Tintguy1980

Sounds fair to me ... just be open to dickering $$ with who you work with.

Simplest way to determine if glass has a lowE coating is to stand at the interior side of the glass and flick a Bic near the glass surface. You are going to look at all the flame reflections however dim they might be. Legend: Surface 1 is the outside surface of the outside pane (the weather exposed surface). Surface 2 is the inside surface of the outer pane (inside the dead air space between each pane). Surface 3 is the outside surface of the inner pane (inside the dead air space between each pane). Surface 4 is the inside surface of the inner pane (the interior room surface). The first flame reflection nearest you will be on surface 4, next flame reflection will be surface 2, next flame reflection surface 3 and so on to 4. A lowE coating is not found on surface 1 unless the window has been installed backwards and has lowE4 qualities or a single pane glazing that is installed backward. Surface 4 flame reflection will mimic the real flame in appearance. If the flame on surface 3 or and or surface 2 have a different flame color; leaning toward pink/red or green/blue, you have discovered the lowE coating. The fourth flame reflection on surface one may show some color from the light of the flame traveling through the lowE coating on surface 2/3 and it will be the faintest of all reflections. I am unsure what surfaces are used in a hi-performance lowE glazing system; whether they use surface 2, 3 & 4, a single surface at 2 or surfaces 2 & 3. Having a combination of coating on surface 2 & 3 might be hi-performance lowE and its flame reflection should be in the blue/green (unless they also use pink/red on surface 3). Somewhere in all this is lowE3 and lowE4, which I understand neither of them require window film at all because they are just that efficient at keeping solar energy out and man-made heat in. Confused? Just look for the color in the flame on surface 2 and or surface 3 and you have Hi performance lowE. Pink/red is standard lowE coating and that one raises red flags when installing highly reflective or highly absorptive window film to the inside glass surface. Time to bring your eyeballs back to center. 😊

I did what you are planning back in the earlier 90's in Naples FL. I did not own a shop there when I arrived and eventually bought a shop I freelanced for before leaving Naples. I have also owned shops, had installers for those and freelanced myself to install residential at a competitor's shop in the same town. Without owning my own place I did the following: I introduce myself as a Freelance Installer of tint, had my phone number, (biz) name and card with a facing that appeared like any other card. The card was larger than the standard and had a fold. When anyone flipped the card open, they would see a mini resume of my skills and experience level. I went around to different shops and dealerships and explained who I was, why I am there, and what my background was in brief. I would always point out the fact that every tint shop ( if that's where I was at at the time) has overflow or turn away or two they simply do not have the resources to handle at the time job. I encouraged them to call me and I'd check my schedule to see if I could be of service to them. I did this same approach for car dealerships. If I were to supply the film, they would get a reduced cost so they had room to mark up and make a buck on the deal as well. If they supplied the film I would ask for 35-40% of customer's cost (in this scenario I'm simply a contract installer). This is the trick, you have to do this without the appearance of building your own clients from the clients of other businesses; remaining neutral and available as freelance contract hire only. Good luck!

I visited a shop in Plano TX years ago where they had mounted a misting system above the area cars were to be tinted. They switched it on just before it was time to peel liners. It was similar to what grocery stores use in the produce dept. A little elaborate but it was effective. Thought of a couple more: when doing auto tint have a peel board on both sides of the car, this shortens the distance you travel to the glass with adhesive exposed patterns. Also, if you don't want to travel from board to car with exposed adhesive, you can lift the liner while spraying the adhesive with slip solution and then return the liner back into position. You then peel the liner again when you are in position to apply to glass. This second procedure may require misting the glass surface to ensure enough mobility once the adhesive hits the glass.

