ErieTint

39 minutes ago, tools said:

nice little tool/ gadget.. 

 

question.. how do you get a reading on non installed film.

 

the tool is activated by the force of glass being inserted in the slot... sliding a piece of film by itself, does not activate the meter...

 

other than "having a spare piece of glass without any built in tint.."

 

any suggestions on how to get the enforcer to read a piece of film..?  or is "having a spare piece of glass/installing the film on glass" the only option 

You can do it. Just need to keep the film taught and trip the lever. An extra hand wouldn't hurt.

Easiest way would be a small piece of glass that you could put samples on of your film.

I built a 2x4 frame and routed a channel in it to hold a piece of 4x8 tempered in 1/4" thickness. Its got four swivel wheels on it for added mobility.

It makes it nice because I can move it to my plotter, slap windows on it, then from side to side on a car.

I am not sure how much double strength is but the tempered I bought wasn't horrible if you have a glass guy. I have a friend who got it for me at near cost with the gentleman's agreement to pass work to one another if asked by our customers.

Good luck finding something that works size and price wise for your shop!

On September 18, 2018 at 12:39 AM, quality tintz said:

Thanks does anyone else use these???

Not yet but I'm liking the idea @Tint Slayer!

54 minutes ago, Apex Tint said:

 

Those aren't very fun.  Those doors are loooong!

Doors went super smooth. Popped the panels and they laid in nice. That back glass was horrible though. Gave me flash backs of the first Jetta I did before I knew to take out the back shelf. 

2003 Civic Coupe that kicked my ass. Well, the back glass did. Doors and quarters went smooth. Just one of those days I suppose. 

Congrats @jh812!

I've seen them used in some of the PPF and Vinyl videos I have watched on YouTube.

The installers in the videos claim better control than an Olfa. I supposed when cutting near a painted surface you would want that control.

4 minutes ago, OverLord said:

Make the overlap as small as possible. It will only bug you until it leaves  

Out of curiosity, what was the price tag on that?

@OverLord how do you overlap? Just lay the clear over and call it good? Gonna be tough to see that edge regardless I suppose.

10 hours ago, Ryker said:

do your light film up 36" then a sun strip above that!

That leaves almost a 24" sun strip which puts it into his view. 

We discussed about 15" - 16" being about as low as he would want to go and still be comfortable.

Thought about that option. 

7 hours ago, OverLord said:

I don't have anything that light in a 60"

Thats my biggest issue. 

He talked about doing like a 15" Sun Strip at the top but I just don't feel like that is a proper solution for the issue he is complaining about.

Gonna call him and just explain that I cannot help him at this time but if for some reason he wants me to do the work that he can let me know when he is back this way.

17 minutes ago, OverLord said:

How big is the windshield?

My dumbass forgot my tape measure when I went to look at it. Told him I was going to take pictures before I left and forgot those too.

I am guessing it will have to be pulled from a 60 inch roll though. Has to be better than 48 inches from top to bottom. He said width on the RV is 102 not accounting for the curve so probably 110 inches wide give or take a few.

16 minutes ago, jh812 said:

Yeah I'm done with the whole feather in the hat thing no parts of me wants anything to do with that. There was one at the glass shop today I do work for they were replacing. Looking at it and if I had film in hand I wouldn't touch it for less than 2k. It just isn't worth it imo.

If he was paying that much I would find a way to get film here. 

25 minutes ago, jh812 said:

I would just explain given the circumstances you're not able to do the job. Tell him what you normally stock for auto just will not cover it and you can't get film there that quick. Then if he's ever back that way give you some notice and you'll gladly take care of it. Besides if it's a class a with that big ass shield you probably don't want to do it anyways.

I do but I don't at the same time. 

The do is there just to say I did. The kind of thing thats a feather in your cap per say.

The don't is there because damn thats a big piece of film and a whole lot of potential for headaches. Plus, its outside in the RV park...

Ok guys, kind of stuck on this one and want to do what I can or at least what I can to help.

I received a call from a potential customer (out of towner) yesterday explaining he wants to tint the windshield of his RV. He is staying in an RV park near us and leaving first thing Sunday morning. His main goal is to cut as much heat as he can coming through the windshield, the whole rest of the RV is tinted already. He said while driving west in the afternoon sun the heat is just crazy and even full blast AC doesn't help.

I do not currently stock a film to do what he wants, nor can I have a film before he leaves town.

