the graphic, high lites and depth ect. You would have thought the whole thing was painted. Endless possibilities here.

 

Vehicle wraps don't have near the gloss that paint has.

 

I would think that because it is only available in 12"x24" sheets you would end up with a lot of meeting edges, or seams, and over time they would pull away from each other. Otherwise, it might be really cool.

 

i'm intrigued by the idea, but not certain about how well vinyl thick enough to carry a decent flake appearance would hold up in the sun, not necessarily from UV but just from HEAT. it'd be damn interesting to see tried out. if anyone would be interested in doing a test car i'll let you do the roof of my '62 Falcon. i'll leave it "as done" for a year.

 

In the latest Aussie Street Machine Mag there's a Falcon that's been completely vinyl wrapped in an alloy finish, here in NZ there is a '32 that was painted gloss black, showed up the next week in satin army green, it also was completely wrapped but, the surface has to be real good or any imperfections will show through. If we're talking heavier vinyl as in upholstery they are out there. Check out your local burger joint, most of them have flake on the seats, and the advances in UV protection and colours mean the possibilities are abundant, and it'll hide most messy bits.

Scotty

 

NOW I see..................duh.
BUT.........why not flake vinyl on a roof?
nevermind

 

Not the upolstery, the vinyl wrap.
How far has that industry come with material uv protection etc?

 

The new wraps hold up very well. A good pal of mine specializes in them.

 

As long as you can get it to match your Formica dash, why not? Gary

 

Thats funny.

 

Good one Gary...
funny cause i have seen formica door panels and other panels interiors on this site....
but i still dont see any pics of one done in wrap or does no one want to admit it...Must be really stupid idea then.
i guess i will pay an ungodly amount of money to flake my roof...i may not even like it.

 

Squigy- my reply just vanished. In short it is possible. Check this out;

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=PPPPPr6wH0cpiuqRl7xsi7qbbs6nb06wEsQPbsQPbPPPPPP--

There are metallic laminates as well as a new chrome wrap film. Not traditional and not paint but I am going to wrap my 62 Bel air wagon for my sign shop. Going with a metallic blue wrap film!

 

Man, I'd like to be proven wrong. Vinyl SUCKS. I saw a funny car with the old rrrRevolution "paint" scheme. Looked drab and dingy. Printed vinyl to simulate flake? No way. We used to have ACTUAL flake vinyl, a great 3M product, but even that(?)...no way.

 

In the original post, the question was asked whether " vinyl print " would look good as a substitute for real flake on a roof.

My short answer was no.

Being in the trade, i thought i would elaborate a little.

Let's break down the reasons why In my opinion, that it is not a good idea.

1 : A Vinyl "print" of flake would be a photo of metal flake paint printed onto a vinyl film. It would look like a photo, it wouldn't have the depth and sparkle or colour that the real flake has. It would look, well, disappointing. It would not have that bling/shine that the flake gives off when the sun hits it.

2 : As a lot of roof graphics are on top of a candy base eg. Lace etc. with metal flake on top, the "print" would look even more inferior.

3 : vinyl wrap, as quoted before does not have anywhere near the gloss that the real deal has.

4 : vinyl wrap has a short life span compared to the real deal, it fades and that IS a fact. After all, it is only ink, ink is best in books.

5 : vinyl will usually lift at the edges and corners and probably 100% will at the gutters edge where preparation will be a little more difficult.

6 : the candy effect can not be reproduced accurately or even at all in print

7 : it would look shit anyway.

7a : your friends will probably lie to you and tell you it looks, well, ....good.

7b : people that don't know you will probably snigger and laugh and point to it, then other people will notice as well, compounding the problem.

8 : being an old school sign painter and graphics guy,I think the old original ways to do things are best, and that obviously influences my answer, as mentioned before, vinyl sucks, it has nuked the signwriting industry, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't introduce this modern shit into the great craft of customizing!

9 : no, it was not a stupid question, if you don't know about something, it pays to ask, and that's what you did, and that is precisely what this forum is for.

10 : If Larry Watson ever buys a digital printer, I'm selling all my cars and stuff and im taking up souvenir spoon collecting.

There are heavy flake vinyls available, Avery XL 2200 series "ultramets" it is a 76 micron film and only has a 3 year lifespan,however they will not conform to the profiles of most roofs and are really made for flat surfaces eg. Signs, grapics etc.
Spend that little bit extra and go with the real thing, you won't be disappointed with the results providing you work closely with your selected painter and be clear on what you want the end result to look like. If you are both on the same page with the concept,design,colors and materials, you should be thrilled with the results............providing your painter knows his stuff.... now GO FOR IT!

Hope this helps!

 

how would you get that vinyl to go through a paint gun?

 

Lacquer thinner. Lots and lots of lacquer thinner...

 

The vinyl stuff has come a LONG way in the past few years.

I would TRY some "gold leaf" lettering..... NOT so sure about the roof though.

 

never mind i knew it was stupid.
i will just leave it alone car is being sold anyways.Thanks for the replys

 

vinyl wrap flake?? Dummkopf...