Tintguy1980

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.

Power cord yes and a 15-25' printer type cord for computer connect (plotters are simply large printers using a blade rather than ink). Check with your film supplier for computer cut film software and subscription costs. See #1 If your film supplier sells plotter and software they are likely your go to for plotter issues. Eastman (LLumar Film has a dept dedicated to patterns and plotters). Pretty much; it's all about having the plotter set up to cut different materials. Some plotters you can select 1-5 (possibly more) different blade pressure settings. Critical to select blade pressure before cutting selected material. Stick to software and patterns from US/Canada to ensure quality of fit on car models sold in NA. Tintdude.com or look for vinyl discussion boards. Buying a plotter from a company not in window film may lead to difficulties since plotters (such as those sold through LLumar) have a motherboard specified for window film pattern software use (Roland, Graphtech). See #8 There are times when some peeps on this board remind me of my wife when it comes to answering questions; they seem to skirt getting direct to the point aka answer(s). 😆

https://tintspecialists.com/window-tinting-film/

Plotter cut patterns solve this type issue. Hand-cut requires innovated thinking to get through to an end product; a nicely cut pattern. I usually do what needs be done with the bottom few inches, anchor the mid-line horizontally, lift the bottom edge slightly, and roll the glass down to the anchor point to get the micro-edge cut. The remaining side cut(s) can be done by ruler on the peel board.

Late to this post but, may be helpful to others. Adding to the Masterstint1414 quoted post above: Film has a machine direction whereby it gains a bit of a material stretch in that direction during mfg'ing. Machine direction always runs in the direction of the length of the film; not the width. It is a must, on an overwhelmingly majority of auto glass, to set the film with machine direction running horizontal to shrink film. Carefully lay down film, form a flat center line horizontally. Lay flat both side edges to the point you have a 'H' pattern, and essentially migrating any side fingering to the top and bottom edges. Film will distort if the shrinking is done on side edges when machine direction is set horizontally (it appeared to be heading toward distortion when shrinking the top of the film in the OP's video, which indicates machine direction was set vertical). Film only shrinks a fraction of its overall length: The video indicates excess fondling of the film; let the heat gun do the work, not a finger or hand or hard card. Hard cards or fingers or hands are only used to check progress in migration toward the top or toward the bottom. Do not lock down film attempting to corral shrinkable film into a small(er) area, because this won't allow enough area for the film to shrink properly. Shrinking needs occur over a wide area, not in a bunched up region. An excellent shrinking film will lose approximately 1/4-1/2" over an auto back glass width of 55" (old 4-door cavalier was used to determine this number). Keep film edges from overlapping glass edge or weatherstrip: In the video, it appears a two-stage shrink approach is necessary to avoid film overlapping glass edge and weatherstrip. This is done by shrinking either the top or the bottom independently setting the film up slightly inside the edge and off weather stripping Once top or bottom is completed successfully, reposition the film to shrink the opposite untouched half. Soap to coat the glass before laying film down: The video shows there is way too thick a coating of soap. All that is necessary is a very thin, translucent layer of soap to shrink to ensure the film does not stick to the glass surface too soon and too tightly. It's best to have some mobility horizontally lest you find yourself creasing the film or locking it down before enough shrinkage has occurred across a wide(r) area. Finally: Shrinking the window in the OP's video should/would be complete in 'approximately' 2 minutes or less; depending upon skill level and not including 'setting' the film for shrinking. Note: shrink quality is not equal across all film brands.

Given the above (quoted) statement to be true, I believe the onus is on the tint shop that did the work. Unless, the dealership staff did not clearly communicate your desire for the tint to not violate state law, then I believe the onus is on the dealership. All tinters are legally obligated to tint in accordance to state statute any vehicle presented to them. If they choose not to, all liability falls on their shoulder. If an illegally tinted vehicle is involved in an accident and the tint was a factor that lead to the accident, the tinter can be held accountable AND the car owner's insurance company can refuse to cover damages because said car did not meet state statute for operation on its (state) roads.

Well, it's not standard practice to poke the film after it's installed ... However, you can certainly try to poke at the center of the particle (tent) using a needle or stick-pin. Then, take a fingernail or hard card and carefully push the air pocket (tent) from its outer edge to the contaminate; continuing this process around the perimeter of the air pocket. This should lay the film to the glass all around the piece of contamination, making it less obvious. Of course, this is presuming it's round in shape and not a fiber or hair like shape. Trying to remove the particle once slitting or poking it will only lead to an obvious blemish with a light leak. It's definitely a damned if you do and damned if you don't scenario. This is what I can suggest without the aid of a picture to see precisely what you're dealing with.

Late to the post party as usual. Here's what I see; a back glass that is similar to an earlier model Chevrolet sedan (can't remember the model, maybe a SS Impala?). Some might remember it had a humongous back glass that needed heat shrink at one end (top to bottom) and not at the other. Or, close to that Camaro that needed shrink at the top and shrink at the bottom after manipulating the excess in the reverse curve into pockets, heating those pockets until they relaxed a bit. Sometimes it's as simple as not shrinking the reverse curve area and if heat shrinking is overused, the film will be too tight when installing, leading to the film snapping off the surface. Just my

Welcome to the industry. You sound like I did back in 1980. It certainly doesn't hurt to have like material installation skills. I use ask those questions when hiring back in the day; have you installed large vinyl decals, cabinet paper, wallpaper, etc. I'd also ask if they had a hidden artist in themselves or are they good with children. The latter was to gauge their level of patience. Here's what I can share that may or may not be the best advice: Question 1. Yes, tinting is a good business to get into with just a couple caveats; 1) you will be dealing with the general public (GP) of these times. Tinting for people who know you gives a false sense of security in that they may 'accept' what you have done so well and thank you without complaint. However, the GP today will scan the glass surface so much so it wouldn't be unusual to find fingerprints or nose smudges from their inspection effort. And 2) I wouldn't give up a day job until the skills needed for the general public are consistently solid from car to car or home to home if that were something you would do as well. I worked a part-time job in the evening and made myself available for tinting during the day; had to do that for almost 2 years before my word of mouth reputation brought in enough work to support my home and the blooming business. Question 2. Brick and mortar, IMO, is the best route. However, it can be tough to finance a shop in the early days without sinking many $$'s in promoting your business. And as always, location, location, location, is always key. From a mobile perspective, well, I did that too. But, only because I did homes and business building glass as well. One feeds the other; auto leads to homes or business and vice versa. Homeowners always asked if I did cars. If they had a clean garage setting I would offer to do their car at their home. That is about as mobile I would get in terms of tinting car glass. Mobile vs. brick and mortar location will have some consumers questioning how reliable is your service in the event there were to be warranty claims. I use tell customers that the mobile guy has a tail-light warranty; you see their tails heading away from you compared with my store location is right here. It's truly is a tough call whether to do mobile or brick and mortar. No one but you can make that decision. I'll leave you with a couple things learned over the years; for the consumer there are only two of three factors they are able to receive (watch those that come along and say otherwise). A good price, a high quality product, or high quality service; all three are not attainable. So, the next thing would be; if your market is saturated with other tinters, you will have to find something that sets you apart from your competitors. Don't lose sight of what you are doing by paying too much attention what the others are doing. Hope this is useful as I have long since retired and may have forgotten more than what I know about the industry. Good luck!