You can't really go wrong with the Madico name, they've been doing film since the genesis of the industry. In regards to dirt, well, it's everywhere. Here are some recommendations to minimize contamination of film before it touches the glass: - Use filtered water. - Clean spray bottles, spray tanks, and squeegees frequently. - If using a tank spray system with hose, splice in an inline filter and change regularly. - Tape off top and side vertical auto window gaskets, if felt. With rubber gaskets, a good clean wipe in lieu of tape. - In automotive, spray and squeegee clean any surface the film is to be laid on, whether the surface it is to be installed to, the outside surface of auto glass when hand cutting patterns and the peel board surface before each pattern is placed on its surface. - Spray mist the path from peel board to auto glass and mist the pattern (liner) surface on your peel board before peeling the liner. - Residential, lightly spray the area path to window before peeling the liner. - Do not have fans running during installation. - Do not wear clothing such as sweaters or other materials that easily shed fibers or collected airborne particles. - Rinse fingers tips if they will be in contact with the film's adhesive. Use only (rinsed) thumb and forefinger when handling exposed adhesive. - Keep fingernails clipped short. - Enure body hair (head, face, brows, etc.) does not pose a shedding threat. I would even spray mist my arm arm hair when in short sleeves and spray mist my head before entering the back seat when installing a back glass pattern. - Lightly mist back seat and headliner (caution should exercised with some headliners that are sensitive to water staining). - Ask the client to wash there car before they arrive or rinse the car yourself before entering the bay. Okay, I'll let others think of more. Good luck!

Exterior mounted Silver 15/20 or interior dual reflective Silver 15/20 (with silver facing to the outside). That is if the glazing system is Hi-performance lowE2, 3, 4, and dual pane with no lowE coating. Questionable on standard lowE glazing.

Dual reflective 25-ish on the side of the glass looking for privacy, keep the lighting equal on both sides of the glass, and you get to see through (at that time). Want them NOT to see through sometimes, simply turn the lights out on the film side of the glass and make sure there is no light from windows on the privacy side.

They don't want to look or feel ignorant, which is counterintuitive to achieving a point of 'Wow, thanks, I did not know that (aka light bulb moment)'.

Here's a simple but pricey version for 44tools.com: https://44tools.com/glass-film-sales-demonstration-lamp/ https://44tools.com/acrylic-base-for-heat-sheet/ Or, build your own.

Few suppliers carry Bronze tint anymore due to low demand. I use to take LLumar's Platinum Plus 50 and laminate a layer of Bronze 50 to the inside surface of the Platinum sheet, let it dry for a couple days and then use it like it came from the box. This would give a metallic look to the exterior while having the bronze appearance when looking out. Of course, it didn't look exactly like the factory glass but it looked better than plain bronze. Can't get either of those two LLumar products anymore.

Of course there's a difference in a products (quality). Which of these two brands of dog food is the better product: Purina or Nutrish? Purina is the better product. Why? Because Purina has been successful at making pet food for decades; having a whole development department that has dedicated science of combining ingredients and testing apparatus that ensures deliver of a product of value. Nutrish has only been around for a decade and a half. Yes, this might be a poor example but in many industries today (including window film) there are the long term big names and there are the up and coming. Then, you have those who turn to the big names to have them make a film to which any name can be placed on the box. The big guys make film for others and they make components for small converters who put together components bought from many sources. The big names do not make a film for their own brand the same as making a film for someone asking them for a film to brand their competitive name to the box. You can even get started selling window film yourself; as long as you have deep enough pockets. In doing so, you may wind up with a gen 2 or 3 dyed layer and a gen 2 adhesive, while it looks, smells, and installs the similar to a gen 5 product the big guy puts their name brand on, the gen 2 won't last as long. Big guys keep the gen 5's for themselves up until gen 6 is developed. You get my grift?

For metal based films you will need to use a neutral-cure caulk such as Dow 1199. Anything other than neutral-cure will erode the film's metallic coating along the edge. If you have zero experience caulking edges, I suggest you pal up with a local glazer or plumber. It's this or you do a bunch of practicing on a window at home until you are able to lay a 'just right' bead that would ensure the film edge is sealed, yet not have too much and sloppy in appearance. It's a two trip job because you need give the film time to set up good before laying your caulk. If you put it down immediately after installing the film, you can cause the edge to shift during caulk installation and create bubbles, not to mention, the caulk can cause film lift issues as it (the caulk) cures. So it's best to come back about a week later to seal the edges.

Tell them or fashion a large sign for the greeting area wall: "We fix $180 tint jobs".

