New slip solution and prep solution

[rvpjr]

There is a new slip solution and prep solution in town!  Tint Tac and Pre Tac

[H.G.]

Dang , and I just ordered some tintslime from Interwest, gonna see how that works -------- there's a lot of recommendations for it from my tint bros. Any pronounced advantage????

[Tinteks]

Can ya send me a sample Ralph? I would like to try it out. may switch from Slime if I like it.

 

[TTS]

How about a little info on the product Ralph ??

[Ocala]

 Another member claimed it had a dog shampoo smell to it. 

[rvpjr]

If anyone wants to try it, please call 256-748-8468 and we will send you a sample.  Please just tell us where to send it.  I will pay for shipping also unless you are in another country.  I would just like to know the opinion's of window film professionals. 

[TintDude]

If anyone wants to try it, please call 256-748-8468 and we will send you a sample.  Please just tell us where to send it.  I will pay for shipping also unless you are in another country.  I would just like to know the opinion's of window film professionals.

Can you tell us something about it Ralph? Like how is it better or different than other slips etc?

[rvpjr]

I wanted to share something that I discovered over time.  I would have never put this together if I had not chosen this path.  When I decided to distribute window film and talk to professional tinters all day long every day, I was able to identify a problem.  This problem is actually epidemic!

 

As I became more involved in discussing problems that professional installers were having in their businesses,  I noticed a common denominator.  The common denominator was slip solutions.  I would say that almost 90% of all tint related problems had something to do with slip solutions.  I was amazed!  Why is this?  Why do manufacturers spend so much money on window film technologies and products but not really anything on what you need to install the product with?  Was I missing something?  Every time I asked an installer the question.....What are you using for a slip solution?  You would be shocked at the responses!   These were respectable people.  These people were very professional!  Why were they behind a very respectable product and paying good money for the product and having to go to the "Dollar General" to buy something made for babies to install the product on their customers car?

 

I know there are some "professionl" products on the market for installers to use for prepping glass and installing film.  I sell about all of them.  I do not mean to sound derogatory, but almost every time I sold these products, I had to hear the complaints!  Some of these products just did not work while other products could not work because their was never anything in them to get the job done.  There is one product that I had to tell my customers to add baby shampoo to it so the film would not stick to the glass prematurely. There is even a prep solution manufactured by one of the largest film companies that is basically and acid with no surfactants or degreasers in it and people are trying to use it to remove surface contaminats.  Acid will not remove grease from glass, Period!  I could not believe what I had discovered!  

 

I am lucky to have a good friend in the Chemical business.  He is a chemical engineer, Georgia Tech Graduate.  He has over 30 years experience making custom chemical products for businesses.  I brought this guy every product used in our industry for prepping and slip solution and began to explain everything I knew about them in our consultation. I told him what was good about them and what was bad about them.  He broke everything down for me and explained what was happening from a chemical perspective. 

 

We spent the next year working to take the best from what works and eliminating the problems from what doesn't work.  We have several people involved in this project that are professionals in the industry.  After extensive trial and error and testing, we now have Tint Tac and Pre Tac.  I will explain some of the benefits in the rest of this post.  

 

Tint Tac:

We felt like our competition was Baby Shampoo.   Baby shampoo actually works well.  The problems that we solved for tinters involve several things:  1. We controlled the growth of mold, mildew, bacteria, and algae by increasing the pH.  We new that if we could get the pH above 8, we could almost 100% solve that problem.  We tried to do it with a preservative, but it was not practical.  We can even add very small amounts of bleach to a multi gallon tank with Tint Tac and eliminate growth 100% if necessary.  Baby shampoo has an ammonia based surfactant which would create a gas that would be very poisonous if it were mixed with bleach. By solving this problem, we have eliminated maintenance to your bottles.  2. We also have utilized surfactants that will not bond to the adhesive.  There is one surfactant in baby shampoo that is almost like wax.  It is great for babies skin, but it bonds to the adhesive and makes it less aggressive and can actually cause the film not to last as long. The more baby shampoo you add, the more you compromise your adhesive. As you evacuate Tint Tac, everything leaves. Nothing bonds to the adhesive. 3. Extreme water conditions.  Some tinters are just using what comes out of the sink.  We see this is ok most of the time.  When there are extreme water conditions, tint jobs can be compromised.  I do not understand the science in Tint Tac completely but I do know that minerals in the water will bond to the Surfactants in Tint Tac and then will be evacuated completely when squeegeed.  Tint Tac can handle calcium in water up to 45 parts per million and can handle other extreme conditions as well.  We noticed other products used as slip solutions did not have these capabilities. 4. As far a color and smell, we chose a color and a smell that we thought would work best with most people.  There is always someone who will not like a color or a smell.  Tint Tac can be any color and almost any smell we want it to be.  We can even make it with no smell and clear.

 

Pre Tac is our Prep Solution. The most common mistake I see tinters make is they will try and use their slip solution as their prep solution.  There is even one product that is marketed as an all-in-one product.  There is no professional way to clean and prep with the same product and honestly do it effectively.  It is also proven that a diluted slip solution is not effective as a glass prep/cleaner for glass.  To use a slip solution as a glass prep is like trying to wash your hair in the shower with just water and then trying to condition it.  You might get the sweat out but you will not get the grease out very well.  We created a product that utilizes good old surfactants, degreasers, and a splash of isopropal alcohol. All you have to do is spray it on the glass and use a white nylon scrub pad or steel wool with friction to clean a rear glass.  Wipe or squeegee off excess and proceed with install with slip solution. On side windows, spray on glass and clean or razor blade as normal.  Wipe off solution and proceed with slip solution for installation of film.

Pre Tac also doubles as a glass cleaner.  You can clean the car glass and the tint after you are done tinting it with no streaks.  I'm done typing now. 

[Bham]

Nice explantation there Ralph   and BTW  I have met your buddy Larry Parker Nice guy!!

 

Everything sounds pretty good, but a couple of things.  Having to use 2 solutions?  You have to use some sort of abrasive to clean your windows(steel wool, razor blade, white scrubby, etc), so why not just use one solution??  I understand the fact that acid won't break up grease, but the chemicals in the prep solution(the alcohol) is what causes dry skin splits on you hands and on cars it causes faded door panels.  Yes, there are other products out there produced by window tinters for window tinting...all in one and won't break down and clog filters....I used to be a baby shampoo guy till last year and I switched to this other stuff AND I LOVE IT!!!  My hands are not cracking as much this winter, I am not having to fight with changing my mixture, and it is very consistent so far. Easy to work with!!  And it's all in one, so I can use it in my automatic sprayer and never have any problems.  

 

Not saying your stuff isn't good by any means, just trying to get more input on it.  Thanks, 

 

Thoughts, anyone

[rvpjr]

I'm not saying that all in one is bad or wrong because I will lose that argument every time. Just to prove my point, go to Walmart on the shampoo isle. The all in one products outsell shampoo and conditioner at least 10:1. The all in one products are usually empty on the shelves. Let's say you have a detail guy at a dealership that has been trained to tint windows and he even has a plotter and he makes 35 dollars per car and does about 15 per day. If you told him he had to use two steps to clean and install instead of one, he probably would get mad and cuss you out. He does not have to handle customers, nor does he have to make good on warranty claims. He would be perfectly happy using one product because he could tint faster. No argument here. I am simply sharing field experience on test results to show how we got the most favorable results. Clean/prep and slip solution worked best in two separate steps/products for the most favorable results. It is also possible to get favorable results with an all in one product also but not always.