Exact-Oh

1 hour ago, Tintguy1980 said:

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.

 

Thanks TintGuy.  I've mainly been an auto tinter, and I've stayed far away from situations like this.  I couldn't imagine this customer replacing all of these expensive windows, only to have problems in 6-months.

Nice to see you too, TD!  All is well on my end - and still tinting part time.  I'm seriously considering full retirement, but I'll miss it.  Thanks for the info. I might skip this job if the customer is really dead set on matching, or ask him to replace ALL the glass.  I wouldn't put that past him, but then I could do all the tinting before the glass is installed! 

Hey my tint friends!  It's been a very long time since I've posted here at TD.

I have a couple questions for anyone who has experience tinting large RV windows.

1. The customer is replacing some windows, but the replacement glass is clear while the existing windows are factory tinted approximately 20%.  What's the chance I can match the shade and color between the two?  He's asking for limo, so if I was dealing with a standard SUV I would just add 20% to 20% factory tint.  Since these windows are flat and it will be much easier to see any minor differences between panes, I'm concerned.

2. The customer is rightfully worried about 4g/5g signal strength thru the film.  These RVs run exclusively on hotspots, so the film cannot block any signal.  Do you have suggestions for the film type to use; dyed, metalized, ceramic, etc.?

3. I asked the customer to follow up on this questions since he's purchasing the replacement glass, but... all of the glass is dual pane/thermo-pane glass.  Should I be concerned with adding limo film to the inside surface of these windows?

Any info would be appreciated.  I've been tinting cars only, and only on a part-time basis for the last 10-15 years.  I'm not too excited about this job with the unanswered questions above, along with some access issues to some of the glass.  The window behind the rear cabin bed is partially blocked by cabinets, for instance, with only ≈3-4 inches of clearance.  Either way, it could be worth the income, since he has two full busses to tint, but that's only if I can match the shade and deliver a product that works for the customer. 

Thank you,

Exact-Oh

Tinted a 2013 BMW M5 last weekend.  This car had the f'n sun shades on the back doors.  Front panels simple to remove. 

After being a panel puller my entire 32- year tint career,  I absolutely hate butting the film on the roll- downs, but I did on those back doors. 

Nice car though; too bad I couldn't test out driving it. 

Bad news.  BMW stopped using their typical top panel clips starting in 2020 on the 3- series at least, requiring a full panel removal. 

I'm not sure about 2019 models yet, but I own a 2018, and that car has the top clips we all know and love. 

For the 2020, there are 2 screws to remove; one behind the door handle and one under the arm rest (no need to remove the arm rest,  it's hard to see underneath there).

The perimeter clips are what I call the 'VW' style clips, except for one standard clip.   They're the 2- stage panel clips that must be popped out before reassembling the panel on the door. 

Take care on the brake light,  that's like earlier models with the cover popping down, starting in the rear, and the lamp itself has clips on each side, close to the glass, that must be slid out towards the side, away from the lamp. 

Simple car still, but I'll be missing the old top panel clips, negating the requirement to pull the panels. 

Failed again today.  Way too much stretch needed on the four corners.  I cut it to size after installing since the window is out.  Left it >2" big all the way around.

Didn't shrink the wings at all this time, only the center.  Just wasted another 65" of film! 

I tried once yesterday, but shrank too much on the side wings, and it ended up too small, or I'd have to stretch it too much to reach the glass on the inside.

I'll try it again today or tomorrow and only shrink the center portion, and skip the 'wings'.

I have the glass out, but it looks like it's going to be a b*tch to shrink.  Any tips would be helpful.

Thanks,

Shell

On 12/19/2017 at 7:56 AM, ErieTint said:

Thanks @shadytints, I will bump my temperature up a little bit. I was thinking of doing that anyway, at least on the days that I am working. I currently still have a full time job and am just getting the ball rolling so work on tint is still mostly weekends until I get faster. There is an older furnace blower in my garage that is getting a case built around it to make a hobby style air filter to hopefully help with some of the debris. I was actually thinking of getting a small heat lamp or 110v heater setup that I could stand mount and point at the windows that I had already finished to help dry them out while I worked the unfinished ones.

