[s-cars] Clear bra info
matt ludwig.
urs6avant at gmail.com
Tue Sep 9 18:21:08 PDT 2008
There is nothing like a one line reply to a post.... :)
Awesome enthusiasm Jack!
On Sep 9, 2008, at 1:43 AM, "Jack Walker" <jack at walkerperformancegroup.com
> wrote:
> The guys that had the patterns were in the Graphics business, I’ll b
> et it
> was wide format graphics printing!
>
> I’ve worked in this exact industry for the last 10 years! I at one t
> ime
> researched purchasing the thicker headlight material myself, our
> vendors
> wouldn’t sell me partial rolls, and I could buy it from PUMA so I di
> scarded
> the direction. I’ve never installed the 3M Scotchgard clear, but cou
> ldn’t be
> that much different than the 3M Scotchprint I have installed on
> vehicles for
> graphics.
>
>
>
> The Wide Format graphics business starts at 50” output devices and g
> oes
> easily to 20’ (yeah that’s feet) wide rolls. However depending on wh
> at is
> necessary for our uses, it might be able to be cut on smaller vinyl
> plotters
> like 24”. Depending on the roll widths and what is necessary to cut
> this
> particular material with
>
>
>
> I’m assuming you know it ALL comes off a roll, I don’t care if you u
> se a CAD
> or an illustrator file or cut it with a die or a blade!
>
> Professional installers do it with flat pieces to wrap around
> mirrors door
> handles, cut to shapes, but they are really good! They cut, heat, and
> stretch it to the absolute limits.
>
>
>
> The material is flat it comes off rolls, there’s no getting around i
> t!
>
> So here’s what ya need to do, go get any flat sticker and wrap it ar
> ound
> something smooth like an apple or a water melon.
>
> Practice that, before you consider telling someone they don’t have a
> chance
> in hell! Try and cover it with whatever shape or pattern you think
> will
> cover either…give it a shot! Better yet get some Goo Gone and practi
> ce on
> your mirrors with some really tacky stickers, I will tomorrow in the
> daylight!
>
>
>
> So enough of this bantering back and forth!
>
> Sure it is easier for DIY I won’t argue that, if we have patterns, s
> o let’s
> make some!
>
> Our panels are big enough and there isn’t any significant issue we r
> eally
> should have problems with,
>
> I know I can make patterns in any vector based drawing program like
> Illustrator!
>
>
>
> What does everyone want to cover?
>
> Everywhere we stop will create a line that we need to consider when
> polishing and waxing, because the polishes and waxes will adhere to
> the edge
> of the adhesive.
>
> Mirrors? Just the US mirrors, anybody gone to the trouble of gong
> Euro,
> bigger passenger side???
>
> Hood, how far up towards the windshield..6”, 12”, 24?
>
> Front fenders, how far back, cause it could match up to the hood line?
>
> I’ve got chips on the beginning of the flares on my front fenders
>
> Front bumpers, how far back, my vote would be all the way
>
> Then do you want it to wrap around the edges on some pieces and not
> others?
>
> Like if you do go to the back of the bumper sides, why not wrap it
> around
> and tuck in inside of the fender liner?
>
> But where do ya stop on the front/top of the bumper, try and slide
> it under
> the molding, do we do the molding as well?
>
> Same thing on the fender?
>
> Obviously it stops at the top of the hood how ever far back we
> decide, do we
> wrap in under the front!
>
> My vote would be to wrap in under the front.
>
> Go look at some of the professional installs at various dealerships,
> Audis,
> Porsche, MB, BMW, look at how it’s done.
>
> Look at some cars that it’s been on there for a while, check out the
> problem
> areas that it might have bubbled or lifted, why did they happen?
>
> Read the new companies website HYPERLINK
> "http://clearfilmprotection.com/"http://clearfilmprotection.com/
> that is
> doing it now, their notes come from 3M
>
> It is warrantied up to five years, but don’t plan on getting any 3M
> warranty, that only comes from professional installers.
>
>
>
> Headlights are really a no brainer. I cut my own with a razor knife!
>
> You can but the material from PUMA, 800-333-7862.
>
> Mine have been on my S6 Euros for like 2 1/2 years, and the previous
> set I
> cut were on a 91200TQA for like 4 years
>
>
>
> Jack Walker
>
> _____
>
> From: Tom Green [mailto:trgreen at comcast.net]
> Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 9:04 PM
> To: Jack Walker
> Cc: s-car-list; weski at icubed.com
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Clear bra info
>
>
>
> The benefit of having the material pre-cut to the exact pattern
> needed to
> cover the hood and each portion of the front end can not be
> overstated. If
> it is already pre-cut for a certain area, then you know
>
> that you are not over stretching the film too much or not putting it
> on
> straight. The film is flat and must be stretched some to fit the
> shape of
> the vehicle. It's more technique and art than it is rocket science,
> so some
> practice leads to the perfect installation. If you have the material
> pattern cut to start with, you can do a master installation on the
> first
> try. If you are starting with roll material, I don't
>
> give you a chance in hell without a professional installer whom you
> have
> personally watched install raw material on a vehicle. The sad part
> is, this
> CAD file exists somewhere that makes this a DIY
>
> job. This thread is all about the money. A pro can easily provide
> you with
> a high quality job, but you can do it for 1/2 if you have a good kit.
>
>
>
> Tom
>
>
>
> On Sep 8, 2008, at 11:24 PM, Jack Walker wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> Guys,
>
> The 3M Scotchgard material is pretty easy to get in many thicknesses,
> exceptionally so! Any large format solvent based inkjet printing
> company can
> get it in the thickness necessary for covering paint on cars, and
> use their
> in house X-Y cutting systems to cut it into the shapes necessary.
