Vinyl over rivets on trailer - first time

This video may help you.....

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z4YSMH06l4[/media]

Or this one....

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai7C_o0nGgM&feature=related[/media]

It's really easier to watch someone else do it then try to explain it, but your heat gun is your best friend doing rivets.

Sounds like you have all the tools covered, as far as pricing, that's a tough one to answer as you'll find installing the vinyl is the hard part and is labor intense, we charge by the job depending on the size of the trailer, the artwork, and the customer....but a per hour charge for installation is not out of the question either.

You might want to take some alcohol, clean lint free rags, a stool, a ladder, razor blades, exacto knife, laser thermometer (to measure the heat your applying).

Even though you said they were going to wash it, do a walk around before you start, look for bugs, road tar, grease, and remove all of these, do a wipe down with your alcohol before you apply your vinyl.

There's more but you'll figure it out....just don't get in a hurry take your time.

Hope this helps.

Boy! What a long couple weeks. On the 29th, (thurs) I spend 12 hours cutting, weeding and taping. On friday and Saturday I spent hours at their house putting the vinyl on. On Sunday I spent the day cutting vinyl and heat pressing for their shirts. On Monday I went with my husband for a stress test and he ended up in the hospital the same day for a heart cath and Wednesday he had a single bypass surgery. So between running back and forth to the hospital, taking care of our boarding kennel, putting my business on hold, taking care of him, I haven't stopped since the 29th and I'm exhausted. Finally have time to post pictures of the trailer.... I must not have taken a picture of the one side of the trailer, I only have part.

I also hate, hate, hate, hate, (you get the idea) rivets. They were so difficult to lay the vinyl around. And also the first time I did an outline. For some weird reason the two layers didn't fit good. I could get one side matched up great and by the time I got to the end, there was space between the layers. We ended up cutting the words up into individual letters to get them better. Would have much rather did shadow instead.
And bubbles!!! And I used Rapid-tac II. Well, I guess it's more about inexperience........

Anyway, could someone tell me what you would charge for a job like this??? They are good friends and my boss!!

carefree said:

On Monday I went with my husband for a stress test and he ended up in the hospital the same day for a heart cath and Wednesday he had a single bypass surgery.

Click to expand...

Hope your husband is doing ok....

carefree said:

I also hate, hate, hate, hate, (you get the idea) rivets. They were so difficult to lay the vinyl around. And also the first time I did an outline. For some weird reason the two layers didn't fit good. I could get one side matched up great and by the time I got to the end, there was space between the layers. We ended up cutting the words up into individual letters to get them better. Would have much rather did shadow instead.
And bubbles!!! And I used Rapid-tac II. Well, I guess it's more about inexperience........

Click to expand...

First let me say you did a great job, the graphics look great, on the outlines how did you apply them? we normally will put the two pieces of vinyl together in the shop and apply it to the vehicle that way as apposed to applying the shadow to the trailer then the lettering over it.

Yes rivets are a royal pain, the few times I've used rapid-tac it has caused me more problems with bubbles because you have to squeegee every bit of fluid out from under the graphic to get rid of the bubbles and with rivets that's almost an impossibility.

We apply everything dry, no application fluid, you just need to position your graphic by measuring, taping, and do the hinge method like any other signage....then apply heat to the rivet area and use a RolliePro or something similar to get the vinyl to suck down around the rivet.

carefree said:

Anyway, could someone tell me what you would charge for a job like this??? They are good friends and my boss!!

Click to expand...

Since it's friends, and cut vinyl, given the hours you have involved and the fact you applied the graphics, two layer, etc....lowest I'd do it would be around $400, if it was just a regular customer off the street $550-$650.

Hope this helps.