How to install a large piece of DC solo?

Roach · May 20, 2016

Whenever I have large panes of glass to film using anything like dusted crystal, I try to have a 2nd pair of hands to help me with it.... But I know there are tinters that do it solo, so... how??

Piece is 60" x 100" - 100" wide. Commercial window.

I'm not that big... I'm like 5'7 or so... don't have a super wide arm reach... fwiw.

If it were solar film, I'd have no issues... or even a standard frost... but with DC, since it stretches and the liner is on the tougher side to remove... how would you go about this solo?

Thanks....

TomTint · May 20, 2016

That's a big piece of DC. If I had to do it solo.. I would find somewhere to hang it near the window to strip the liner, then taco it in 1/2 so I was carying a 50x60" piece. .. And work fast. Wet the film and glass .. Very soapy.

Roach · May 20, 2016

I've tried doing that - using another window as a peel board - but with DC, it doesn't like to stay in place as I remove the liner... which many times creates an even bigger mess if not trashing the piece altogether.

I like the idea of folding it... that should help.

Thanks for the tips. :thumb

TomTint · May 20, 2016

Cut it long and duct tape the corners to a wall or another piece of glass, then cut the tape areas off.

Roach · May 20, 2016

Ah, good idea. In the past I've just sprayed the window I was using as a peel board and removed the liner with the film sticking... never thought to do it dry with tape for something like DC. :thumb

DOOTINT · May 24, 2016

Been a while since I used this contraption,,but I could hang a 5-6ft by 8ft + piece of tint or vinyl from it with spring loaded clips and peel the liner and wet it,,worked kinda nice for sticky glue stuff

The hooks fit in the top of my 8ft ladder/fiberglass or I hung it from scaffold

After soaked I pushed the ladder close to the window and removed the clips and slammed it on the window

WearTheFoxHat · May 24, 2016

I've installed tons of 60" x 7' and taller DC solo. It can be very entertaining. I'll do my best in text to describe it.

I call this method stripping and flipping. It occurs on the same glass getting filmed. Working clean is your friend!!

I generally will be working off a mini baker scaffold which allows side to side movement. A platform top 2 or 3 step ladder works well too.

It is positioned at about a 20 - 30° angle allowing an area to do the flip move.

Keep the pulled film very clean during your pull outta the box .

Lightly mist your already clean window (a little spray on the already cleaned frames helps too) Too much slip and your film will ... well slip down the glass.

My preference is left to right so when letting it unroll on the glass the left edge is factory and against the frame (liner is towards you ) while the right sits on the frame a bit.

Strip the liner starting at top left with left hand hand holding the film down to the glass and going at about 45° until your top right corner is about to lift off the glass.

During your liner removal you want to stay close to the glass not pull 90° away from the glass.

Wet the film with your slip enough to ensure film to film touching won't matter.

Use caution . Going too fast may cause the flipping right top corner to do some flipping if you go to fast.

You may have to "walk "the holding hand across the top while the liner removal hand pulls and turns the liner down towards being horizontal until the film re grabs on the frame.

This is where I wet the whole exposed top and then get off the scaffold or ladder and roll the liner so that I can spray with one hand and the other hand I can control its full removal with a little 10° change at the bottom so that the left edge of the liner come off first and the film doesn't flip back in response to my efforts.

Now that the liner is off and rolled up out of the way and the film is all nicely slippery.

Grab the left edge with your right hand and while keeping a vertical U shape during the flip proceed towards the right until you can reach the right side with your left hand and allow your film hanging flag to fly.

Line up your right edge which should be factory and leave your fingerprinty top edge to be trimmed off and discarded. The rest you should know how to do.

ANNNND I just noticed 100"wide :facepalm2

Same as above.... sort of... DEFINITELY off a mini baker or other scaffold . Get set up in center. You are going to Vertically strip of half the liner ,cut it off and then flip and change to horizontal strip.

Fold the film "hinge" at the bottom so that you put liner to glass and film to film (with a mist of slip in between) allowing about 55- 60" of liner or so to be stripped and cut off , Then put the now wet film factory to top and careful strip the remaining liner off and add slip and carefully unfold.

:rimshot