> I'm going
> to wager that the material comes in 30", 50" and larger roll widths,
> all
> that's necessary for the shapes is a Freehand, Illustrator or vector
> based
> file to cut them out of the material, not some high end CAD file for
> a die
> cutter. These materials are cut in exactly the same fashion as "cut
> vinyl
> with blade type cutting devices, and some actual lasers in some
> really high
> applications, unless you have so many of one type of vehicles they can
> justify the expense of actually making dies, which aren't cheap!
> This is
> exactly the same cutting formats on stuff I did for many POP
> campaigns for
> large format advertising!
>
> But the material alone isn't the issue as you can see when looking
> at any
> vehicle wrap you might see on the street! The real issue is
> installation;
> it's truly an art form to get the stuff on the cars, convex and
> concave
> shapes and extra material. Although, any competent vehicle graphics
> installer can do it. I'll have to go back into my notes, but 3M has an
> official installer network which could be used with our cut material.
>
> And Tom makes an excellent point, we can make the templates, and put
> it on
> cars! But the stuff looks crappy on anything other than good paint
> jobs!
>
> Jack Walker
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HYPERLINK
> "mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com"s-car-list-
> bounces at audifans.com
> [HYPERLINK
> "mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com"mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.c
> om] On Behalf Of chris chambers
> Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 2:33 PM
> To: Tom Green; s-car-list; HYPERLINK
> "mailto:weski at icubed.com"weski at icubed.com
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Clear bra info
>
> Gentz,
>
> The Invinca-Shield.co web site is automaticly forwarded to
> HYPERLINK "http://clearfilmprotection.com/"http://clearfilmprotection.com/
>
> I'm gonna guess this new site bought out Invinca-Shield.com
>
>
>
> HTH
> Chris
>
>
>
> --- Tom Green <HYPERLINK "mailto:trgreen at comcast.net"trgreen at comcast.net
> >
> wrote:
>
>> Unfortunately, Invinca-Shield went out of business last year, Paul.
>>
>> I had called wanting another kit for my avant, but I was told by
>> Kim Handy, the finance director, that they were in negotiations for
>> selling that part of the business as a package, and the company
>> president did not want to jeopardize negotiations. When things
>> hadn't moved much I offered to buy a number of kits ( 5 to 10 ) in
>> September 2007, but that was nixed as well. They had a graphics
>> business separate from the clear bra, and I understood they
>> would likely remain in business there, but only sell off the clear
>> bra operation, because it had grown so much, and the installation
>> and dealer installation training was such a big part of that part of
>>
>> the business. The president, Bart ? , promised to let me know
>> who bought the patterns (cad-cam software patterns on a H-P
>> computer). Since nobody is likely to measure another S4 and S6
>> for a kit, I suspect the custom install is the only option now. $600
>>
>> or so instead of the $260 kit.
>>
>> Then, when I tried to call a month later, the phones were dead and
>> the web site gone. I have no idea where that hard drive went,
>> but surely someone has it. It had motorcycle, airplane, motor home,
>>
>> and about any motor vehicle you could imagine in the data-
>> base, all painstakingly measured by hand and transferred to the
>> digital software program via a large x-y plotter. The pattern
>> cutting was all automated and controlled by the computer just as a
>> CNC milling machine operates.
>>
>> I haven't found any more information about them. I had hoped some of
>>
>> the installers would know something or a new web site would
>> appear with all their patterns on it. I am sick about the effort I
>> put in this, only to have this happen. If you see anything out there
>>
>> that
>> is similar or find anything about this company, please let me know.
>>
>> N. Wilkesboro, NC is such a small town and well off the beaten
>> path that I doubt that any employees that would know the facts
>> remained in the area.
>>
>> I do have an unused kit for a '98 e-class mercedes. :-)
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>> Date: Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:23 -0400
>>> From: "P. Dooley" <HYPERLINK "mailto:weski at icubed.com"weski at icubed.com
>>> >
>>> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Clear bra info
>>> To: Floyd Noel <HYPERLINK
> "mailto:floyd.noel at gmail.com"floyd.noel at gmail.com>
>>> Cc: HYPERLINK "mailto:S-Car-List at audifans.com"S-Car-
>>> List at audifans.com
>>> Message-ID: <HYPERLINK
> "mailto:48C4F7B7.6060406 at icubed.com"48C4F7B7.6060406 at icubed.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>>>
>>> That's it Floyd!
>>>
>>> Thanks so much. I'll be calling them later today.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>>
>>>
>>> Floyd Noel wrote:
>>>> HYPERLINK
> "http://www.s-cars.org/postnuke/modules.php"http://www.s-cars.org/postnuke/m
> odules.php?
>>>>
>> op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=196&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
>>>>
>>>> Is this it?
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 7:20 PM, P. Dooley <HYPERLINK
> "mailto:weski at icubed.com"weski at icubed.com>
>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> So, I remember someone talking about a 3M clear bra kit for the
>>>>> C4 S6
>>>>> cars but I can't find it in the archives. I thought I saved that
>>
>>>>> post
>>>>> too cause I knew I was going to get some new paint this year and
>>
>>>>> would
>>>>> want the clear bra before winter. Well, I've got the paint done
>> and
>>>>> aged and know I can't find any place that sells a kit for the 95
>> S6.
>>>>>
>>>>> Does anyone still have the link from the old post?
>>>>>
>>>>> TIA,
>>>>>
>>>>> Paul
>>>>> 95 S6 getting stone chips on a pristine bumper
>>
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>>
>
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>
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>
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