xxguitarist Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Well, Nobody here seemed quite convinced either way on this issue, so I decided to give it a shot. I recently bought this: (taken from fastskiguy's listing) donek axis 172. Call me crazy, but I didn't feel like looking at that all the time. I ordered two colors of "8 year" outdoor self-adhesive vinyl, one metallic dark grey and one dark blue. Two yards x 1 foot each. It came today, I put on the grey and thought I'd share some attempts at a photo of it for anyone interested. Without flash & with. Caught some color cast in the "without" shot and don't feel like fixing it. Pretty happy with how it came out, I'll let you know about durability in a couple months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Where did you get it and how much? I have been looking for something like this. My other question is whether or not you could get white and run it through a printer and then get clear and cover the printed portion for protection - kind of like making your own stickers for your board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxguitarist Posted November 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 I bought from H&H sign supply. It was around $8 for each 12''x2 yd roll, plus $10 shipping. I think vinyl can be printed on, but that'd probably cost a good deal more. Give your local sign or autobody vinyl place a call about that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Actually, I was thinking about cutting it to a size that would fit in my printer and printing pics of my family on it, then applying it to the board and covering it with clear. I was wondering if a regular printer would be able to print on vinyl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 wow that looks a whole lot better than I was expecting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinecure Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Wow, HH Supply sells stuff like that pretty cheap. 12" by 6' would cover most boards. It costs $7.50 for a sheet that size. Lots of color choices too. The hardest part would be carving out the insert holes. How'd you do that guitar boy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxguitarist Posted November 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Cut around the board with a stanley #1992 razor blade, and did the same for the inserts. Cutting the outline reminded me a lot of cutting a skateboard's griptape. The inserts are visible through the vinyl as dimples/bubbles, so finding the edge and scoring the circle takes no more than 30 seconds apiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crucible Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Hmmmmmm.- that doesn't look half bad.... Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiveBomber Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Kinkos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxguitarist Posted November 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Wow, HH Supply sells stuff like that pretty cheap. 12" by 6' would cover most boards. It costs $7.50 for a sheet that size. Lots of color choices too. Just actually followed your link. That's the stuff I got. The shown is "charcoal metallic" Hum, Wish I could get a donek sticker, but the site doesn't seem to have them for sale- anyone know if they exist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Day Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Hey XX, That looks pretty slick! You'll have to keep us updated on it's durability in the cold and/or liftline jockeying! Oh, by the way, I have a Donek sticker that you can have if you want it! It's probably not the best application as the sticker is red and probably wouldn't show up very well! But it's yours if you want it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Nicely done! ....and for the Price, even if it gets trashed, you can just peal / heat gun it off, and slap a new one on. You can even doodle on it with a sharpie marker and not care ! Its like having a custom graphic blank canvas anytime you want when lift lines are so long that you can just stand there and draw ~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Best thing for trimming the covers is the break-away blades that are 1/4" wide. They following the contours well and remain sharp fairly long. When they start to dull shift positions or break a couple of segments off. Stanley and Irvin make a pretty good knife to hold the blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedzilla Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 I was wondering if a regular printer would be able to print on vinyl. Nope, but a lot of sign shops would have this capability. If you don't know of any, let me know and I can give you a link to one that I use for stuff like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawndoggy Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Seems like this guy could do a vinyl die cut of the Donek logo on the cheap. No affiliation and I've never tried his stuff, but the responses in the thread look positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Nope, but a lot of sign shops would have this capability.If you don't know of any, let me know and I can give you a link to one that I use for stuff like this. Thanks. After looking at the HH site and thinking about it more, I would probably be just as well off to have pictures printed, use adhesive to stick them to the vinyl and then cover them with the clear vinyl....?