vinyl cuts not sticking to bumpers
 

Is any other team having problems with vinyl cuts not sticking to bumpers?
If you have, can you please tell me how you dealt with this issue.:deadhorse:

Re: vinyl cuts not sticking to bumpers
 

We used some sort of heat transfer vinyl for our bumper numbers, but I'm not exactly sure where online we got it.

The edges started peeling up a little, so we hit it with a heat gun and pressed it back down with a credit card edge, and it worked beautifully. (We used Dacron sailcloth for the fabric)

Re: vinyl cuts not sticking to bumpers
 

You need heat transfer vinyl and remember to cut it mirror, and you'd need a heat press to make it work...

Here is the material we use. http://www.signwarehouse.com/p/endur...5in-11ft-white

it takes 350degrees for 20 seconds, so more than an iron can normally do.

Re: vinyl cuts not sticking to bumpers
 

My team used heat transfer vinyl. I take classes off campus of my main school, where we have acess to a lot more technology, so we had a vinyl cutter I could use. I messed up cutting so I was able to use bumper scraps to practice ironing on the vinyl. I'm not sure the temperature but I tuned the iron to the right area so if I pushed down on each number for 30 seconds l, it would melt perfectly in. We took a lot of hits last weekend, and it scuffed the vinyl but hasn't peeled or truly messed it up.

*Note- I wasn't at the school that had the vinyl cutter and heat press so I used a normal iron for clothes.

Re: vinyl cuts not sticking to bumpers
 

It is important to match up the type of cloth you are using with the correct heat transfer product. For instance, the slick bumper material from Andy Mark is made of nylon, which is a difficult product to stick most heat transfer vinyl to.

This chart from Siser, manufacturer of Easy Weed heat transfer vinyl, shows the different types of product they make and what fabrics they work on. Only Easy Weed Extra, VideoFlex Glitter, and Glitter adhere to nylon, and it specifies "lightly siliconed vinyl," which I don't think describes the slick bumper material.

https://www.specialty-graphics.com/m...vinyl-tech.pdf

If you think it's the type of fabric you have, you might try swapping out your fabric for cotton duck cloth, widely available in red and blue at JoAnn Fabric. Use a coupon and it won't be too costly.

When vinyl type and fabric type are a good match, there are three other things that can affect the end product: proper temperature, dwell time, and pressure. Basic Easy Weed for cotton works at 305 degrees, requires medium pressure, and 10-15 seconds. We've had to go up to 320 degrees, heavy pressure (using a heat press), and 30-40 seconds for some heavy cotton fabrics.

Re: vinyl cuts not sticking to bumpers
 

Two words: Super Glue
It works for FRC Team 1501

Re: vinyl cuts not sticking to bumpers
 

We tried regular vinyl to see what it would do. If you heat up the fabric than heat up the vinyl a bit before sticking it, It will stay on very well.