Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007 - (Page 21)

products such as Rapid Remover or Goof Off,” adds Perrault. “Permanent adhesive products can take up to five times the man-hours as a removable adhesive.” According to Chris Prenovost, coowner of AZ Pro Signs & Graphics (www.azprosigns.com) in Phoenix, Arizona, if the customer’s wrap isn’t that old and was constructed from a decent vinyl, it’s easier to come up. He’s found that some brands (especially if primers were originally used) leave a checkerboard pattern in the paint, which surprises a lot of his customers when they see this. “Primer makes a mess, so we use Vinyl Off™ to remove it completely,” he says. Jim Conquest, owner and operator of Imagine-It Graphics (www.imagine-itgraphics.com) in Huntington Beach, California, does a majority of his business with motorcycle and car racing teams, therefore the vinyl removal process is fairly common to him. “We use a heat gun or torch and the MBX Vinyl Zapper tool, which is my favorite tool when you’ve got stuff that’s been on a couple of years,” he says. “I’m excited about using Vinyl Off. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Butch Anton recommended it to me.” Meanwhile Jim Dawson, owner of Synergy Sign & Graphics (www.synergysigngraphics.com ) in New Philadelphia, Ohio, hates the glitter stickers people put on their cars. “When you go to take them off, the clear coat peels off, and you’re left cleaning glittery adhesive off the surface,” he says. Most of the time, Dawson uses a heat gun, some mild solvents, and old-fashioned elbow grease to remove the vinyl. A major question for vinyl removal is: What do you charge? A lot of factors are considered: Did the company originally do the graphics installation? What material wa used? How long has the vinyl been on the vehicle? Prenovost’s shop charges 100 percent by the hour (sixty-five dollars per). “During summer, you just park the vehicle in the sun and start pulling,” he says. “If it’s winter, we use a weed burner that puts out a twelve-foot-long flame. We can do the whole vehicle wrap real quick with it.” “If the vinyl is a calendar material with permanent adhesive, removal is a longer, more painstaking process that can run into additional costs to the customer,” adds Hail. Banks (who also charges by the hour) never gives a quote over the phone. “I’ll give them a ballpark based on the information they give me, but the only way I’ll give them a final price is after I’ve tested it,” he says. “I look at it this way: If I’ve got a crew of four guys going to remove ten sets of trailer graphics, how many trailers can they get done in one day? And then I figure out what my costs are: Do I have to send them out of town? Will they need a hotel? Food? Gas?” Banks uses Cyrious Control® software to help him calculate an appropriate price. “If we’re doing an installation removal, I’ve got it pre-set for how much I charge per hour per guy; the more guys I add to it, the more the price goes up,” he remarks. “And there are other factors: Do we use scaffolding? Do we use a bucket truck? Do I use my scissor lift? “I’ve also got buttons like ‘Abnormal Amount of Rivets’ or ‘Corrugated Trailer’ that will automatically bump the price up. We had to decal a trailer that had a row of rivets every four inches. When it comes time to remove it, it’s going to take longer than normal. The same thing with a corrugated stainless steel trailer. If the vinyl has been on it for years, the adhesive gets imbedded down in the pores of that stainless steel, and a lot of times, you’ve got to chemically strip them. Control allows me to automatically factor in these costs.” b S21 November 2007 SBI Vehicle Graphics 101 http://www.azprosigns.com http://www.imagine-it-graphics.com http://www.imagine-it-graphics.com http://www.synergysigngraphics.com http://www.synergysigngraphics.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007

Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007 Table of Contents Welcome to Vehicle Graphics 101 Firsthand from a First-timer Pitfalls, Problems, and Paths to Glory Adventures in Vinyl Removal Hitting the Market: Put Yourself Out There Product Manufacturers Listings Wrap-related Calendar

Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007

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