Clear Bra in Bulk

pingable

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I looked at Ebay...just not sure whether stuff is genuine or not...

Fleabay has become a harbor bay for FAKES....



I'm looking to purchase Ventureshield or 3M in bulk.

Don't need a whole box....just need a couple of linear feet for a project of mine.



Any distributors, online you guys may know of or have used.
 
chefwong said:
I looked at Ebay...just not sure whether stuff is genuine or not...

Fleabay has become a harbor bay for FAKES....



I'm looking to purchase Ventureshield or 3M in bulk.

Don't need a whole box....just need a couple of linear feet for a project of mine.



Any distributors, online you guys may know of or have used.





Protective Solutions
 
Last time I looked, while owned by 3m, they still were different films optically.



Rickrack, or Pros....humor me. I've had tons of PPF on every car I've owned....top $$ custom jobs.

On the custom jobs, were you remove & tuck, or at least *tuck*, do you normally use a paper as a template or litterally hold the film slightly off the panel and just X-Acto away.



I'm going to throw this out there.....but I removed the film off one of my hoods as I was tired of it......and saw a cut mark that one would NOT normally see as it was on the very edge where the film and paint was.



I'm sure there are various techniques on how the ~custom~ is done versus plotter cut.....just curious how that cut is made...
 
Autoshiner said:
Check out Oracal products. Blows 3m and Ventureshield away.



Welcome to Autopia!



Which Oracal product are you using and how user-friendly is it? I'm toying with the idea of DIYing some PPF on my latest acquisition :think:
 
John Kleven- Hey, that's great, I really appreciate it. I'd thought about asking Joe (ebpcivicsi), who did the PPF on my Yukon, and I don't want him to feel slighted...I'll have to see which way I jump here.



I should probably start another thread lest this go off-topic, but I'm wondering what I should use for developing my patterns. ebpcivicsi used some very thin plastic (I was checking it out yesterday when giving the film patterns to the GMC's new owner) that seemed like it'd be easy to work with. As per usual, I need to give thought to keeping this Accumulator-proof; sure wouldn't surprise myself if I botch it up something awful :o



Come to think of it, somebody might already have patterns for what I'm doing, at least the "normal" areas.
 
Hi guys! :D



Accumulator, that was actually the backing of the film--the "negatives" if you will.



We use "premask" which is essentially large masking tape, we typically use a 30" roll, but smaller for smaller areas (obviously).



You should be able to find premask at any wholesale vinyl supplier. While some people "bulk" cut, it's just not something that I am comfortable with. I just imagine that at some point the olfa blade wouldn't get a bit too deep, this is what chefwong was experiencing...



I would recommend that you make the pattern from premask by laying it on the area, tracing the pattern to be cut with a pencil, removing the premask, place on the film, cut, and then apply. If it's wrong, repeat. :D



Accumulator, if you need a pattern just shoot me a PM, or give me a ring, would be glad to make it for you--or whatever I can do to help. I am sure with your level of attention/intelligence that DIY'ing some ppf would be no big deal--the precut patterns make it *a lot* easier too!



About the Venture--yes it is now owned by 3M and yes they have made changes that IMO are a step back. I have been redoing cars all this week because of adhesive issues. I am a longtime venture user that is switching to durashield and Avery nano--two different price points for customers. FWIW, supposedly 3M is going to fix the issues, but I can't wait on that, my customers aren't wholesale. :D
 
ebpcivicsi- Hey, thanks! I didn't want to just impose upon you as IMO I already more than got my money's worth with what you did on the Yukon.



BTW, the buyer was very happy that I had the "negatives" for the PPF; the sale went great for both of us and there's no question the vehicle benefitted from your work...zero indication of its hard life with us and the dogs.



And nah.... there's no way my DIYing it is gonna turn out like the work you pros do, but I hope it'll be good enough in that "better than nothing" way. Heh heh, Accumulatorette is always too busy when she's in TN or I'd just let you abuse my checking account some more.



Your how-to is basically how I'd planned to do it, but if anybody's already done a TrailBlazer SS and has the patterns, that'd sure make it a lot easier. I won't be doing anything crazy like we did on the Yukon, that's for sure!



