Complete vehicle wraps will always have more difficult areas that demand your vinyl graphic to be extremely stretched....
Window graphic removal is much different than removing graphics from other substrates. With most substrates, you can use a lot of heat and pull as hard as you want without breaking anything.
Glass can withstand temperatures upwards of 2000°C when heated evenly. But if you heat just one area of a pane of glass, as little as a 150°C, the glass is likely to shatter.
The usual heat sources, found in most sign shops, are heat guns and torches that have an average upper heat range of 1000°C to 2000°C. In less than three seconds, the glass could be breaking.
Another common reason for glass to break is the incorrect use of force. If you are removing a large graphic from a long span of glass, pulling as hard as you can in the middle can bend the glass beyond its flexible boundaries.
Vinyl sticking to glass has a much higher bond than on other substrates. Therefore, it is always easier to remove it in small pieces. I use a liner cutting tool to score the vinyl without cutting the glass. Try to score with straight lines. Evenly cut sections remove much more consistently than odd-shaped pieces.
By scoring the graphic several times, you can pull the vinyl off the window as hard as you’d like, without the risk of breaking the glass.
If there’s a little adhesive residue left over, clean the window with a mild solvent like IPA.
Using little or no heat and the sectional removal technique, window graphics can be removed quickly, but most importantly – safely.
Window graphic removal is most successful after applying a window graphic. Learn about wet application and dry application methods right here on WrapItRight.
