whers ralph

Tintguy1980 · November 23, 2014

Slip

The perfect slip solution for PS adhesive is distilled water (or pH 7 aka neutral) however, this would only work with a film having an adhesive that can be installed with just water.

X100 (once diluted as directed is less acidic than the phosphoric acid found in soft drinks), formerly known as slipeze before its formula was changed years ago, has a ph of 3 (on the acidic side of the scale). Jetdry is another acidic based slip candidate (contains citric acid) has a pH of 3.8, making them the best for activating dry adhesive systems whilst being a nightmare to use with PS.

Courtaulds, once a large chemical and coatings company developed a near-neutral slip concentrate around 1990, it is known as FilmOn. This was done after much research went into the compatibility of soap chemistry to the adhesive used on PS films. They tracked the warranty claims over the years up to about the Solutia gang came along (about ten years worth) and found a dramatic decrease in adhesive failure during the time. FilmOn is being touted as the holy grail of slip concentrates and it saved the company $,$$$,$$$.00 in warranty claims.

Of course us window tinter types never want to believe what the manny says so FilmOn was/has only accepted by part of the dealer network. Oddly though, it is the most widely sold slip concentrate next to J&J baby shampoo and Tint Slime. Even other film sellers sell FilmOn (and Tint Slime). All three before-mentioned concentrates are virtual copies of one another on a chemical level, only one is absent smell sauce and coloring.

There is also a concentrate out there known as slip up, most seem to overlook its lye content (which is most likely there to stunt the growth of mold too and even more alkali than what Ralph has proposed for his slip concentrate). Also, not compatible to the chemistry in PS adhesives. Neutral or near neutral, non-Alkaid slip concentrates are perfect save the need to remake a diluted solution regularly.

IR

There is no perfect IR film, there is film that screens solar energy (UV Light, Visible Light & Near Infrared Light), slightly less than half of which comes from NIR. Take a film that screens 100% NIR with a vlt of 100% and you will see the TSER as about half the total energy that strikes the film from the sun (or less than 50%). Components like carbon black, ceramic or those dyes that absorb NIR are simply another means to screen solar (light) energy. Metals work to reject NIR too, some good, some not so good. The same can be said for screening with NIR absorber or reflector. NIR is light and does not become heat until it is absorbed or reflected and re-radiates as far infrared (heat).

TomTint · November 23, 2014

....class is now in session

Ryker · November 23, 2014

I am so glad to have a Smartie on here!

rvpjr · November 23, 2014

Slip

The perfect slip solution for PS adhesive is distilled water (or pH 7 aka neutral) however, this would only work with a film having an adhesive that can be installed with just water.

X100 (once diluted as directed is less acidic than the phosphoric acid found in soft drinks), formerly known as slipeze before its formula was changed years ago, has a ph of 3 (on the acidic side of the scale). Jetdry is another acidic based slip candidate (contains citric acid) has a pH of 3.8, making them the best for activating dry adhesive systems whilst being a nightmare to use with PS.

Courtaulds, once a large chemical and coatings company developed a near-neutral slip concentrate around 1990, it is known as FilmOn. This was done after much research went into the compatibility of soap chemistry to the adhesive used on PS films. They tracked the warranty claims over the years up to about the Solutia gang came along (about ten years worth) and found a dramatic decrease in adhesive failure during the time. FilmOn is being touted as the holy grail of slip concentrates and it saved the company $,$$$,$$$.00 in warranty claims.

Of course us window tinter types never want to believe what the manny says so FilmOn was/has only accepted by part of the dealer network. Oddly though, it is the most widely sold slip concentrate next to J&J baby shampoo and Tint Slime. Even other film sellers sell FilmOn (and Tint Slime). All three before-mentioned concentrates are virtual copies of one another on a chemical level, only one is absent smell sauce and coloring.