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Day Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Hum, Wish I could get a donek sticker, but the site doesn't seem to have them for sale- anyone know if they exist? You know, if you were to call Sean Martin at Donek, I'm sure he'd hook you up with a sticker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxguitarist Posted November 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Hey XX,That looks pretty slick! You'll have to keep us updated on it's durability in the cold and/or liftline jockeying! Oh, by the way, I have a Donek sticker that you can have if you want it! It's probably not the best application as the sticker is red and probably wouldn't show up very well! But it's yours if you want it! I'll definitely let everyone know how it holds up. I'd love the sticker, if you don't mind. I have a collection of skate-brand type stickers, if you'd like a few of those in exchange or I could send a couple bucks your way. Just saw your second post. I'll send an email off to sean before I ask for your sticker, maybe I could get something that would stand out more from him. Phil, You could probably get away with printing the photos, sticking them to the under side of the vinyl, then sticking the vinyl & photos to the board. One issue would be that you'd have to keep the photo area relatively small, because it wouldn't be adhered to the board where there was a picture. Dave, yep that's the idea. I'm hoping that it will stay on for at least a season's riding, even if it gets nicked up a little bit in the lift lines. I need to figure out a cheap traction pad, or at least one that I can re-apply the adhesive on, so that when the vinyl comes off I'm not stuck buying a new one.. Maybe I'll find something to stick on there with some 3m outdoor foam tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gus Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 you could try the non slip bathtub tracion strips or cutie little duckies or go to the local home improvement store. look for the non slip self adhesive bathtub mats. happy hunting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Where did you get it and how much? I have been looking for something like this.My other question is whether or not you could get white and run it through a printer and then get clear and cover the printed portion for protection - kind of like making your own stickers for your board? Printing on vinyl requires solvent inks. There are a number of printers available for doing this, but they aren't cheap. Most sign shops have them and can offer such a service. The UV stability of typical ink jet inks is pretty bad as well. Years ago, we tried printing on fabric and laminating it in the board. In direct sunlight, the image lasted about a day. Things have improved since then, but your best bet will be a solvent ink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo Posted November 15, 2008 Report Share Posted November 15, 2008 Thanks.After looking at the HH site and thinking about it more, I would probably be just as well off to have pictures printed, use adhesive to stick them to the vinyl and then cover them with the clear vinyl....?? Check out: www.dekal.com The business is right up the road from me near Waterville Valley, NH. The owner's name is Wendy. I have no affiliation with this place. She's printed stickers for me in the past and the quality is top notch. They are UV protected and extremely sticky. They design stickers for the ski/snowboard industry and also offer custom adhesive topsheet stickers for snowboards and skis. You can upload your own images, text, and design. Might be worth checking out for your application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 Thanks for the responses. I'll try some of your options and post back later. Of course, I'll try it on wifey's equipment first before I try it on my own. ;) XXguitarist - the board looks great (sorry I did not mention that earlier - thinking only of myself! :rolleyes: ) I hope that it holds up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdahbonz Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 These films you used, were they the creative films that H&H has? They have alot of fun stuff like diamond plate, etc. Just curious if there was a particular product you chose. Good for sprucing up the topsheet for sure. Well, Nobody here seemed quite convinced either way on this issue, so I decided to give it a shot. I recently bought this: (taken from fastskiguy's listing) donek axis 172. Call me crazy, but I didn't feel like looking at that all the time. I ordered two colors of "8 year" outdoor self-adhesive vinyl, one metallic dark grey and one dark blue. Two yards x 1 foot each. It came today, I put on the grey and thought I'd share some attempts at a photo of it for anyone interested. Without flash & with. Caught some color cast in the "without" shot and don't feel like fixing it. Pretty happy with how it came out, I'll let you know about durability in a couple months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxguitarist Posted November 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 These films you used, were they the creative films that H&H has? They have alot of fun stuff like diamond plate, etc. Just curious if there was a particular product you chose. Good for sprucing up the topsheet for sure. Quote: <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset ;"> Originally Posted by Sinecure Wow, HH Supply sells stuff like that pretty cheap. 12" by 6' would cover most boards. It costs $7.50 for a sheet that size. Lots of color choices too. </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Just actually followed your link. That's the stuff I got. The shown is "charcoal metallic" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRXRacer111 Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 I will be testing a custom-printed topsheet this winter made by Creative Grafix motocross decal company. It'll be interesting to see if the edges will get peeled up by severe trench-digging, but they have a couple different material/adhesive options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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