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Decal Installation: Wet, Dry, Vinyl And Refelctive Decals
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Published: July 11, 2007
Tattoos are one way for people to make their bodies look unique, but sometimes they want to do the same to their possessions. Originally a Surrealist art technique, decal installation is essentially tattooing inanimate objects. Decal installation can take place on a number of applications like cars, walls, toys, and crafts.
People even perform decal installation on themselves by applying temporary tattoos, which are an example of wet installation decals. They are removable, less expensive than real tattoos, and safer than going to a shady tattoo parlor downtown.
Decal paper comes in three layers: the pre-mask layer, then the decal itself, and finally the liner. Decal installation takes two forms: wet installation or dry installation. Wet installation requires the user to moisten the paper that contains the decal before application. The other method of decal installation is called dry installation, where no water is required before application. Dry installation should not be done in direct sunlight but rather in an inside location, at least when applying to vehicles. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. With dry installation, the decal cannot be removed without sustaining damage. It's a one shot deal, and if the user messes up during the decal installation process, both the decal and the receiving object will appear tarnished.
Decal installation can sometimes be a form of taking precautions. Bicyclers often use reflective decals as a safety measure. Nighttime makes it difficult to spot bikers, and they could easily be hit by cars. Shiny or brightly colored reflective decals make bikers more visible, reducing the risk of an accident. Reflective decals come in several designs like the ones seen on Streetglo.net. Rectangle-shaped strips of yellow, red and orange decal paper can be used to enhance the bike's appearance at night. While not a replacement for bike reflectors, these reflective decals will definitely illuminate the biker and provide a safer night riding experience. For those wanting reflective decals with a little more attitude, other designs like lightning bolts and flames are available, offering safety and style in one place. ReflectiveDecals.com has a set of lightning decals for motorcycle helmets at $17.95.
When installing reflective decals, one should use care to ensure the decal installation process goes smoothly. Without a steady hand and meticulous attention to detail, the decal installation process can go awry. Vinyl decals often come in sticker form, and without taking the sticker off carefully, it can fold back and stick to itself, similar to plastic wrap. Vinyl decals like bumper stickers are made to stay on a surface through heavy weather conditions, and heavy adhesive makes them difficult to remove. Popular designs of vinyl decals include tribal symbols, flames, and patriotic images like the American flag. One patriotic decal design creates the illusion that something tore through the side of the vehicle, revealing a rippling American flag underneath; this graphic costs $259.99 on CustomVinylGraphics.com.
Decals can easily be removed immediately after decal installation, before the adhesive has had a chance to fully set in, but what often happens is what decal sellers call stretching distortions. Stretching distortions occur when a decal is repeatedly removed and reapplied during decal installation, breaking down the adhesive bonding agent. The decal subsequently has a much shorter life, and the biker could be performing the decal installation again within a couple weeks or even days.
Five sheets of tattoo decal paper costs $19.95 on DecalPapers.com; the site sells packages of up to 50 sheets, which costs $99 for those who don't want to run out of faux tattoo options. The website also offers lots of decal paper options, including Rub-On Transfers. A type of dry decal installation, the Rub-On decal paper is meant to be applied to a flat, hard surface like glass, wood furniture, a hardback book cover or metal.
Decal installation is easy and requires no experience or specific skills. A steady hand, attention to detail, and an eye for what looks good are all that is needed to add a little personality to any vehicle, toy, or room.
Sources:
Reflective Bicycle Decals. Streetglo. 27 June 2007.
http://www.streetglo.net/bicycle-reflective-deca ls-stickers.html
Rub-On Transfer Designs. DecalPaper.com. 2005. Bel Inc. 27 June 2007.
http://www.decalpaper.com/rubon.html
Installing Reflective Helmet Decals And Other Reflective Decals Or Stickers Using Advanced Methods. Streetglo. 27 June 2007. http://www.streetglo.net/streetglo_files/page0008. htm
Decal Installation. Ultimatevinyldecals.com. 2006. 27 June 2007.
http://www.ultimatevinyldecals.com/decalinstalla tion.html
Reflective Lightning Bolts Decal Kit. ReflectiveDecals.com. Applied Graphics. 11 July 2007.
