weekend of moderate pimpin

[shawryboy]

hey guys! after a weekend of a bit of car pimpin i thought id just ad some pics up b4 i get this bailey dv30 fitted!
The first is some carbon wrapping iv done on the wing mirrors -

its half the price of the 3m stuff the pros use but its just as good heres a link - 3D Carbon Fibre Wrap vinyl REAL 3D Textured FREE P&P | eBay UK

and the rest is just some caliper painting just to liven up the original calipers ( cant believe they aren't already painted on a s3 )

 

[damo.h]

Can't beat a bit of detail dude, looks like Yr weave runs out a little but looks good. Did you post heat?

 

[MURRAYS444]

Like the vinal wrap you done on your mirrors mate they look really good was it easy to do?

 

[shawryboy]

@ damo.h - the weave doesnt run out its just the shape of the mirror that its taken to but yeah you do need heat it up, i just heated it with a hairdryer and stretched it around.

@scottm4 - yeah it was really easy. it can be tricky when it sticks to itself but persevere with it and just heat it back up. you will be surprised how forgiving it can be and how much it will stretch and not lose any colour or misshape. beside if u use the ebay link and select the one for about 5 pounds u will get enough to do about 3 mirrors so it aint like its expensive and all you do if u want to remove it or if u make a mistake is just heat it up again. job done:thumbsup:

 

[damo.h]

@ damo.h - the weave doesnt run out its just the shape of the mirror that its taken to but yeah you do need heat it up, i just heated it with a hairdryer and stretched it around.:

I know you need to heat up dude but did you post heat as in once you got it in did you kill the memory?? Otherwise your going to see your substrate ( wing mirror ) edges when it shrinks back.

 

[shawryboy]

sorry dude i misunderstood what you where saying . i made that mistake the first time of doing it and when the sun come out it shrank straight back so this time i did post heat. but thanks for the heads up anyway.

 

[damo.h]

No worried dude just trying to help. Did you get it to the right temp? Usually around 110 degree C for carbon but varies from manufacturer 1 deg under and it will fail. Looks good though pal

 

[Prawn]

can you explain this post heating Damo?

are you suggesting, that once you've applied the carbon wrap, you need to get it super hot to kill the memory in the material so that it holds it's new shape?

Can you really heat the vinyl to 110 degrees without it melting?

I think it looks pretty good, I'm wanting to do my mirrors and B-pillars in this stuff to match my bonnet soon, glad you've posted this, as it's MILES cheaper than 3m Di-noc.

1500x300 sheet for £17 result! that'll do LOADS of stuff

 

[damo.h]

can you explain this post heating Damo?

Yes dude, if you need to heat it to get it in then you need to post heat to tell it to conform (kill memory) if ya like, otherwise it will shrink back. I can only speak what we use, 3m or avery products as others just ain't up to it or don't have a tech spec, and if we don't know the tech details its impossible to instal and offer a maximum warranty.

Best advice I would give man is spend that bit extra on 3M it's far superior to any around and you'll always get a better end result that will last the duration.
As far as heat goes it varies from different vinyls. But you need to get it right. 3M starts to blister around 130 ish deg C.
Only ever use Premium cast vinyl. Never use callendered! It's for signs and lettering and shrinks back no matter what. You'll find loads on eBay using the word premium like it's going out of fashion. But it ain't ! Buyers beware.
Use some sort of preparation cleaner. IPA will do. You can get it anywhere and in small doses. Clean area then ensure all residue removed. Area to cover needs to be around 20 deg C as for vinyl check tech spec for temp on installation. Also the ambience needs to be right no more than 25 deg C in most cases. Don't install below or above recommended temps it will fail.
As said once you got it in position and looking right give it a pre post heat. That way it shrinks back before you cut in. Once cut in give a post heat as per tech spec.
Bit of a waffle but if yr going to do it do right. Or you'll only end up doing it again.
Any prob's man give me shout.

 

[shawryboy]

im thinking so i dont know the exact temp but just heated the crap out of the mirror and the wrap and its now been 3 days with no shrinkage ( it lasted a day last time then the sun come out and killed them) so fingers crossed.

 

[damo.h]

Just keep an eye on it dude, if it looks like it's starting to creep whack some heat at it.
Best to use a heat gun if you can get Yr hands on one but be careful if you don't have a temp reader. Also wait a few sec after heat to cool slightly before you start to form it or it'll warp/ tear