Cotton Flex Help

[rossikey]

Can anyone advise me please....

I recently bought some white cotton flex from BMS.....now i am having issues getting it to stick....once it does stick its brill..but tonight i pressed my garment first....then applied the vinyl...pressed it as per instructions from website...

but when i lifted the press off..the vinyl and film was stuck to the top of the press....but left an imprint on the garment.......then i find if it does stick only part of it sticks.....

i then had to re-cut out my writing and try and fix the item...(glad it was only mine advertising me), then i found some of the lettering was sticking so i had to maually correct this on the garment..

Any help would be greatly received....

am i leaving it on too long....not long enough...(20 seconds ) and then i repress for 10...(if i can get it to stick)

or is the press too hot...or not hot enough....

it really is driving me mad as i think this vinyl is real good stuff....if i could just get it to stick without hassle...

many thanks and happy new year to you all

[Paul]

what temp??

[bms]

Sounds to me as though the back of the flex is sticking to the hot part of your press. Use a sheet of silicon paper or grease proof paper between heat platen and the clear backing. This will stop it sticking. Remove backing to flex when garment cool otherwise you'll pull the flex off as this is a cool peel item.

[mrs maggot]

are you not using a sheet between the flex and the press, you should either teflon or silicone paper, otherwise the carrier sheet will stick. are you waiting to peel it or peeling it straight away ?? that could be an issue their instructions say

Pressing Instructions: 170/175 degrees Celsius for 20 seconds, remove carrier when warm/ cool and press for another 5-10 seconds.


are you sure your press is at the right temp 170/75(celsius) 336/340 (F)

when you re-press you will definately need a sheet in between or you will ruin it.

[rossikey]

Thank You for your help...No i havent used silicon paper as didn't think i needed too.....might give it a go though..

and maybe i am not waiting long enough before peeling....will wait for it to go cooler....

but the issue of getting it to stick to the garment in the first place is the hardest bit....

Will give the silicon sheet inbetween a go...

cheers all..

[mrs maggot]

it needs to cool, it will lift if you try and remove the carrier straight away, take it off the press, and waft it about a couple of times, let some cool air on it, then pull the carrier sheet off in one go. then re-press - BUT MAKE SURE YOU USE A SHEET - or you will wreck it

when you say its not sticking if its not falling off when you lift it, you are simply not giving the backing time to cool onto the garment and set.

[mrs maggot]

any news ??

[Bob700]

This will probably sound crazy to you all but the way I managed to solve vinyl sticking problems once and for all was to: pre heat the shirt and then with an ordinary hand iron I would apply the vinyl, let it cool remove the backing and then put the shirt on the press cover with greasproof paper and press as instructed.
It may seem a long process but the way I saw it was if it gets the job done right every time then it's worth it and saves time in the long run, it's also a lot easier lining up the vinyl when you can spread the shirt right out, so again a time saver. I tried this method and gave the t shirt to my wife to wear around the house and it's still going strong, as I say it sounds a crazy way to apply vinyl but it works for me

[mrs maggot]

i agree, thats completley mad, and has not solved the real problem at all, which is to do with your press, heat settings, and timing

[Bob700]

Hi mrs maggot
From reading the original post the problem is getting the flex to stick and stay stuck, I'm offering my soloution to the exact problem I had, and as far as settings and timings are concerned I would have thought following the instructions that came with the flex might be an idea