the rear left tail sticker on my 929 got a little scratched up. so I bought a new decal and now I'm not sure how to put it on. is there a solution I could use so I could put it on there and make sure the placement is right before it dries? I don't like the idea of only getting one chance to make it right (just putting it on dry). any tips? tricks?

 

Don't know about any "magical solutions" that would allow you to do that. But make sure you clean the surface off first and wipe it down with some rubbing alcohol before you apply. What you could do is use some masking tape or something as a guide to mark the spot you want to put the decal.

 

Just mix up a solution of soapy water (something like 1 part liquid soap to 4 parts water), spray the area liberally. Then peel off half the decal from the backing and position it where you want it. Then squeegee out the solution and/or air bubblesfrom behind the decal by using a decal applicator (a credit card held at an acute angle toward the direction you're squeezing the solution from will also work). Once all the solution is squeezed out and the one half is firmly in place, remove the backing from the other half of the decal and repeat the process. Make sure you clean the whole are first so that no small particles of dirt are left behind the decal. If any bubbles remain, you can either A) work them out with the squeegee B) attempt to peel up just a little bit of the decal up to the edge of the bubble and squeegee flat again or C) use a small pin to ***** an air hole in the bubble and squeeze the air out.

P.S. I really like saying/typing "squeegee"

 

What he said EXCEPT it should be 1-2 DROPS of dish detergent to about 10-12oz of water. Any more than that and you may have problems with the decals sticking.

 

alright, I got the sticker like last week and tried with water and a little soap but I don't think I used enough soap cause when the sticker was on there it was stuck. I got most of it on good but there was a little wrinkle towards the rear of the sticker so I tried peeling up and resticking. when I peeled it back up, it stretched the sticker way too much so now I'm gettin another one. I started this thread to try and do the second one right. looks like I need to use the soapy water again but with a little more soap. thanks guys

 

If you havent takeing it off yet, you can just peel it off and go to Advanced Auto and get a product called "Sticker and Decal Remover". Haha ,who would have thought right? Anyways, If there is residue left after you peel it off, use that cleaner and a microfiber towel to take off the adhesive. Then, clean the area with alcohol and then apply. I have pictures of mine if your interested.

 

If you use the adhesive remover, what is used to secure the decal to the part now that the adhesive has been removed?

 

i think he meant to remove the old sticker, dont apply it to the new one...!

sounds like tinting windows, sure you could use some of that applicator solution, should be a few bucks at walmart, and a credit card works best over the squeegees(w00t) they sell. when i do tint i just spray the **** out of it, can never have enough liquid...keep spraying and reworking and get all the air bubbles out, then wipe off and let dry. basically what they said...but i had to add my $.02

 

I was doing some experimentation with this since I'm playing with putting some vinyl on my bike. What I found was that soapy water works quite well. This wasn't much of a surprise, but the amount of soap I used was. I didn't bother with the spray bottle technique, just soaped my hands up as if I was washing my hands. I realize this isn't a very precise measure ment, but certainly more than the 2-3 drops per 10-12 ounces mentioned earlier. (Not saying that wouldn't work too, just that I got things much soapier than that!) I spread the soap over the fairing (the wrecked one I have sitting around) and stuck a scrap of vinyl over it. It was definitely free to float around and adjust it to exactly where I wanted it. I used a plastic bondo applicator to squeeze the water out from underneath. After a few hours, I came back to it and it was stuck just as well as it would have been if I had done it the old fashioned way, which we all know is a very risky process.

If you're looking to do this yourelf, I might suggest finding some scrap vinyl to test it out on before you jump into your precious stickers. Any sign shop will have scraps they'll give you for free. That's my $.02.

 

What would you guys suggest to do when painting and then applying decals?

I am painting the nose, tank and tail on my '01 F4i and have all the proper decals. My problem is putting the decals back on in their exact locations. I plan on taking alot of digital pics and also taking some precise measurments to specific points on the decals. I would love an easy way. Life just isn't easy sometimes.