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Shrink Pointers, Needed


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15 minutes ago, Chilled said:

The film is the Ceramic IR.

Where did you manage to buy that? The reason I ask is because 3M has a limited distribution network and they're pretty protective of access to their films. If you picked it up off of Amazon or Ebay there's a 99% chance that it's counterfeit 

Edited by highplains
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24 minutes ago, Chilled said:

Care to share some of those advanced tips? Or have any good links to read/watch.

 

Those type of skills come with time.  You have to get a feel for how the process works and how the film acts before you will understand the advanced shrinking techniques.  

 

You can search the lift & pull method and also the different dry shrinking techniques.  

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31 minutes ago, TintDude said:

Still curious how you got the film. You can't just call up and order a roll of 3M if you aren't a dealer.

 

28 minutes ago, highplains said:

Where did you manage to buy that? The reason I ask is because 3M has a limited distribution network and they're pretty protective of access to their films. If you picked it up off of Amazon or Ebay there's a 99% chance that it's counterfeit 

 

Not a dealer, a friend of a friend helped. So the film is legit. I know the quality is crap (thnx imgur), but you can see the logo in the vid I posted.

 

That was the other reason I went for IR. To my knowledge, only CS,IR,Crystalline have the logo. Didn't want the issues of trying to learn/use crappy knock off.

 

Edited by Chilled
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4 hours ago, Chilled said:

On the topic of shrinking CS, just curious how close is it to Crystalline? CS has the thickness and the CR has the layers and probably hella thick.

Night and day difference. CS is a very thin film that burns or creases easily, CR can smear the adhesive between the layers if not heated properly. CR isn't a particularly thick film either, it's about average really. I'm not familiar with how their CIR compares since I dropped 3M a couple months before they finally released it. As far as 3M films that have the logo stamp they do that on Obsidian, Color Stable, Ceramic IR, and the Crystalline, however there have been documented instances in the past of that being copied on the fake CR film some have gotten in the past. As far as shrinking goes in general it really does come down to practice and experience. Don't rush it, especially as someone just looking to learn the trade, impatience is your enemy in this business. Shrink the film slowly and really pay attention to how it reacts to the heat and you'll learn to "read" the film, for lack of a better way to put it. Experiment with the distance and angle of your heat gun and how that effects the film as it's shrinking, eventually you'll develop the technique that's going to work best for you. Starting out you're going to waste a lot of film, it is what it is and part of paying your dues so to speak. You can get a shorter roll of film from express window films that's good quality and more affordable to learn on if you're serious about pursuing this. 

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For me this is nothing more than a cool thing that I would like to learn a little bit about. By this process am only now realising the skill and artistry needed to do this commercially. 

 

Had my 3rd attempt, and well I think I've figured out your pro, deep underground secret to tinting. When i started cutting the film to size, I had some radio BS playing. Cut about 1/2 to short on the  side, so the film ended way to shy of the dot matrix.   

 

After this I switched to Em and Dre. and the film shrunk perfect.  Did have a few "O F***" moments but blind luck got me out of them. So for any noobies reading this, here is a free tip. Listening to Eminem and Dr Dre. makes your tinting %300 better. 😄

 

In all seriousness, I only now have realised that I haven't even see the tip of the iceberg. Let alone touched it.

Edited by Chilled
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On 11/18/2022 at 1:57 PM, highplains said:

You can get a shorter roll of film from express window films 

This is excellent advice. I think the HP 20 is about the best example of how a good film should shrink and handle. It's also a quality product that can be used professionally. 

 

After dry shrinking (with soap/babypowder/dryer sheet or whatever) lift the film, one side at a time, and flush with water then squeegee flat to see if any fingers are present. This is wet checking.

 

Don't be afraid of wetting the felt on your hard card to push water. It's one of my preferred methods. I wouldn't use it when installing on the inside however. You can get replacement strips for pretty cheap somewhere (monkey strips / bananna strips)

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On 11/19/2022 at 6:57 AM, highplains said:

Night and day difference. CS is a very thin film that burns or creases easily, CR can smear the adhesive between the layers if not heated properly. CR isn't a particularly thick film either, it's about average really. 

 

So how would CRystalline compare to Ceramic IR and or how would CS to IR?  Does the IR film burn/ crease as easy as CS or more?  When i was choosing, I saw post saying that the IR is very easy to work with. 

 

 

Also on attempt 3, I did mess up a bit and now have a corner coming up. Found a few posts with the same issue, and wondering if installed. Would this be fine as its rolling inwards, and thus would be rolling into the glass or would this create a stress point overtime/fail. The tip is only about 3/4inch 

 

6 hours ago, Dano said:

This is excellent advice. I think the HP 20 is about the best example of how a good film should shrink and handle. It's also a quality product that can be used professionally. 

 

After dry shrinking (with soap/babypowder/dryer sheet or whatever) lift the film, one side at a time, and flush with water then squeegee flat to see if any fingers are present. This is wet checking.

 

Don't be afraid of wetting the felt on your hard card to push water. It's one of my preferred methods. I wouldn't use it when installing on the inside however. You can get replacement strips for pretty cheap somewhere (monkey strips / bananna strips)

 

Cheers, will look into express. 

 

How hard should i be pressing down to get all the water/moisture out? Because on attempt 2, the good side. I tried that with just water and then with slip. Left for hours and no lift. With slip I left it overnight and in the morning it was how I left it. 

 

Is this the ideal shrink/ what I should be aiming for?

20221120_142519.jpg

20221120_142647.jpg

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CS is the bottom end used mainly to satisfy cheap a$$ customers and dealerships. Ceramics of about any flavor are more rigid and the Crystalline is it's own pita. It's like streaching a pool liner and marks real easy if you touch it while it's hot or even too warm. HP/metallized is the lowest quality you should be learning on. Easy to shrink/install without all the nuance of dealing with a finicky product.

 

Your shrink looks normal. It won't stay pinned unless you actually install it. When I wet check I usually only leave it for 5-10min to see if a finger shows up before installing and to mark it with a grease pencil to cut on a separate work panel/glass/peel board/whatever you want to call it.

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