Cutting is always one of the crucial parts of a wrap job. A wrapper must cut off the excess vinyl wrap film clean and precisely. And this is no doubt a very skillful work.
Whether you are a beginner or advanced installer, cutting is not an optional technique for a wrap job, but a must-learn essential. Thus, understanding how to cut properly and well should be a basic need for any wrapper.
Some might ask: How hard can it be for cutting? Don’t we just need to learn how to hold our knife?
In fact, the art of cutting is not just about holding your knife. In order to master it, you need to first understand the different types of knives and blades so that you can make your decision accordingly. And you also need to know what to do and not to do with your knife under different circumstances.
So here is the all-in-one information you will need when it comes to cutting:
Two Types of Knives
Generally, there are two types of knives that wrappers use for cutting the vinyl wrap film: plastic knife and metal knife. They are mostly light-duty with either a 58-degree blade or a 30-degree blade.
Three Kinds of Blades
And generally, there are three types of blades you might be using while cutting vinyl wrap film:
1. Stainless steel blade
A stainless steel blade is the safest among all types of blades. For those come with a 58-degree stainless steel blade, there is no risk that you will cut surface of a vehicle, while if it is a 30-degree blade, just make sure you do not pit the blade, otherwise, you might cut the surface.
2. Carbon blade
A carbon blade also comes with both 30 or 58 degrees as well. But it is harder than stainless steel, so there is a higher chance that you might cut the surface if you use this type of blade.
3. Ceramic blade
A ceramic blade is especially sharp and hard, which means it is the riskiest to use as it has the highest chances of cutting the surface of vehicle compared to all other kinds of blades that are mentioned above. Thus, it is also the most challenging type to handle.
What to Avoid
After going through all the types of knives and blades, you would probably have a brief idea in terms of what to avoid during wrapping by now.
In most cases, you should avoid using carbon blade or ceramic blade to prevent damaging the paint of the vehicle. Also, avoid using a metal knife. In some cases, a wrapper would press the body of the knife against the vehicle while cutting. If you are using a metal knife and do this, you will very possibly scratch the vinyl wrap film, even the paint itself, which will lead to failure.
What to do
Tip 1 Make Proper Empty Cuts
Generally, the wrapper would make his cut on the empty side, where the blade is parallel to the edge. As long as you do this, you can feel free to angle the blade either in or out because there is no risk that you would make any damage.
Tip 2 Cut with Short Blade
Cutting with a short blade will help you avoid cutting too deep and damaging the surface of the vehicle. So it is safe.
Tip 3 Stay at 45-Degree
Make sure you hold your knife firm and make it stay at a 45-degree angle. This will lead you to a solid straight cut.
Above are some critical and most-needed cutting tricks. If you are having problems with cutting, hopefully, this has given you some inspiration. Make sure to follow TeckWrap for more wrapping tactics. Happy wrapping!
