film on?

[tintguy]

Just curious to know how many of you tinters use the film on, dirt off products. I've used them in past, about 5 years ago, but I'm still a baby shampoo user. Anybody use anything else that might be better?

[Guest thetintshop]

baby shampoo. film on is ok, shampoo is better.

[Guest SQUEEGEE]

Use Film On here. Out performs baby shampoo in my opinion and doesn't

have the extra conditioners like lanolin which seems to help only in clogging up your spray bottles or tank.

Ounce per ounce I have found Film On to be cheaper than name brand baby shampoo.

I tried the generic shampoo once and it was crap.

If you are a die-hard baby shampoo user and want your baby shampoo to work better or like Film On I suggest adding about a teaspoon of white vinegar to your quart size solution to help speed up the dry time. It also seems to inhibit the dreaded build up as well.

Really helps in the Winter.

[Guest metint]

I use FilmOn & DirtOff regularly and encourage others to.

FilmOn is purified Baby Shampoo; lacking the glycerine, fillers, dyes and perfumes baby shampoo contains. Glycerine is why there is a greater slipability to baby shampoo and finds itself in the same class a silicone when it comes to interefering with adhesive bonding.

FilmOn definitely forces an installer to modify or improve their positioning or targeting abilities when placing film onto the glass.

Some like it, some don't...

DirtOff is a mild form of phosphoric acid, as mild as that found in Coke Cola when mixed according to instructions. Coke delivery truck drivers use their own product to clean the grease build up from their truck engines. Take all the sugar and carmel color away and you're left with an excellent glass prep solution (aka DirtOff).

Dot Devil & DotMate are suspected to contain phosphoric acid as well, but in greater concentration.

Many feel baby shampoo is best cause it simplifies the process. Yet it is designed to clean sensitive skin and hair, not glass.

Most manufacturers condone the use of baby shampoo, or worse yet, dish or liquid hand soaps. Only one manufacturer encourages the use of products (FO & DO) found in laboratory tests to be most compatible to film PS adhesive. It is an effort to keep warranty claims for adhesive failure very low.

Your choice

[Guest thetintshop]

yes, the generic is crap. stinks too.

yes, it has a longer dry time. but the llumastar is damn near dry when the car leaves anyway.

I wash my tank out after ever fill up. I've never had a build up problem.

ounce for ounce, film-on is more expensive. I have to use almost half a bottle of film-on in my 5 gallon tank. I only use 1/4 bottle of shampoo.

just use whatever works best for you. if windex works for you, then by all means use it.

(for all you newbies, I'm just f'n with the new guy. I would never recommend using windex for film istallation)

[tintguy]

Thanks for the feed back. I might try that vinegar deal. Thanks for the info about the film on with that much input I'll have to give it a shot again.

[Guest autoreflections]

For myself I have always worked with Palmolive dish soap. Great slip solution and dries fast as well. I've never had any problems using that.. Just don't put to much in it's really foamy but to clean and prep windows it "cut's through grease" and excellent slip solution. that would be my recommendation after 12 years of installing...

[Guest tintslut]

if you cant afford the 2$ for a bottle of film on, and 2$ for a bottle of dirt off,

you are in the wrong business. using a bottle of each a week, that around 200$

a year. I only used one bottle of film on to put up 2800 sf of 15 mil.

The stuff has a learning curve, but it definately helps the film cure faster.

[Guest Blade]

Dawn dishsoap or baby shampoo here.

[Guest SQUEEGEE]

if you cant afford the 2$ for a bottle of film on, and 2$ for a bottle of dirt off,

you are in the wrong business.  using a bottle of each a week, that around 200$

a year.  I only used one bottle of film on to put up 2800 sf of 15 mil.

The stuff has a learning curve, but it definately helps the film cure faster. 

I don't know why 2 people have mentioned the learning curve on using Film On.

I haven't noticed a difference between Film On and Baby Shampoo. I add enough of either to allow enough slip to position the film. For a quart size sprayer, using a pump dispenser, I'll use between 10-12 pumps of Film On in the Summer months and as little as 4-pumps in the Winter months without problem.

I haven't run into any problems using too much of a solution to water ratio yet.