Thanks for the tip about the PreMask. If I do need to come up with some patterns (e.g., inside rear doorjambs where the older dog might stumble) that sounds like the way to go.



I'll get back to you guys when I reach the right point. I'm taking the whole "into service prep" project nice and slow, just did the TBSS-for-Yukon change because the TB popped up out of nowhere in too-good-to-miss condition. I'm basically gonna mothball it until I get some other projects out of the way.
 
I'm going to have to google durashield.....I was familar with Avery. I do like to keep ontop of what films are out there.



I love the Orangepeel - or no of the Llumar stuff. This was years ago though. My 2nd choice was Ventureshield. Loved the lifetime warranty on it.....only had to use it once on one that did yellow badly... Tipped the installer to comp the redo...



FWIW, my project was for a $$$ snowblower ;-)

Season's way over.
 
Those Honda's ain't cheap....



Bold call on DIY PPF.

If I was to diy, I would probably attempt to master rocker panels.





Accumulator said:
chefwong- A snowblower huh? My bigger one (John Deere 1332) cost a bit, but I sure never thought of PPFing it!
 
chefwong said:
Bold call on DIY PPF.

If I was to diy, I would probably attempt to master rocker panels.



Well, not all *that* bold in my case...I'm not doing the usual rock/etc.-chip prone areas but rather the ones that're likely to get marred in the course of its normal use.



Oh, and Re snowblower costs, yeah...IME anybody who really *needs* a high-end unit will consider it money well-spent :D I did used to wax/etc. mine before I reprioritized.
 
While I'm usually all about how the stuff looks, which PPF is the *toughest*?



I'm maybe facing a tough situation with the TBSS's rear bumper cover, might need maximum protection...something that'll keep the paint safe and can be redone as it gets marred beyond acceptable.
 
Bearing you have had PPF, you're familiar with it - both care and how it ages over time.



You need to keep it waxed, sealed - especially if it's a daily driver, as it's hydroscopic to a degree and I don't care what anyone says, ALL FILM will yellow over time. It's just the nature if the beast.



They do come in various thickness...but the only thing I really care about these days, is the frontend, the rockers and Maybe the bumper. I'm not having hoods done anymore. I don't own any exotics in which a respray is fine by me. It all boils down to the clarity of the film for me, but some may prefer it having a Clearcoat on the film, etc. This is a subjective question.



The problem with the thickness is the curves. Thick film works fine on certain headlights, and others can be murder........I know when I had a very $$$$$ custom headlight mod done and how the thicker film behaved vs the thinner film just due to the curvature.





If you're only thinking about the rear bumper cover, I suppose it could be a DIY project.......I've watched the pros do it on full hood wraps, and that's a bear to watch as you watch 5 guys working on one hood, which is quite a feat. to see.



On the snowblower, I only really wanted to line the inside of the bucket and the chute ;-)
 
chefwong- Yeah, I've watched the factory PPF on Porsches and Audis gradually yellow over time, even the garge-queens exhibited it to some extent. And that PPF was always LSPed and seldom exposed to UV too.



This particular application will be tricky to do properly, but I can maybe get by with just doing a smaller area and avoiding the curvature issue altogether. Still trying to figure the whole thing out...the TBSS is actually a bit problematic as a dog-hauler :think:



Other that that area, I'll probably just consider doing the doorframe/pillar areas and maybe behind the door handles. No big PPF projects for me, thank you :grinno: The job ebpcivicsi did on the Yukon (took him a few whole days!) gave me a real appreciation for how involved this stuff can be!
 
ebpcivicsi said:
About the Venture--yes it is now owned by 3M and yes they have made changes that IMO are a step back. I have been redoing cars all this week because of adhesive issues. I am a longtime venture user that is switching to durashield and Avery nano--two different price points for customers. FWIW, supposedly 3M is going to fix the issues, but I can't wait on that, my customers aren't wholesale. :D



Amen to this. The ppf guy I work with has been pulling his hair out over the adhesive issues with venture. I think he's using more Avery Nano too, but there seems to be tunneling issues with a lot of it (which may just be the supplier). I find PPF to be a funny industry - in detailing stuff always seems to improve, in PPF it's almost like it's currently going backwards. :x
 
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