Sorry for your loss. When he mentioned there would be an impact on the defogger, the onus was/is on you to ask exactly what impact, not just simply say 'okay'. That grants him permission to do what needs be done to remove the old film. Had you inquired further, he would have wound up explaining the risk; that sometimes when film is removed the defroster lines may release from the glass as the film comes away from the surface. These are factors that impact defroster line when film is removed; 1. Poor quality firing of the defroster line during production of rear window glass. Camry's are one of the most troublesome rear glass for any window tint specialist because of this reason. 2. Poor quality film product applied; one that bakes on in a three year time frame. Florida is a graveyard for cheap/inexpensive window film products. It's also one of the places window film is tested against when in development. Most high quality film products have adhesives that can withstand 5-7 years of steady bombardment of Florida's climate. 3. If the film product's adhesive has hardened (and baked to the surface) under the Florida sun, the only way to remove it is to literally razor scrape it off. Most window tint establishments do not guarantee operational status of the defroster elements for this reason. 4. There exists a couple of methods that are available to a tint specialist that removes film through a sweat/steam method. One is using a plastic bag and special solution to 'sweat' the film away, doing so with assistance from the sun (kind of similar to sweating away wallpaper without the sun). The other approach is by using an industrial steamer to 'steam' the film/adhesive away from the glass surface. Neither of these approaches to remove are successful with 'baked on' film. Now, if you have a splotchy appearance in your defroster grid layout, it is because they hit the lines with a razor blade during film removal as opposed to scrapping the entire grid off once it was damaged. That would have given it a uniform appearance, however, the lines would not and do not work because they are made up of a metallic paint-like material that gets fired to the surface during glass production. Yes, if you love the defogging aspect of the defroster grid (which has a primary function in defrosting the glass without scrapping). Your options now appear to be: 1. Live with it. 2. Have the dealer remove the tint and finish scrapping the entire grid off to establish and more uniform look and retint again. 3. Once you achieve a cleaner appearance to the grid, you keep a towel or squeegee handy to clear dew from the window, manually. 4. Have the rear glass replaced. #4 was what I wound up doing for a client who had played foul ball during the removal discussion by reversing his position of 'go ahead and remove it' some 30 years ago. After I had the glass replaced, he wanted it tinted. I refused to do it based on his actions leading up to replacement and I told him my reason for refusal was to spare the next tinter from the same ordeal; he denied he ever gave my installer permission to remove the defroster lines. After that, experience, our invoices specifically mentioned the defroster impact and it required a customer to sign off on it. Good luck.

I've used the squeegee handle linked below. You have to back the screws out as far as they can go to mount the that type blade, then tighten back real good so the teeth bite into the blade material. Not the best when it comes to sustained force so other options such as Blue Max blades would serve better. https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/9017909/Unger-Pro-Stainless-Steel-Squeegee-Handle/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sag

Okay, can you be more specific as to "wall mural". Are you talking wallpaper mural, vinyl mural or window tint mural on a large wall of glass? With the first two in the above question, I would have to say as much overlap it takes between 1/4"-1/2", while keeping mural image edges aligned.

I had a customer back in the mid-80's who objected to the work I did one visit, not twice, not three times, but even on the fourth redo. It was front door glass and the felt weatherstrip shedding was horrendous. My fourth attempt he accepted a couple tiny felt hairs ( specks in size) and went on. I learned to tape the felt off during that experience. Moral of my story, patience and practice pays off as an installer and as for the customer in this case, well, he was a bit OCD, too. In fact, he was a quality control engineer at Kennedy Space Center and he became a long time return customer of mine after that.

The dealership selling the car is responsible, IMO, not the inspection station (unless it's one in the same).

