shadytints

used tap water for most my career.  had a inline filter on my P2 or tank which made the spray tip last longer.  few times the faucets in shops had brown smelly water and had to buy some bottled.   ultra-bond worked good for a slip and speeds the dry time for winter months.  summers had to add a bit of J&J or for the ceramic i carried. had a very aggressive adhesive making it necessary for certain cars or temp/hum swings.

tried gasket wizard late 80's,  seemed more a PITA then anything.  it was better then 2 inch masking tape pieces trying to tape the gasket back.  learned how to tuck with my olfa knife.  there were no EZ-reach or fancy tools back then.   Last year I saw the Shank for the first time and fell in love.  On really tight seals I use the shank with an EZ-reach to force the film in.  I refer to that as the double F%&k.

every film is different. shrinking, sticking and elasticity. you dont have to shrink every door, but i do.    snapping the top makes you have to stretch the bottom leaving no fingers.  the system i follow let me turn a car an hour, sometimes two with an assistant.  the most profitable film is not the cheapest,  its the one that goes on fastest and does not come back.  10 to 50 more or less cost per roll is irrelevant compared to the extra cars/day income you will make. 

ram 1500 and many other vehicles have the inner sweep higher then the outer sweep,  I refer to this as a "negative offset".   If the inner sweep were lower then the outer,  you would have never seen those fingers and it would have peeled eventually. 

So what if we snapped the top or shrank the top?  if little fingers popped up on the top,  easy to see and heat down.  No reason to pull door panels or sweeps then.

process with heat gun or torch on my youtube channel

18 hours ago, quality tintz said:

Mostly on top edge

top edge debris.

after you clean the door,  kawos/perfect cloth the top edge to remove dirt.  laminate windows you might have to spray the channel out.   top back corner and front rinse well.  can not wipe to the edge.  top window gasket wet from outside and mist around window and around where you peel.   static electricity pulls dirt in when you peel and the vacuum created peeling draws debris.  I peel off the car and mist all around my patterns before pulling release sheet including under side view mirrors..  as you put the film on the window,  loose dust on frame or gaskets can fall in from the top and sides if not wet.

years ago i used peel boards,  saw a tinter peel off the side of a caravan completely covered in mud.  I asked how he could tint clean on such a dirty vehicle.  he replied "keep everything wet and no water running in".   so i threw out my mobile peelboards and never looked back.

I like blues, stevie ray to set the pace and mood. (12 bar).  known times I screw up.  the after lunch food coma,  always hard to get your groove back.  year ago a cruz screwed up three times on BG,   was over a hundred in shop,  didnt know i was disoriented from dehydration.   took a break, water and power aid, cut, shrunk and hung under 10min.   lets not forget the polyTcar. (polyester to car) curse.    oh, that one will be easy.  almost done  cakewalk car.  say any phrases like that and plan on working overtime pulling hair

I remember an old honda I think in the early 90's.  old tight rubber seals pissing me off.   added more slip to get in and then the film would shift rolling it up.  no clue how many times i redid the door. 

You win!  or you learn,  yes the learning can get expensive.

extra slip is good for tight deep gaskets and getting the shaved look without shaving.   pro-handle to get all possible slip out, then a little heat to seal the upper edge and lock it in place before rolling it up.  I seal the perimeter when finished in case a rocket scientist rolls it down 5 min after I tint it.  I cant tell you how many times a custy came to pick up car and rolled the windows down to look before coming in to pay.

the trick to cleaning with blades is to listen and feel.  keep glass wet and feel the imperfections as the blade slides across and listen for the "ting ting"  of pits, scratches or sputter.  low angle and light pressure like  fishing and feeling a nibble.  no blades on BG!  now that I use stainless blades,  they don't rust, last for months and cut myself and pouch less.  

if the BG  is in good shape, white scrubby, squeegee and hang.  dirty BG,  stronger cleaner double rinse.  oxidized or corroded lines, steel wool, double rinse and maybe pro-bond for lines and frit.

work smarter, not harder.  1 min to look at the window before you wet it or cover in film may save you an hour redoing it later because you missed something.

inspect cars inside and outside when finished.   I use a 250 lumen spot to check inside for puddles or imperfections and again outside.  mini-torch for parking lot touch-ups.     If a custy see's just one spot,  the will be face F&%$ing the whole car for an hour.   and of course that will be when your busy and have no time.

white has worked well for me.  less chance of debris then steel wool.  wool better for corroded defrost lines.  for a clean back window,  the best advice I can give is always look at the glass closely before putting anything on it.  old stickers, temp tag residue or other imperfections if noticed can be taken care before water or fil are put on glass.   so many trainees get burned missing crap because they wet the window or put film on it before evaluating the glass.

side windows,  stainless razor blade, perfect cloth squeegee.  cloth rinse and reuse.  stainless blade last for months,  listen for the dirt or sputter.  rear window, white scrubby squeegee.  peanut prone i prep with pro-bond

1 hour ago, coast2coasttinting said:

I tried that with a remote tank line,  and it works OK.  I still have it,  but don't use it.  If you want it I'd be willing to sell it to you.  Pm me if your interested. 