 

 

@TintWizard, By "colder climates" I mainly meant below freezing temperatures outside. I have seen mention of the horror stories of water behind the film freezing after a customers car leaves and I do not want that at all. You have a PM from me and thanks in advance for the help!

I had this happen, big time, after tinting one of my personal cars years ago.  It was cooler than normal, and I didn't have a garage to park the car in overnight the first night.

The water between the film/glass was frozen, so bad I couldn't drive the car since I couldn't see through them.  Good news though; once the ice melted the following day, the film dried normally without any indication of freezing or damage!  I was surprised, to say the least.

If the overnight temp is forecasted <0°F, I'll tell customers to park in a garage (even if unheated), or leave with me overnight to sit in my shop.

I'm in SE Wisconsin, and I own a small shop.  I'm looking for another tinter to hire part time as an independent contractor.

I'm willing to pay well for experienced tinters, who need little training, and can offer 20-25 hrs/week or so.

I have owned my shop for 30 years now.  I have an excellent customer base and would like to continue, but I'm in need of hip surgery due to a motorcycle accident a few years ago.

If you know anyone interested, please contact me or reply to this thread.

I strive for near perfection for my customers, and have very little competition.  Winters get a little light for work, but I can say I've worked at least two cars per week, even during the coldest months of the last three or four winters, due to repeat customers.

I did an '02 today, and had major peanut problems with the simple-to-shrink back window.  I really wish we could start some kind of database or list of specific year/make/model cars with peanut problems.

I have been tinting for many years, and don't look up cars prior to installing on every single car, and absolutely hate being surprised by this problem only AFTER it's too late.

Sorry I didn't get back early enough to respond... It ain't good for shrinking!

I have one (not the whole kit), and use it for minor glass heating, to keep a finger or corner down, for instance. It works well after I pull the car out of the shop.  It does work for that, and nice not to run an extension cord outside or bring car back inside when the next car is rushed inside.

IMO, it does get hot, just doesn't have the air flow needed for shrinking efficiently.

I have expressed my opinion to marketing at Milwaukee, but they aren't looking to sell to the tinting market, so don't hold your breath.

Milwaukee Tool is making various 12V and 18V LED work lights that are so bright they hurt your eyes to look at without film in between.

Some with magnetic bases, and all with fully rechargable batteries, the same as their tools.

Take your time and never say "Last Window"

I'm not superstitious but have taught many that uttering those words that shall not be spoken will sometimes result in you being on the Second to last window!

EVERY time it happens its on the easiest no BS window too!

Seems like every damn time I do that, something screws up.

A docking station that allowed for cool-down as well as recharging without battery removal would be a kicka$$ feature for the shop dwellers.

The constant battery charging and discharging would kill the battery in a few months. Not worth it if you consider cost of battery is more than most conventional heat guns. Rechargeable batteries are all about the charge cycles.

Don't they have "smart" chargers, so to speak. Where it will only put a charge to it when it needs it. So if you put it on the base for charging, it could detect whether it needs to charge or not.

Yes. All our batteries are 'smart'.

I've seen battery powered heat gun already in Europe.

$150. I just use my inverter for mobile jobs got it for $50.

I had requested we develop a battery heat gun a few months back, but my idea was denied. The European units are what got the idea moving in the company.

I know our products aren't inexpensive, but hopefully it will be worth the extra cost in longevity and quality.

Cool concept however My biggest concern would be weight . When your extended over a big back window, your extended arm will fatigue much quicker swirling around a heat gun. I would think it couldn't help but be heavy ?

Cool concept however My biggest concern would be weight . When your extended over a big back window, your extended arm will fatigue much quicker swirling around a heat gun. I would think it couldn't help but be heavy ?

That's what I was thinking too, seems like it would have to be a large battery to put out that kind of energy.

