Heat shrink pattern cut for windshield

[TheLtFrisky]

Hey All,

 

I'm new to tinting and been having a hell of a time getting my big pieces to heat shrink without creasing. I'm using a pattern cut out and use a peel board for weeding.  I use the classic h pattern but always get a crease typically in the upper corners of the pattern. I've been using a hard card and recently switched to glove. The glove minimized the creasing but the film still doesn't lay down completely. Anybody got some tips and tricks to help me out? I've watched countless videos on it but still suck. 

[no ma'am]

What film, what windshield and maybe bring your middle line up higher? Pics.....

[hewitt_jay]

Use just the tips of your fingers to split the fingers youre trying to shrink.  Don't let the set pattern bind you up.  Pick up the edge and dry the pattern out to let the corner float some.  It will give you the extra room you need to finish the shrink.

[pbalentine]

First lose the h pattern.  Its not needed, just do a line across the middle. Also, sometimes you wanna move the line up or down to lessen film to shrink in that area. Stick with the glove and use soap to dry shrink. 

 

For the corners, shrink exactly toward factory edge.

[Tint Slayer]

28 minutes ago, pbalentine said:

First lose the h pattern.  Its not needed, just do a line across the middle. Also, sometimes you wanna move the line up or down to lessen film to shrink in that area. Stick with the glove and use soap to dry shrink. 

 

For the corners, shrink exactly toward factory edge.

Agree with above

i heat a large area and first try to shrink it all as flat as possible by pulling the film and also spreading my fingers wide thru the fingers on the film while i heat making them smaller and flatter until all the film is a little bumpy but shaped to the glass but not totally flat yet. Then i spray water under the film and flatten it out then wet shrink it with a gold hard card and make it flat. (Wet shrink is shrinking with the water under it, some people regardless of whether they shrink with powder, dryer sheets, soap, etc, will still do a final wet shrink before install so they can see any potential imperfections or little fingers at the edges, if it lays flat and wet on the outside it will on the inside, and you can also do your final cuts for anything in the way like defroster contacts, etc).

Also, when people first start shrinking some focus on short robotic straight up and down strokes and just looking at the film while they shrink, after a while you get a little more artistic and focus on the shape of the glass and adjust your strokes and sweeping motions to conform to the shape of the glass. And take your time, my advice is never geared towards the 30 min full tint job, slow and steady wins the race.