hewitt_jay

You never notice a scratch on glass till you put a black background on it...

So I had a car in for a new door glass tinting.  Did this 13 years ago.  It is HP 05.  As you can see there is no visible fade color change.
 
This is a delivery vehicle that is outside all the time.
 
Glad I switched.

Only "repair" is to have that window redone.
 
The spots sound like seat belt dings.  You likely throw your seat belt buckle off and hit the window without realizing it. They were probably there already and you just noticed them!

You never notice a scratch on glass till you put a black background on it...

i've seen some really big scratches after tinting that i never spotted before

You never notice a scratch on glass till you put a black background on it...

1500 grit for me as well.  Slow down and let the heat do the work for you.  I get peanuts rarely, but when I do, I drink a dos equis.

^ This...    

Charger/300, Tesla, Old lexes & Audi all get sanded with 1500 grit. I never get any peanuts.

First, QUIT looking at film under a fluorescent light....
 
If you don't see this in sunlight then get over it.

my old boss who had been tinting for 35 years would always tell tales of his prime tinting days.  he was still an animal and by no means anywhere near average even at 52 years old.  but he would always say he would whip out a four door in just over an hour.  He would do 6 to 8 a day.  I have tried and tried and the closest i have gotten is an hour and 45 minutes on a late model malibu.  Thats from the minute it goes in the bay up to ready to ship out status. In the pursuit of cutting time I have found that i cant really move any faster but have adjusted my technique to become more efficient.  i'm burned out after 3 full cars in 1 day i cant imagine doing more than that for an entire, week, month, Years! this stuff requires alot of focus and a stamina that i think can only be acquired through actually putting yourself through the grind and doing way more cars a day than your comfortable with until it becomes normal.  does anyone here know any 1 that has that kind of movement and swag?  is it an attainable goal? 

Been pulling seals/panels on probably 90% of vehicle. I went back the last couple months tucking what could to see if it came out as clean. Id say barely any were as clean. You’re either dealing with fingers popping up, fixing imperfections, bottom contamination or all of the above. You cant say tucking is as clean as pulling panels/ seals unless you start pulling stuff on every vehicle. This lets you see that some of the installs you tucked werent as clean as you thought at the time. 

I use LA Awesome for adhesive removal. I hear Fusion Epic Orange works good. 

I don't know your financial situation or your geographic location, but ..if you are mobile now and covering your expenses..and are able to save a bit of money..keep saving until you have enough for a down payment to buy your own space. Renting or leasing is only good for the land owner. You pay their nut..and they ride the wave as the property escalates in value.. then they raise your rent... IMO..wait till you can swing a purchase and thank me in a few years. 

There's way to many variables with that for us to say. However my rule of thumb is you should be able to cover rent in a decent day or two gross. So if on the regular you can do 800 a day then right around there. Also if you're not tracking your daily gross you need to be this will tell you exactly how much you can afford. Make sure you can cover it in your worse months and you'll be fine. 

Because everyone has different techniques. There is absolutely zero wrong with pulling a panel, IDK why some guys get that in their head through their career and can never get it out. He posted this to help others that want to learn not be chastised. 

Pretty much everything is changed on these new ones but overall they're still pretty easy. If you like to pull sweeps and bottom load you do have to remove the whole panel, can't just pop the top anymore. There are five(5) seven millimeter screws that have to be removed to pull the panel. One behind the handle, two behind the pull, and two at the bottom. The cover for the pull has to be removed starting from the front as there is a large tab that fits into the panel at the rear. See the attached pictures. The bevel on the glass is different than most and I had to adjust the angle of my razor blade several times to get a good shaved edge on it, was unexpectedly a pain in the ass so make sure your top cut is clean or be prepared to spend more time than normal shaving. No pictures of it overall, damn things are so ugly that I was afraid of breaking my camera

Jh812 you were exactly who I wanted to respond.  Thank you!

I know exactly who you're talking and they suck. Call express window films, it may be a little iffy since you've already bought global but there's always ways around things. 

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.

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.

Always recommend to cover the panels. Edge film has some really great reusable covers or home depo sells pre-mask shark skin that is pretty reasonable. 
When you still get part of the cloth wet you might wet the entire area so when it drys you don't have the stain line. Just saying...works!
Cheers 

I honestly don't care about marketing material from a manny.  I don't really care to market anyone but myself.  It is sad though if they are that far behind on their info.  I use Global but don't usually need any actual specs for films. Know how to sell and the basic info for your films and you can sell it just the same.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and that it may be filled with your favorite things and the people you love!

Good morning
I am one of the original TINTDUDE members....I have been tinting for 35 years,,,,Been retired for the last 7...im 53 years old and decided to get back into the game....going to be selective on what cars I do but looking to go full speed with the flat glass. I cannot believe the advances in the quality of films since i have been away..Wish me luck gents