You want O/T?? OK.....how 'bout WINDOW TINTING!!!!!!!!!!

[redgtxdi]

OK, so I've "acquired" another vehicle and kinda' need to re-tint the windows in my current vehicle. I used to tint windows on the side waaaaaaaaaaay back in the day before "HEAT SHRINKING" was the way to do it.

You simply kept pressing out the air 'til you cursed then you waited & came back to it and cursed a little more & a little more.

Nowadays, I've noticed the guys use heat guns to shrink the film and it kinda' shrivels all up and then press it out. What I'm wondering is........since most of the finger bubbles usually show up around the perimeters of the sheet you're pressing, how do you keep from screwing up(i.e. melting or distorting) any window rubber or interior trim, vinyl, leather, etc.????

TIA!

 

[scorpmatt]

if you are worried, take the window out

 

[redgtxdi]

No.

Now what?

 

[redgtxdi]

bumpage

 

[eyecandy86]

I watched the guy do mine like, 6 months ago, and he pressed out all the bubbles w/this plastic wedge-looking thing.
I've never seen it heat shrunk ..??

 

[blurredvision]

You should only have to "heat shrink" the tint on curved windows. On flatter windows, just fill up a spary bottle with water, and add ONLY 1 to 2 drops of dish detergent or soap. Before applying the tint, wet the adhesive down, and put her on. The water makes it easy to place and move around before applying. Use a nice squeegee to push all the water out. If you do it right, there may be a few to a lot of minor air bubbles after it dries, but those should diffuse out within 3-5 days.

 

[redgtxdi]

Thanks for the feedack guys.....but I should clarify too that I am already familiar with standard procedures. (I've tinted several cars years ago and even got a job tinting a restaurant to make some appliance-buying money when I first moved out of my folk's house).

But, in this case even today's side car windows are more easily fitted with a heat gun. I actually have all the gear and at one house had a nice plexiglass setup where I could place cut film for trimming/detailing, but once the film's on, there's just no getting around the finger bubbles.

Side windows create them typically at the bottom and rear (toward back of car). If left unpressed, they will stay there. Normally I just keep getting back to them with pressure and eventually might even have to finish press them the following morning, but with a heat gun, when a window is done, it's done. I'll probably have to hear back from someone here who is/was in the tinting biz.

 

[redgtxdi]

ttt