Beginner’s guide: polish your cutting skills for vinyl wrapping | TeckWrap
Cutting is an essential skill for every car wrapper. Cutting directly on the wrap surface that is already applied to a vehicle is risky. However, if you are experienced enough to avoid accidentally damaging the paint, your installation process can be much more efficient in this way.
Here are some tips for you to practice cutting effectively without getting too deep and scratching the paint:
Prepare scrap pieces of vinyl film
You shall prepare some scrap materials for practice. Use your squeegee to secure it directly on a window. Then, take a second piece to cover it. At this point, before cutting, you should think about two things, which are something you should consider every time:
- l How thick is the vehicle wrap?
- l What temperature is it in the workspace?
The thickness of the vinyl
The thickness of the film will determine how hard you should press your blade when cutting. The thicker the material, the harder you should press—Vice versa. Thus, you should always keep this in mind, as every installation can vary.
The temperature of the workspace (or the film)
Temperature determines the condition of the material, which can become soft or hard depending on the environment. The softer the film is, the easier it is to judge the proper depth you should cut. However, the harder the vinyl is, the higher chance you might cut too deep. The best is to keep the room or the material under 25 Celsius.
Get started
For every cut, remember to sharpen your blade beforehand to ensure clean cutting. Then, you can draw a line on the vinyl wrap film where you should cut along it. When cutting, you can hold your blade at a 10-degree angle, keeping it cutting at the correct depth.
Use enough pressure
Also, remember to press hard enough. Otherwise, the top layer will not slip properly. As a result, it can even tear when you try to pick it up. Practice more and feel the right depth without cutting too further.
Don’t cut at 45 degrees
When practicing, remember not to hold your blade at a 45-degree angle. It is hard to control the knife and feel the proper depth in this situation. And because the blade is sharp, you might accidentally cut too deep.
As soon as you finish, remove the top layer, and you will see how well you did: Look for any lines from the cut on the base piece. If there is any, it means your blade has gone too deep. If not, and you were able to make a clean cut on the top piece, you have done a great job.
Don’t be discouraged if you didn’t do well at the beginning, as perfection requires continuous practice. Carry on, and you will master the art of cutting at some point anyways. Learn more wrap tips at teckwrap.com