If you are still prepping and doing odd jobs after a year and a half, in my estimate you are going to remain there unless 'you' do something about it. Prepping is the easiest part of installing film to untinted glass. When I once owned three shops in Florida, anyone hired on was given the same tasks the seasoned tinters had; prep, cut a pattern, final prep, and install. However, this was only after a day learning to cut pictures in tint using picture frames and a days of side-by-side observation of an entire install by the seasoned person. They were then given easy installs like a pick up truck and encouraged to ask questions as they went. Heat forming (training) came after handling film patterns to the point of not creasing or wrinkling the film (heat forming could take weeks-months depending on the newbie's ability to grasp the concept). There were newbies that didn't make it past the end of 6 weeks mark, which was our re-evaluation of skills point. Only a select few made it. Those were different times. If there are no untinted cars to practice on, consider doing your own car on your own time, over and over again, until you feel comfortable with the evolving skills. Do as previously stated; buy a roll and begin. Tint class will possibly get you to a point of being comfortable with doing a pick up truck (with all (one directional flat glass). Ask yourself this: Do you have any artistic strain in you (Not an absolute indicator of grasping the medium aka window film but can go a long way in developing skills quicker)? Are you good with children or standing in line at Walmart (Patience, patience, patience is key to success here)? Have you ever installed wallpaper, vinyl decals, or protective sheets for cupboards without wrinkling the product (easy-peasy background experience)? Are you a perfectionist (Not satisfied until it's absolutely right)? Do you feel you have a McGyver-like skill set (successfully thinking/working your way through or around a challenge presented to you in any given moment)? Good luck with it.

I always use the numbers to calculate needed film; no drawings.

Rather old discussion here but, it tickled my memory as to the uses of PPF I have listed in a small notebook. I would apply it to smooth stone, too (not on my list). Here's a few I have done: Laminating a book dust cover. Repairing a binder notebook tearing at the seam. Laminate over a cotton ball filling a hole worn into the inside of a shoe. Desk top protection. Laptop skin over. Card laminate. Seal and protect crack in glass. Hang christmas lights to glass or its framing. Use as base film for applying solar film to acrylic to stave off outgasing. Laminate hand rails. Step pad on carpeted stairs. Seal unused heating vent. Mend torn or splitting duct insulation. Basement block wall moisture barrier. Leaky cereal or garbage bag. Repair cracked electrical cord. Joist straps holding ceiling insulation. Repaired a crack in a kayak. Repair a lamp's bulb socket. Laminate pictures. Encapsulate sheet glass before breaking and discarding. Potted plant cover to keep children and cats out of the soil. Repair a torn wallet. Keep a clip-on lamp shade from sliding off the bulb. Seal boxes and addy labels before shipping. Repair torn or punctured boxes. Repair cracked plastic pots for plants. Now, I'm sure you're scratching your head over some of these due to the cost of material. I just happened to be the right place, at the right time and acquired off spec material at a bargain basement price a few years back. Unfortunately, my supply is perilously short at this time. I use it as though it were duct tape in many instances. Back then, I did suggest to a maker of PPF, they should take off spec material and cut it into 2 or 3" wide rolls and sell as a clear tape. Haven't seen it yet. 😆

Thought of another suggestion for flat glass work; I had an extra car, a used VW station wagon, that was used for this work. Why? Many condo and apartment buildings have a long-walk, designated parking area for contractors, because they don't want Vans or PU's with stuff strapped to the roof mixed in general parking. Not this guy. I'd park in any visitor slot, taking the ladder off (only if it were an 8 foot step, a 6 foot fit in the car) and slid it under the car. Never was called out on the practice, with or without a ladder.