My first suggestion to him was AIR 80 or 90, both of which I could get if it weren't a holiday weekend and he wasn't from out of town. I only have a 36" roll of 90 in stock and that just won't to it.

The other suggestion I made was for him to look for a LLumar, LLumar Formula One, 3M Crystalline or Huper Optik dealer closer to his home in NYC.

How should I handle this? I would love to help the customer but don't want to mislead or half ass something. Would rather pass the work along to another reputable shop and have him fully satisfied rather than just content.

@OverLord, do you have any material that would do what he wants? Could try and make it worth your while to come up on an install this weekend. You're the closest installer that I can think of on the board. Didn't know what you carried brand and size wise...

20 hours ago, highplains said:

Just gotta price it accordingly. I occasionally have people want to have their vehicle done a portion at a time, and I'll do it for them but I explain that they're going to pay more in the long run. 

I have taken the route of still charging them my normal price but I get them for the bigger pieces up front.

Example; If they can't decide if they want to do the whole vehicle or just the fronts, I charge them full price for the fronts. If they actually come back I just charge the difference to the normal price less what they have already paid. Most people that "can't decide" are just looking for a discount on the first round. In the chance that they show back up, I'd rather gain some trust with them by treating them right. Total time invested isn't much more just spread over two visits.

9 hours ago, jh812 said:

I ain't gonna lie I was wore out by the end of it couple that with the equals one tired cracker. Got two more to do tomorrow

 

Should at least pay well, right?

@jh812 Just from looking at that truck and where it is parked I have to ask; How do you get a clean install?

Nice work!

2 hours ago, jh812 said:

Limo is going to be a definite no and explain to him the reasoning why. I've told some I'd do it but no warranty with it if anything happens and to date I've never installed it. The two things that come to mind for me would either be a) solar screen b) frost, that will help diffuse the sun beam however there will be no seeing out with that. 

What is Solar Screen?

On the Film to Glass chart I entered;

Window Type - Clear Dual Pane

Glass Type - Annealed

Peak Outside - Under 109F

Thickness - 1/4" or less

Shadowing - None

Frame Conditions - Good/Flexible

Scratches - None

Altitude - Under 2000'

Pane Size - Under 50 square feet

Attachments - Curtains within 4"

Only one i really question is the frame conditions. Its an older window and what I see between the panes is like aluminum channel. Everything looks like it is in good shape but I'm not a glass or window installer so I am not sure.

Running under those conditions it looks like I can install N-1020 in Bronze but not Charcoal. Also, DR-15 gets max points, DR-25 is not acceptable but DR-35 is.

It does approve All Deco Patterned Films, Dusted Crystal, Etched Frost and Frosted Sparkle. Maybe try and go that route. Its a large front window on a home though so that may look a little out of place being frosted...

I would recommend him going with the DR series but he was worried about that reflectivity. 

This job is small enough that he will almost have to choose something I have and at this point that looks like N-1020 or DR-15, of which I can only use one.

The way his family room is laid out, the TV is directly across from the window. Can't see it in the afternoon sun, that's the main issue.

He wants to be able to leave the curtains open more than anything but the added privacy would be a big bonus.

From talking to him it sounded like the "limo" idea was simply the darker the less glare mindset. 

Had a customer call and wants to put "limo" on his windows.

Long story short, another guy in town blew him off so I went over and looked at things. According to LLumar's Film to Glass chart, I don't think there is much of anything I can put on the windows. Old dual pane, not tempered, heavy winter curtains currently to block sun.

He wants something dark but not super reflective. Said he is worried about blinding the neighbors. What I saw didn't really give any good options to get toward the dark end of the scale.

Any ideas or help? Buying from LLumar so limited to their lineup.

Thanks!

34 minutes ago, Super Dave said:

I know right, had to throw that one down against my 1 piece 944!

Should just close it now and make @Super Dave and @Tint Artist co-winners.

The 944 in one piece is pretty damn impressive but that graphic..... 

I purchased one from a friend back in November. Thankfully, he still had the original box and all of the original packaging so it was shipped in that.

That being said, FedEx still managed to find a way to damage the box, break some of the styrofoam inside and crack the housing on the right side. (Its a Graphtec 7000 series.) Everything functions as it should though so I didn't even bother with a complaint or claim.

That looks awesome!

Nice work!

4 hours ago, DynamicATL said:

Thanks, missed that.  Crazy thing is that is where our previous tinter was from and is back there now.

Hopefully he can help out the OP and get him all fixed up!