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Heat Shrinking, Dryer Sheets or Fabric Sizer
A dryer sheet heat shrink is a lot like a baby powder shrink, but instead of baby powder, spray some water on the outside and wipe a dryer sheet all around so that it deposits the fabric softener onto the window. Let it dry and it will leave a residue. If you are using fabric sizer, spray it on, wipe it around and let dry. Now lay your film over, cut oversize, and anchor horizontally as if you were doing a normal dry shrink, but DO NOT use water under the anchor, you wont need it, the film will now stick to the glass when smoothed as if it were wet, but the fingers don't stick as if there were dry powder underneath. Shrink it similar to a baby powder shrink, but only smooth areas down that are shrunk. The beauty of this method is accuracy in distribution of shrink, no need for follow up wet shrink and no baby powder mess. It takes some practice though, about as difficult to learn as dry shrinking was from wet.
I'm not sure how much you got down, so you get to read it from the beginning. Clean window, remove ALL water, even around the edges. Take some alcohol (the higher content the better), soak a folded up dryer sheet and rub all over the glass, but don't touch the rubber edges (dirt sticks to the wad like glue, and jumps off in the middle of the glass, where you will be shrinking). Now let it dry completely! Lay tint on glass just like when wet and position accordingly. Take your hard card and run across the middle to tack down. Make the first cut, (no more than a !/2" big all the way around.) Shrink, using only your gloved hand. Instead of shrinking one whole finger at a time, do one corner of the window, about an inch at a time. Repeat as needed. Make final cut. Usually, after this step, no more heat is needed. DONE! As I've mentioned before, I'll occasionally experiment with dryer sheet shrinking if I'm looking at a back glass with little curve. I tried the dryer sheet method on an old 300zx the other day. The middle part of the shrink went like gravy. It's when I got to the bottom that I started having problems. The tint starts to have spikes and peaks where it hasn't laid down yet. As I started shrinking them to smooth them out the peaks and spikes turned into the squigly zig-zag fingers like when wet shrinking. Is this normal or was I doing something wrong? I smoothed them out fine or fine enough I should say but it left more questions than answers. What's your take on this? I don't know if the way I do it is the right way or not, but I have had good luck with it (dryer sheet) the two times that I have tried it. I wet the dryer sheet, crumple it up, the wipe it on as if you are waxing a car. let it dry (will still have a wax feel to it). then lay your film on. I don't use the H pattern, just stick the sides using a hard card, making sure that the top and bottom edges have about the same amount to shrink. start from the middle with the heat gun on high, heating it horizonal. I will go over it twice, the first time to get the general shape, and the next to get the tight fit. I will also use the other hand to even the shrinking by lightly go across the bunched up areas. I've noticed that sometimes (depending on how thick i put it on and how dusty it is) the film wont suspend well and is kind of quick to stick, so the less it's grabbing the better. Interesting reply tintdude. I only lightly misted the dryer sheet before applying to the back window. My tool supplier and occasional tint supplier just rubs a dry sheet on the back glass because he said the whole purpose of the powder / dryer sheet shrinking is to only negate static cling and the less of either you use the better. Is this true in your humble opinion ? just think... aren't dryer sheets actually designed to negate static cling (in clothes)? So maybe we have been going about the "dryer sheet method" all wrong... that would be if the whole purpose is only to negate static cling... on the other hand, the TD way might be better... and one more thing before I put my brain to sleep... if the idea is only to negate static cling... then whoever decided to use dryer sheets is no genius... after all, that IS what they're made for. (it's all starting to make sense now..) we just gotta figure out which way is better... wetting the window and slopping the goop or just rubbing the dry sheet on the dry window to remove static... probably would have to use a wet anchor that way, tho I never get the dryer sheet or glass wet. I rub a handful of crumpled Bounce sheets in circular motion until I get pretty good coverage. The newer the sheets the harder to apply. And definitely re-use them as many times as possible. And yes.. just a dribble of H2o in the center. To anchor,so the film don't slide on ya. I also use my hands wrapped in cotton gardening gloves to prevent burns. The gloves allow your hands to slide over the film without messing it up. I used to just rubb the dryer sheet over the glass while the glass was dry. But science I tried the TD method with the wet window I have found that works better. Until I saw this guy that I work with that used nothing. He just uses a wet streek down the middle and uses his bare hands to push out the shrunk film. I tried it and burned the @#%$ out of my hands. He also shrinks the bug in one piece like this. WOW, he must've heard about dry shrinking and thought it was really dry. Anyhow, he perfected his method and works for him, should we try it? Of course, but as other said if you make an H shape you will have trouble with the corners, so just do the line thing. Well, another finger for myself. Royal, i think he meant smear it on wet until it doesn't bead, gets all white etc. Then let it get BONE DRY before you lay film on it. Just use a horizontal anchor, no H. Do the sides first working toward the center so the side edges wont need much heat at all. Right when i start on a side, i hold the gun about twice as far away as normal as i heat it and smooth it, then the rest is normal. I'm not saying this is the 'right way' i'm just saying that to this point its whats working for me, but i'm ready to change tomorrow if a better way comes. :) |
Window Tinting Info
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