highplains

2 hours ago, TINT said:

true

 

at least they intregrated the purple in there in advance

Man I cannot overstate how much I dislike the Obsidian line. 

There are three films I have experience with on windshields that I would recommend for what you're looking for. I'd look for an Xpel dealer in your area and inquire about XR Black 70% and CS Black 88%. The XR is a ceramic and will block more heat and CS will be a less expensive option but one that still has respectable IR rejection. The third option I could recommend would be Express Classic Ceramic Blue 80 but my preference would still be to the Xpel. 

I'm not familiar with that series of plotter, I run the FC8600-100 in my shop and honestly wouldn't waste my time with a smaller one. My personal thoughts are if your going to plan on hand cutting larger windows skip the plotter and hand cut everything. You're going to be paying for the software regardless, you might as well set yourself up to best utilize it. Really my best advice is to just start out hand cutting everything and forgo the expense of the plotter until you know you're going to stick with it, you'll need to know how to hand cut anyway so you might as well hone that skill to start with.

If you're planning to plotter cut tint yes. Most back glass patterns for sedans are going to require a 36" wide roll of film, some are going to require a 40" roll which is why I recommended the 42" models. There are very few rear windows you'll be able to one piece with a 20" roll and even some side windows, particularly Ford F-series pickups manufactured in the last 20 years immediately come to mind, that can't be done with a 20" roll. In my shop we have a 42" Graphtec and I exclusively stock 40" rolls of tint. Once you play with your cutting software and figure it out you'll be able to manipulate and arrange what you're cutting to best fit the size roll you're working with and minimize waste.

1 hour ago, EightyEight said:

I've considered it, the only thing I keep thinking is I can bulk the ppf and we don't get a huge demand for large graphics being I don't have a printer. That is all pretty new to me. I've seen people say that the suppliers will give equipment for free but not sure what it takes to get that bonus.

In that case a 42 will suit your needs. 

If you're already doing vinyl as well I'd personally go with either a 60 or a 72, that way you have the ability to cut graphics and full PPF panels as well. 

6 hours ago, DynamicATL said:

The last piece of advice, do not start off with a low price because you are newer to the game...this is a mistake a lot of people make.  Once you build a reputation for being cheap, it is hard to raise your prices without losing all your customers. A higher price tag gives the customer perceived value in your service.

I had a customer bring me their new truck a couple weeks ago to match the front windows because when I quoted them out on the phone my entry level film was a little more than double the price they had been quoted by a shop in the next town over.

While I can't speak to ASWF in particular I can say that manufacturers are notoriously slow to update their websites. As long as you received the appropriate documentation, which it sounds like you did, and you're dealing with a reputable shop I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Agreed, I switched a few months ago and I'm loving it. Night and day difference between their films and the 3M I was using before. 

4 hours ago, no ma'am said:

I did, it’d been apart recently at Stevie wonder’s paint and body. Not proud of a couple windows on it but even if I was confident in roping glass in/out I wouldn’t have with 50 year old rubber. Junk body with Gm drivetrain only thing cool about it.

Wise decision there. I'm not fond of roping glass to begin with and absolutely despised it every time I was forced to try and reuse the seal. Especially when the seal was available and inexpensive. 

At least it's not German right?  

I'm not sweating it in the slightest, it's all good

14 hours ago, tintdude said:

No worries at all. 👍I was wondering if anyone got their shirt, thanks for posting you got yours.  Wish it could have been more.

I got mine, it's a super cool shirt but I'm going to either have to send it back to you or pay it forward to whoever is next in line. Just way too small for me unfortunately.

5 hours ago, Bham said:

Little fun project for a buddy.  

 

 

 

That's awesome! 

16 hours ago, Sunbreakers said:

Yep, software will run you $120-$150 a month.

Or even more than that in some cases

On 10/15/2019 at 7:13 AM, Bham said:

But, I bet those carbon 30° blades are surgeon type sharp.   

I don't use the 30° ones but I do use the Olfa double honed black carbon blades for PPF and they are sharp as a 

Cool

2 hours ago, tintdude said:

 I think sometimes it discourages replies when we can just up vote a post instead of saying something.

It's kind of a double edged sword there too in that there are times where I don't really have a response, or what I would respond with has already been said maybe even more than once and I'd like to hit the like/thanks button to acknowledge the post but don't feel like another post is going to add any value to the thread.

I'd hit the defroster lines with 0000 steel wool, you'll see them start to shine up as it cleans all the oxidation off them, just be careful not to go too far and don't use any steel wool other than 0000 or you'll scratch the glass. The tint should lay right down on them, having it on the bench will make it easier to get your film positioned before squeegeeing it out.

The best way to do that particular piece of glass is to remove it and tint it on the bench with all the hinges, strut mounts, latch, etc. removed. It's pretty easy and straightforward to remove, if you need help figuring out the lift struts look up lift strut replacement for that vehicle on YouTube, it's a lot easier to understand what you need to do when you can see vs reading it. From 97-04 the Infiniti Qx4, Nissan Pathfinder, and Honda Passport are basically the same vehicle.

Your link's dead. What year is it?

On 11/30/2019 at 6:30 PM, tintdude said:

 

We know how you are but how is the film? 

 

 

 

I'd say the film is grey with slight purplish brown undertones when viewed from the inside 

8 hours ago, DynamicATL said:

 

I honestly can't say, it just looks odd.  I thought it looked a little brownish.

 it's got an odd appearance that's hard to describe. It sucks to work with too.