Seems TD has covered a lot of ground ... My story starts with auto and ends with flat glass. Cars feed you flat glass work and flat glass feeds you auto. At some point my focus flipped to mostly resi-comm and cars by reference and appointment only. I believe I've walked away from as many projects as those I've completed. First large project my bid was the highest and outpaced the next closest bid by 6K and I dropped it to be more competitive, which lost me the opportunity because the client perceived I would cut corners by giving up the thousand(s) difference. Lesson learned: stand your ground and justify your price. Only had one residential job that upon entering the home I knew I wasn't going to stay long and refused to remove my shoes; the place was gross from the floor up. One job I walked away from was an old grumpy lady hating on the rainy day I arrive to give her an estimate. She wanted me to do the job but when she asked if I cleaned the outside of the glass before installing, I said No, I only do the inside. She then quipped, How would you know the film was installed well? I called her back a couple days after that conversation and withdrew my bid. My reason told to her was that I did not believe I could install to her satisfaction. She laughed her ass off and I wondered if her face was cracking from the laughter. I was the only tint biz in Naples that would do one window (small job). I did one at a 21 story hi-rise and the condo owner told me I was the only one that would come out. I said, small jobs tend to lead to big jobs. After a couple references at that hi-rise and completed jobs over the course of a couple years, I received an invite to bid the entire building. 77K sq ft of glass area, from 84 condos, to be covered. I beat the 3M dealer in that bid and when awarded to contract I was a one-man operation facing having to complete the project in 10 weeks. Shook hands and said 'no problem'. Had to call a couple competitors and my ex-wife (who was an installer, too) in an effort to get a team together. Finished by the end of the tenth week. That project got my name circulating among all the managers of hi-rise condo building down the strip. Before anything panned out I was hired by a film manufacturer as a rep. So, is flat glass profitable, yes, however, it can take a long time to get a large project because of their finance or lack thereof, decisions delayed and the dog eat dog mentality that comes with bidding large projects. I spent years doing moderate size jobs like homes and business locations. By then I had a great word of mouth network bringing me work. You get to see how the poor as well as the wealthy live. One home I remember from Bonita Springs FL was a turn-key build costing the owner 4.1 mil. I spent all day doing their game room and entertainment room and when I told the lady of the house their place looked lived in and not a museum like other wealthy homes, she said they aren't the stuffy type. LOL. That house was their get away and a mere cottage compared to their home back in Ohio. I've also done work for a couple different clients that had a net worth of 250 mil. One was refined and the other was down home like us working stiffs. Anyway, I came to love doing resi-comm and began to dislike auto tinting. In the end, I would not do ladder work after losing my nerve at the top of a 28-foot extension ladder in home on Marco Island. I've used scissor lifts to complete some jobs and would have needed a cherry picker with bucket to complete the launch center at Kennedy Space Center way back in the day. It was the sloped roof glass they use to watch the rockets go up from their seats at their control stations. I withdrew my bid a couple days before the winner was to be announced. A friend inside called and said I was going to win the bid. I didn't want to do the job; exterior remove and replace 5' x 5' sheets of film on the coast, which always has a wind factor. Nope, not for this guy. The coolest thing I ever tinted was the crawler cabs at KSC. The crawler was those giant platforms that slowly rolled the Space Shuttle to the pad for launch. Can you see the positive side of doing resi-comm? If you do take the plunge, you will need to learn much about film performance values as well as different types of glazing units and their performance values as well. The IWFA has educations guides that can jump start your knowledge base in their Architectural Education Guide and their Safety Film Education Guides. Here's a start: Annealed glass breaks into large sharp edge shards and will break the easiest from thermal stress. Thermal stress is the presence of differing surface temperatures from pane center to pane edge. it only takes a 50 degree different from center to edge for an annealed pain of glass to break, crack or snap. Heat strengthened glass breaks in the same way annealed glass yet, has twice the strength as annealed and can withstand 100 degree difference in surface temp from center to edge. Tempered glass is four times stronger than annealed, it breaks into small non-legal pellets, and can withstand a 200 degree difference in surface temperature from center to edge. This information is critical when choosing the right film for the client's glass. A film with a high solar absorption rate could be too much for a full or partial sun-exposed, annealed piece of glass. Film such as limo tint can snap the glass soon after installation; it has an 89% absorption rate. Other factors need be studied such as lowE coatings, type of framing, single-, dual-, triple-pane glazing units and the use of laminated glass in buildings. Oh and ah, on flat glass jobs I would always have a contract and that contract spelled out what conditions were necessary prior to arriving to install; access to glass with minimum 3-feet of clearance around the glass, all valuables removed from the work area to avoid damage responsibility, Air/Heat need run a minimum of 3 days before and for 3 days after installation. I have never had the back to be able to move (large) stuff away from the pane to be worked on and I would emphasize the fact I did not want to be held responsible for damage to their possessions. The vast majority understood this point. I only did it for elderly folk who had no one to do it for them. Story time is over. Good luck.

If you move forward on the idea of overlay the deteriorating clear coat areas (top of door etc.) with PPF and it does not go well short or long term, removal is going to be ugly. If you are going to repaint the hood and top, why not include those areas mentioned in the repaint. Certainly a body shop can segregate according to bends in the body and paint everything above those lines (however mild of a bend they may have)?

I've only seen a perfect job once and it was back in the late 90's. It was an install a guy by the name of Steve in Kannapolis NC did using LLumar's Platinum Plus. Looked over every window for quite a few minutes and then went in to ask Steve how he did it ... it was done when it was right. But, it was also his personal car. Def one in a million.