http://www.reflectivedecals.com/lightning.htm
Tear – Patriotic. CustomVinylGraphics.com. 2007. 11 July 2007.
http://www.customvinylgraphics.com/detail.aspx?I D=5694
Decal paper comes in three layers: the pre-mask layer, then the decal itself, and finally the liner. Decal installation takes two forms: wet installation or dry installation. Wet installation requires the user to moisten the paper that contains the decal before application. The other method of decal installation is called dry installation, where no water is required before application. Dry installation should not be done in direct sunlight but rather in an inside location, at least when applying to vehicles. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. With dry installation, the decal cannot be removed without sustaining damage. It's a one shot deal, and if the user messes up during the decal installation process, both the decal and the receiving object will appear tarnished.
Decal installation can sometimes be a form of taking precautions. Bicyclers often use reflective decals as a safety measure. Nighttime makes it difficult to spot bikers, and they could easily be hit by cars. Shiny or brightly colored reflective decals make bikers more visible, reducing the risk of an accident. Reflective decals come in several designs like the ones seen on Streetglo.net. Rectangle-shaped strips of yellow, red and orange decal paper can be used to enhance the bike's appearance at night. While not a replacement for bike reflectors, these reflective decals will definitely illuminate the biker and provide a safer night riding experience. For those wanting reflective decals with a little more attitude, other designs like lightning bolts and flames are available, offering safety and style in one place. ReflectiveDecals.com has a set of lightning decals for motorcycle helmets at $17.95.
When installing reflective decals, one should use care to ensure the decal installation process goes smoothly. Without a steady hand and meticulous attention to detail, the decal installation process can go awry. Vinyl decals often come in sticker form, and without taking the sticker off carefully, it can fold back and stick to itself, similar to plastic wrap. Vinyl decals like bumper stickers are made to stay on a surface through heavy weather conditions, and heavy adhesive makes them difficult to remove. Popular designs of vinyl decals include tribal symbols, flames, and patriotic images like the American flag. One patriotic decal design creates the illusion that something tore through the side of the vehicle, revealing a rippling American flag underneath; this graphic costs $259.99 on CustomVinylGraphics.com.
Decals can easily be removed immediately after decal installation, before the adhesive has had a chance to fully set in, but what often happens is what decal sellers call stretching distortions. Stretching distortions occur when a decal is repeatedly removed and reapplied during decal installation, breaking down the adhesive bonding agent. The decal subsequently has a much shorter life, and the biker could be performing the decal installation again within a couple weeks or even days.
Five sheets of tattoo decal paper costs $19.95 on DecalPapers.com; the site sells packages of up to 50 sheets, which costs $99 for those who don't want to run out of faux tattoo options. The website also offers lots of decal paper options, including Rub-On Transfers. A type of dry decal installation, the Rub-On decal paper is meant to be applied to a flat, hard surface like glass, wood furniture, a hardback book cover or metal.
Decal installation is easy and requires no experience or specific skills. A steady hand, attention to detail, and an eye for what looks good are all that is needed to add a little personality to any vehicle, toy, or room.
Sources:
Reflective Bicycle Decals. Streetglo. 27 June 2007.
http://www.streetglo.net/bicycle-reflective-deca ls-stickers.html
Rub-On Transfer Designs. DecalPaper.com. 2005. Bel Inc. 27 June 2007.
http://www.decalpaper.com/rubon.html
Installing Reflective Helmet Decals And Other Reflective Decals Or Stickers Using Advanced Methods. Streetglo. 27 June 2007. http://www.streetglo.net/streetglo_files/page0008. htm
Decal Installation. Ultimatevinyldecals.com. 2006. 27 June 2007.
http://www.ultimatevinyldecals.com/decalinstalla tion.html
Reflective Lightning Bolts Decal Kit. ReflectiveDecals.com. Applied Graphics. 11 July 2007.
http://www.reflectivedecals.com/lightning.htm
Tear – Patriotic. CustomVinylGraphics.com. 2007. 11 July 2007.
http://www.customvinylgraphics.com/detail.aspx?I D=5694
