Posted 15 March 2017 - 07:36 PM
ok guys, I gave up on the labels for a while but I have some rods in the works that i really need labels on. Practice as i might I don't like my results from hand labeling.
I clean the blank with alcohol and apply my label. looks great until I apply the finish. They keep lifting. I have no issues with the decorative decals from Mud Hole or the MHX decals. Oh and I'm using ProCote. Have Had the issue with U-40 products as well. I have had a few come out right. What am I missing?
Posted 15 March 2017 - 10:49 PM
I dont think the glue on the p-touch labels is good enough to keep the epoxy from pushing it up. You can try some color preserver around the edges.
I would also recommend really working the edges with a burnisher really well. You might also try rounding the corners off.
I always make my labels in Adobe Illustrator and send them out to get printed, the cost is less than 5 bucks and that includes shipping.
Posted 15 March 2017 - 11:36 PM
Many of us have had this problem at least once. Burnish the label on to the blank completely. Color preserver around the edges will help, as does Hard as Nails. Be careful with the alcohol as it can work against the adhesive and cause the edges to lift, so let it completely dry before applying the label (if you can smell it, it's not completely evaporated). Wipe it down with a clean cloth and then lift any remaining lint off the blank with blue painter's tape, then apply the label. I think the final finish generates too much heat when applied thick, so I apply several thin coats (cure between coats). I routinely use ProKote over labels without issues so long as I clean the blank and remove any trace of the alcohol and then use color preserver or Hard as Nails on the edges. I have tried U40 PG and don't like it on labels much, at least not by itself and usually put ProKote over it. Might as well just stick with the two part stuff all the way through. I know how it is...you apply ProKote and think you're good to go, but then a few hours later you notice it's lifted. Try one of these techniques, keep an eye on it and if it lifts, pull it off and clean up the uncured finish with alcohol. No big deal. ProKote is pretty forgiving for the first few hours.
Posted 24 August 2018 - 10:03 PM
if anybody is interested in this subject still, I realize this is an old topic but honestly I feel that I have mastered the "P-Touch". I've got dozens of cartridges 1/2" and 3/4"so many color combos. it took a few years but I no longer have lifting issues, sometime I can even match tape color to the rod color with no visible label edges.ive seen a lot advice on this subject, "use cp, sand it, Elmers glue"whatever else dosent work or may have worked a couple of times, I've never heard of someone using this technique but for all I know nobody will even see this post, maybe they moved on, but I'll check back in a week when I get back from bluefin/yellowfin/dorado/yellowtail fishing out of San Diego and if I've had one reply, I will bestow upon all of you the secret knowledge of how to lay down the perfect p-touch tables
Posted 27 August 2018 - 07:00 AM
Well now I have to know.
if anybody is interested in this subject still, I realize this is an old topic but honestly I feel that I have mastered the "P-Touch". I've got dozens of cartridges 1/2" and 3/4"so many color combos. it took a few years but I no longer have lifting issues, sometime I can even match tape color to the rod color with no visible label edges.ive seen a lot advice on this subject, "use cp, sand it, Elmers glue"whatever else dosent work or may have worked a couple of times, I've never heard of someone using this technique but for all I know nobody will even see this post, maybe they moved on, but I'll check back in a week when I get back from bluefin/yellowfin/dorado/yellowtail fishing out of San Diego and if I've had one reply, I will bestow upon all of you the secret knowledge of how to lay down the perfect p-touch tables
Posted 28 June 2019 - 01:26 AM
im so sorry, I did promise to reveal my secret but I thought nobody was interested, plus my tuna trip was a bust (small yellowfin and a b unchecking of skipjack).
The trick is I use clear heat shrink slightly larger than the circumference of the rod to cover the entire decal, but first I treat the inside of the heat shrink with mirror glaze, using a pencil or something similar I coat the entire inside of the tube ( dosen't have to be super thick but must coat the whole thing), set the tubing off to the side and let dry completely, maybe at least a couple of hours.Then I wipe off the wax film from the inside of the tube with clean paper towels, as I'm pushing the paper towels through the tubing I change paper towels frequently so no crap is left behind. ARE YOU STILL WITH ME? some times it seems tedious but it's the small details that can put your labels over the top.in some cases I find a coat hanger works when pushing sometimes small pieces of CLEAN paper towel inside the tubing ,but make sure not to scratch the inside of the tubing. this process will prevent any epoxy from adhering to the tubing, also it will give a glass finish to your label, the thing is it all comes down to how well you prep the heat shrink, iv'e done a few coats at times, I lay down the decal and squeegee all bubbles out, if you see small spots where you can't push a bubble to the edge poke the spot with something sharp, I don't mean sharp like a pin or nail, I mean sharp like a 27 gauge insulin syringe, it will allow air to escape, when your satisfied with your label cover the label and that part of the rod with a thin coat of epoxy, not too thin, make sure it covers completely and as rod is turning wipe off any excess epoxy that may ooze out of the edges as the tubing shrinks, of course I begin heating the tube from the center and work my way out, use only the heat needed ,some times I just use a common blow dryer and not a heat gun .I let dry for at least 36 hours just to be sure its dry, using a sharp or new razor blade I barely score the tubing so I can start peeling the tubing off,do not cut the tubing all the way through, just enough to keep it peeling, as good as it looks I apply another coat of Finish over the entire area for an absolutely beautiful job. I also have a technique where I use adhesive lamination sheets and a laser printer to make decals with a regular computer, this way I have all the font and size options a computer has to offer, the best thing is the print is on the side with the adhesive, the kid at kinko's watched me do this and was speechless. I didn't just happen upon this, nobody showed me any of this, everything that I say not to do, I've done, every shortcut ive tried ended up costing me , not only money but the most precious resource of all, TIME. in the navy we learned that there's never enough time to do it right, but there's always enough time to do it over.
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
