Vinyl wrapping. Cutting at tight molding
There are times when we come across vehicles with very tight molding around the window. And it is always sort of tricky when you have to cut off the excess vinyl wrapping film precisely. So today we will be looking at how to cut those extra materials away from tight molding without cutting on the molding or the body of the car. And by showing you how to do it, we will look at two case studies, using Opel Vectra as an example here.
- Cleaning cutting on tight molding
In this case, we have a tight molding right by the front windshield on the side window, which is very tricky when you have to cut off the excess film during vinyl wrapping.
What you have to do fist is to set it up with the hard edge of your squeegee. To cut off the extra vinyl wrapping material, you have to cut out both sides, even though it is not very wide. So you are going to cut on one side, and then go back and set up again with the hard edge of your squeegee, and then dig your blade into the other side just the same way as you did before.
By making this double-cut, you are actually doing a relief cut on one side before cutting the other. The tip of the knife is in the groove of the rubber. And you can take a bit of tension out of one side. So it becomes very easy when you go back and cut the other side because there is almost zero tension.
You will see how small the extra piece is when you actually pull it out. It is maybe just three millimeters wide. And in the end, do not forget to seal the wrap with the hard edge of your squeegee.
It is not easy to get this done, but once you set it up well, and use the hard edge of your squeegee as well as the tip of your knife properly, which will make it kind of easy to achieve.
- Thin Rubber Under Window Molding
In this case study, we actually have the same concept as the one above. But what is difficult in this one is that there is always think rubber underneath the window molding – and this one is made of chrome. So it is tricky to get it right when you have to cut off the excess vinyl wrapping material.
But again it is always about the preparation. Here we will not remove the chrome molding as it is easy to cut on the edge. But still, we will get our setup done first. You will be able to see a gap here, where there is a rubber molding underneath.
We will make the cut on the chrome side first here as it has a hard edge. And again it is technically a relief cut. The tip of your blade here should be shallow. If we make it a little sharper, it is possible that we will cut the rubber underneath.
Cut only on the top side of the section here first, just right on the edge of the chrome. And then use the hard edge of your squeegee. And because the material is not touching the chrome anymore, with your squeegee, it slides right into the groove of the rubber easily now. And that will give you a very clean and tight edge to see. There is no need to heat here because of the relief cut you made.
And now take your knife and cut the other side, using about a five-degree angle towards the rubber, and it is about 10-degree angle from the side, which it is important, because it slides right underneath the rubber with this angle, rather than cutting the car or the rubber.
After making this cut, you can pull the extra piece out. Then again, go back with the hard edge of your squeegee to seal the wrap.
You will probably notice how important making those cut is here, because if we did not make those cut on the top first, but forcing the material in instead, we will come across with problems here. Yet now, the edge is clean and tight, no rubber has been cut here.
Thus, it is always about the right setup. Remember always to make this relief cut first so that the vinyl wrapping material can glide into the corner with the help of your squeegee. And when you do the cutting, just let the blade do it for you, rather than putting a lot of pressure on your knife.
And bear in mind that the angle of your blade is critical as well. Remember to use a 10-degree-angle, because if you use your knife in a 20-degree-angle, you will possibly cut on the body of the vehicle. However, if your blade comes in a rather shallow angle (e.g. parallel to the section), you will be cutting the rubber in this case.
Also, make sure the section is clean enough before you do anything because usually there are lots of oil gets in there. And because those areas are so tight and critical to be cutting on, if it is not clean enough and with oil, you will possibly cut the car.
If you can remember all these and act them out correctly, you will surely master in cutting excess vinyl wrapping film away from those tight moldings. Happy wrapping!