Have accessory option with 6ft extender cord that plugs into bottom of heat gun and other end to battery. Could keep in the pouch and run it over your shoulder. This means those that want the battery in the gun and remote could use same heat gun ;)

Although, this is something that could easily be fabricated. We have 'remote battery' fixtures in use all over the engineering lab for product testing, to allow current/voltage measurements using the wires between the tool and remotely mounted battery.

Is On and Off------on and off  going to be an issue.  I tend to let my gun run while on the floor for long periods sometimes.  The switch and the element are the first to go.  Never know which will be first.  Is start up gonna over strain the battery and affect life??

This will be something we test. Since it is battery operated, it won't be something that you will allow to run while not in use, or you will need two batteries (one on the tool, and one on the charger). I will automatically suggest having two batteries available anyways, so you always have one that's charged.

Power cycling is something we test. Battery charge cycles is something Milwaukee Tool beats our competition on though, so future battery replacements is less of an issue.

Yes. Weight will be an issue. We have two sizes of 18Vdc batteries to choose from though, and the smaller one is rather light. But, then it will come down to battery longevity.

Some of you know that I work as a full time engineer for Milwaukee Electric Tool Company, and tint cars evenings and weekends.

I was told by a project leader that we will be beginning development of a battery operated, probably 18V, heat gun!

This is something I've been pushing for, due to my tinting business, since it would be more convenient if we can make it light, and with a battery that shrinks an entire back glass between recharges.

Milwaukee already has a couple different corded (AC) models of heat guns, and they outlast the competition. The main suggestion I gave right away was to include the cool-down function, like the Wagner, to protect the element (but without the handle that gets hot).

If you have any suggestions, I can take them right to the design team. Most new product designs take well over a year, but this could benefit all tinters.

Anyone have accurate info for Illinois? I am in WI, but my shop is about an hour away from the Illinois border. About three times per year the question comes up, regarding tint laws down there, whether the customer is an Illinois resident, or just commutes there for work.

I heard that the laws on the front-two have changed recently. I know that it was always no film allowed, at all, including clear film (the way the law was written), but I've had Illinois residents tell me that had changed.

Does anyone have accurate info?

Funny. Eight and a half years later, and my own comment on this car helped out today.

I don't do a while lot of caddies, and I couldn't remember if the panels just pulled back and exposed to gaskets, and I was afraid to wrench on them being an eight year old car. I did a 2002 STS R&R as my first job today (yuck), and those just pulled back, so I was hoping.

I did one of these last weekend. The DP gaskets can be removed w/o removing the door panels. The front two panels have a hidden screw on top of the panel near the back. Remove those screws, pry the panel out slightly near the back, pry out the plastic surround slightly near the back of the window, and pull out the gasket. Be carefull pulling on these gaskets though, since they will break easily if side-loaded too much. Just slightly pull up, until unseated from the metal edge of the door, then pull back. All the load must be axial to avoid breaking the molded plastic.

Someone once posted here about this. They turned the defrosters on too soon and the water under the film caused arcing on the defroster and the window shattered.

Just a heads up

I heard that here too, a couple of years ago. I think maybe that happened cause the tinter trimmed around the defroster tabs after installing the film. That would scratch the metal with the blade, and if scratched all the way around it could create a gap that could cause high potential differential voltage that the 12V would want to jump across. These are all highly unlikely, so the chance of all those things happening, would be less than getting hit by lightning.

And then... it would be better for the owner to use the defrosters while the tint is still wet, because water conducts electricity and would bridge, or conduct across, that gap. After the film dries there would be more of a chance of a high electrical potential to heat up the window, and damage the glass.

I have never told anyone not to turn them on!

Same here... because of my above comments. I would win the lottery faster than the extremely small change that there could be damage.

I turn 'em on after tinting the car. It's totally cold here now, so I also let the car run with the heat and defroster on full blast for awhile after tinting to aid in drying. The spikes are caused by both thick defroster lines and a poor shrink job... not the heat from the defroster.