TintDude

I have used the Llumar Extra film and it is 11.5 mils thick.  It is nice for extra protection but it does come with some trade offs.  I did the bed sides of a black Ram Dually.  They are terrible for rock chips on the bed sides.  The orange peel is more than the standard 6 mil window film.  The biggest issue we came across was the deforming of the film when something does hit it. Most likely being on a black truck made it more apparent but there were very noticeable "white" marks from where it got hit by something.  Granted it saved the paint but customers kind of see paint protection as I indestructible barrier.  Also being so thick it does not conform as easily as the 6 mil.  It has its place and works well in those places.  Rockers, spats, fender flares, heavy equipment.

By the way, it's nice to see you, hope you've been well.  

Whenever asked to match, I'd tell them it will not match. You can't even match if you knew the film since it varies from roll to roll and even from side to side on the same piece of film. Just say you can get the shade close but there will always be a slight color difference. 
 
As far as the dual pane, I'm probably wrong, but I think they are so small the risk of thermal fracture is low. 
 
 

As long as the glass is tempered, there is zero risk of thermal breakage, however, dark, highly absorptive, film products pose a risk for seal failure, tempered and or annealed.
 
Usually, the factory dark units have the dark glass layer to the exterior and a clear layer as the inner layer; reversing that structure using film has higher risks.
 

Well, if you are determined, the best way to start is buy some inexpensive film to practice with. Tint your own car, your friends and family etc and get an idea what it's like. Maybe you'll have a knack for it, and practice more until you are confident enough to start charging. Maybe you wont have a knack for it and tear up some cars along the way and realized you dodged a bullet.

You should really get some experience under your belt before just opening a tint shop.
 
This is a difficult trade and good tinters rarely make good businessmen and visa versa. There's a lot to learn about this trade and you don't want to be learning on customers' cars as you can do plenty of damage as you go.
 
I'd suggest getting a job as a helper in a tint shop and develop your skills for a long while before even thinking about going out on your own. Just my opinion.

You should really get some experience under your belt before just opening a tint shop.
 
This is a difficult trade and good tinters rarely make good businessmen and visa versa. There's a lot to learn about this trade and you don't want to be learning on customers' cars as you can do plenty of damage as you go.
 
I'd suggest getting a job as a helper in a tint shop and develop your skills for a long while before even thinking about going out on your own. Just my opinion.

Tired, but it came out great. 
 
 

That diamond plate is sick. How long did it take?

That diamond plate is sick. How long did it take?

A lot of times people spray dressings and greasy chemicals on the engine to make it look shiny, sometimes with the that floats and lands under the hood. I'd recommend as other mentioned wipe it down with alcohol before folding the edges, use a bit of heat, let it dry for a few hours and as a last resort, use ProBond.
Just be careful not to touch the adhesive side of the film with neither the straight up alcohol or probond, you'll melt it.
Hope that helps

This is from almost 20yrs ago.
 
15gal of paint, $300 of vinyl, old classroom projector and a stack of cards. Everyone can do it if they are motivated. Wash, rince, repeat.
 

Not many shops are paying commission these days. The big money in window tinting is in 1. Making training videos (Essentially selling out the trade and 2. Setting up your own space. IMO it doesnt make sense to spend years working for a "sweat shop" in a trade that doesnt offer benefits like PTO STO Medical or  some type of retirement plan. Good Luck. 

The installers are not demanding it or don't have a spine to allow them to walk out and set up next door. Why on earth would a good tech work for McMinimum wage under someone else? Installers owe them nothing. 
 
WTH is wrong with these installers? If someone has skills, buy a roll of film and get busy. Are these guys just beat into submission? Lazy? 
 
When I opened my first shop I literally went out on foot with a stack of biz cards to every buisness in a half mile radius, made local connections and 9/10 came back with a car to tint. Pounded on every dealership, rock lot and auto brokers office. Bought a used plotter and made my own store graphics, then started making them for others. No reason to be hungry or under a bad owner. 

That is good advice if you're dealing with respectable owners. If not, then leverage is the only way to pry your worth out of their pockets.
 
A top notch installer can command up to 40% on a w9 in most markets and often more on wholesale/fleet work. 35% is average for retail and maybe 30% if you have a base minimum guarantee of say 400wk.
 
I would personally begin preparing to open independently. Buy your own film and start laying it every minute you're not scheduled. When you build enough workflow go find a good space and put your name on the door. Problem permanently solved.
 
I always say there is no such thing as "side money" or "jobs". Making money is my job and I get all that I'm able to daily. 

well since i do know satin is a delicate vinyl i actually switched to using my thumb instead of a squeegee since it sometimes leaves marks on the vinyl, i watch CKwraps all the time and actually is where i get all of my information, i did glass it out as best as possible, the G8 has a pretty big wide body fender from factory which is a pain, i did the driver side in 3 hours smh which was my fastest panel so far but failed the passenger panel because of the finer wrinkles and how the vinyl wasnt sticking. what is the best method to laying the film down and where should i normally start and how do i divide the panel up into like corners or? I have made beginner mistakes which i have learned from and have failed two panels one was with my friend, first time wrapping with him and i am not shaming him at all but he did cut it short so failed that and i failed the fender.

Looks like you started at the wheel edge on used too much heat...way too much. Satin films don't need alot. 
 
I would recommend that you "glass" the film, as in try to streach it as flat as you can on the whole panel before you squeegee it. Also start your squeegee strokes in the middle and work your way towards the edges, over lapping your strokes as you go.
 
CKwraps on youtube has some excellent, straight ahead install vids if you want to see it made simple.

Have you checked the ground wire to make sure it's connected properly and has a good ground?    
That's what they always asked me.  

This sound like me going to deep into an automotive repair.  I'm shade tree at best and usually don't know if it's right until it doesn't blow up or catch fire.   

Hey guys, we may or may not have the site be unreachable for a short time. Some settings have to be updated and it may affect the site, but hopefully not. 

Hey guys, we may or may not have the site be unreachable for a short time. Some settings have to be updated and it may affect the site, but hopefully not. 

I have this plotter, the values can be entered in increments of 1g, but it is necessary to enter the value manually, not using the arrows

Not enough money for the value of what you bring to the business. 
I would have a meeting w/ the business owner and or manager. Articulate what you bring to the table on paper and then ask for a pay increase, whether it be a higher commission rate or overall higher salary. 

It looks like there's a scattering of tiny air trails that occur when the tinter was installing the film.
 
It happens during the installation process of pushing the slip solution out by squeegee. If the liner gets peeled and the adhesive is not sufficiently saturated before applying to the glass surface, any dry area on the adhesive will grab the glass.
 
As the installer squeegees the slip solution out, the solution in front of the squeegee blade carries small amounts of air which can easily be forced into the adhesive structure at the dry spot; trapping microscopic air pockets in a streaked fashion. Redo is the only way to know for sure.
 
Air scattering can also occur when finding an air bubble after one thinks they are done with the window and an attempt to push the air out only splinters it into streaks in the adhesive because the adhesive has tacked.

It is from Korea and named America?
 
Sounds legit.