what size tank?  does it have variable slip control?  Used P2 forever, tanks are heavy for me and lines were a problem in some locations.  filthy pigstyes, lines picked up dirt getting on interior and potential of scratching vehicle.  Wanted to build a P3, no pumping and variable slip just never got around to it.  Semi-retired (disabled) now, tint is still a passion,  still trying to help solve current issues and experiment different products and equipment.

before i was mobile, i had 3gal tank.  great with a good tip.  only drawback was adjusting slip for my ceramic film which was aggressive requiring more slip.

concept for a P3 sprayer.

add a valve stem to pressurize from air hose.  charges small tank like a paintball gun for air or CO2 pistol ,  regulator to maintain at say 40psi?

2-4 ounce internal holder for slip with adjuster for mix. slip would be mixed at tip when sprayed, not added to water.

thought a paintball repair store could make the mods,   If someone thinks they can make it,  be happy to pay for it within reason LOL 

12 to 1500 watt heat gun needs a 3000watt generator.   most are rated start up power or continuous.  i bought a 5000/7500 surge. powers everything including a electric hot water heater and ac for house.   10 gallon tank 4 110v 1220v output.  100% tax write off.  paid $500 cash, list was $950.  I was a mobile tinter, in shops only.  no electricity needed unless my torch does not remove film and I have to plug mt steamer in.  ummm,, don't tell my CPA,  nice here in the sticks to have when power goes out on a regular basis

little scuff with some sand paper,  mild to wild.  had one film that turbos and max hung up on, little 220 grit did the trick.  glaze forms overtime on the edge, scuff mine on a regular basis.  have not tried the pink,  get a good bow on the clear with my fushion on final pass.  ruff scuff on dozer helps keep rubber scuffs off BG,  -15 winters in Michigan, can't be limp wristing it.

poly2 101

depending on your slip, yes they need to be rinsed on a regular basis.

when filling, slowly release pressure before opening or the o-ring falls out

if it takes long to pump,  make sure down tube is tight or clean seal and o-ring

trigger sticks,  clean and grease trigger seals

while you have it apart, scrap the trigger lock,  soaked a few interiors by accident

have used wheel bearing grease on trigger and downtube,  last longer then white lith grease

filtered water or fuel filter on pickup tube will make spray tip last longer.

been a P2 user for almost 30 years.  I remove the trigger lock and lube the slide every month or so.  3 or 5 gallon tanks are great if you are stationary,  I can't lift them anymore.  The spray tip goes bad in a few months.  I prefer the fine mist for hanging.  Most professionals buy good tools,  I would question a mechanic that hand walmart tools.  good tools last longer then cheap crap.

I have used blue, orange and white with a fushion 5ES.  recently moved to white being softer for the thicker defrost lines.  skid marks or grabbing is usually from getting glazed over time.   220 grit to skuff then 400 grit to smooth.  turbos, dozers all get glazed after time

If anything breaks in your house, usually $125 just to show up, then hourly.  small jobs I figure shipping cost and drive time to cover expenses.  sometimes more then the actual job.

I do try to pre-qualify customers.  why do you want tint, how many windows.  a example of what the cost is for tint.  patio door 6 or 8 foot cost  X

I get a lot of custy that want to look out and no one able to look in.

If you drive to a house, measure the windows and they don't buy,  up to X hours wasted.

Last year I borrowed a $12/hr employee for a day.  true cost to the company came to $35/hr from the time I picked him up to the time I dropped him off.

I Purchase decorator from Proview,  UV printer up to 72 inch, 1 day ship to Michigan and graphic artist on staff.  dont do much but so far so good

so I have yet to see one,  is the back window symetrical?   noticed complete frit on the wiper area,  so could we not cut the upper portion and shrink it then flip it over and cut on the inside and shrink it.   or felt card or wrapped hard card to shrink the inside?   I remember some old landau tops you almost had to final shrink on the inside back in the day.  thought?

old fushions when they came out had numerous complaints on the top matrix.  quick fix for mobile guys, hang the BG,  thick cloth over pro handle to remove water in the dots.  pull down apply thick coat elmers glue stick Purple to clear for visibility.  diamomd  or hard card bare will leave the glue in the dots when smoothing. towel handy to catch excess that oozes out. ship

I have been looking for a reason to retire,  found it

Still use J & J but also ultra bond.  ultra bond is great for winters in cold climates.  bonds stronger then J&J and 15 min after application is hard to remove.  summer add J&J to increase work time.  fushion 5es and sealing edges on roll downs and waiting 15 min in a heated garage you can roll down windows without the typical 3 to 7 day wait.  Ive watched customers leaving the store rolling them down right after telling them  to wait 2 days.  no more comebacks arguing with them from peeling.

I try and make things idiot proof.  but as we all know if ya make it idiot proof,  they will make a better idiot!

photophobia I heard works. or If I look at the sun it hurts my eyes. I drive alot and get sunburned alot. Its common here

in michigan. I have cermic 50% on my shield and fornt doors and never have had a problem