There is also a concentrate out there known as slip up, most seem to overlook its lye content (which is most likely there to stunt the growth of mold too and even more alkali than what Ralph has proposed for his slip concentrate). Also, not compatible to the chemistry in PS adhesives. Neutral or near neutral, non-Alkaid slip concentrates are perfect save the need to remake a diluted solution regularly.

IR

There is no perfect IR film, there is film that screens solar energy (UV Light, Visible Light & Near Infrared Light), slightly less than half of which comes from NIR. Take a film that screens 100% NIR with a vlt of 100% and you will see the TSER as about half the total energy that strikes the film from the sun (or less than 50%). Components like carbon black, ceramic or those dyes that absorb NIR are simply another means to screen solar (light) energy. Metals work to reject NIR too, some good, some not so good. The same can be said for screening with NIR absorber or reflector. NIR is light and does not become heat until it is absorbed or reflected and re-radiates as far infrared (heat).

That's an interesting perspective. Thanks for your input Smartie2shoes. I hope that works out for you. I had trouble using distilled water when I tried it. Has anyone else ever successfully sold IR film using a heat box?

ultratintsouthport · November 23, 2014

Great explanations Smartie. Thank you. I gotta appreciate the amount of time it takes to give a full explanation like that. I'm sure there are plenty of people on here who are grateful for the time you put in to help us all understand the tech stuff.

I was always under the impression that X100 was alkaline. So I stand corrected. [emoji106]

EWF · November 24, 2014

Courtaulds, once a large chemical and coatings company developed a near-neutral slip concentrate around 1990, it is known as FilmOn. This was done after much research went into the compatibility of soap chemistry to the adhesive used on PS films. They tracked the warranty claims over the years up to about the Solutia gang came along (about ten years worth) and found a dramatic decrease in adhesive failure during the time. FilmOn is being touted as the holy grail of slip concentrates and it saved the company $,$$$,$$$.00 in warranty claims.

Hi Smart,

I sincerely appreciate you pointing this out. When Llumar studied this from an adhesive chemistry standpoint, their objective was to design a mounting solution that would maximize the life span of the film, not to make a few bucks selling Film-On.

I agree that it is the holy grail of mounting solutions. It is a simple, pure surfactant mixture that will help ensure that the adhesive has the best possible chance of going the distance.

EWF sells Film-On and we encourage it's use. Note that there is no patent on that product and EWF's SlipTack (Free - $0.00 with any purchase) is an identical formulation. It is so safe and so mild, you can drink it. In fact, if you have had a colonoscopy recently, you probably have.

-Howard

rvpjr · November 24, 2014

Hey Howard, that was very interesting. I can't help but to laugh because I am having my colonoscopy very soon. I have been prescribed sorbitol to clean out the pipes. I could also use that as a surfactant to make an interesting slip solution. I would just be careful if you plan on drinking Film-On. Even though it is very mild, it is still dangerous if taken internally. There are 9 total components that make up this formula and some are not safe. Solutia would even back me up on that....

EWF · November 24, 2014

Hi Ralph,

You definitely do not want to drink whatever is in the picture, but the picture is not matching up with Film-On. Here is the MSDS from Eastman:

http://msds.solutia.com/CPFilms/9607WEN.pdf

It does indicate that it is safe to drink and only lists 2 ingredients. Let me know if you can figure out the discrepancy. Maybe that's an old picture or an old bottle, etc? As far as I know, Film-On is what is stated in the MSDS. We followed that recipe for Slip-Tack.

Good luck on that colonoscopy - my turn is in 2 months!

-Howard

whitehog · November 24, 2014

I just checked my inventory of Film-on, the picture that Ralph has supplied is indeed the label from a bottle of Film-On. Not sure as to the MFG date, it is not like Coor's, no born on date.

EWF · November 24, 2014

We may need Smartie to check in here to resolve this. The MSDS is dated just 17 months ago and reflects a much more simple formulation. My understanding is that only those 2 ingredients are present. Perhaps the packaging was never updated to reflect the current contents?

-Howard