Applying Side Art

[Mrephunk]

I am going to apply side art to my mdf cab but have heard it doesnt stick as well to bare MDF, what should I do, Paint it? I have heard of people putting laminate down first then applying the side art, but my side art is gonna cover the whole sides. I am trying to keep costs down at the moment as I have gone way over my proposed budget so far. What do I do?

[Well Fed Games]

Yes, especially if you've acquired side art (often a very $$$ part of a cab), I would say go ahead and prime and paint (or at least prime, if you have sideart that completely covers the side). Sideart will stick fine to a good paint job- lots of threads on the topic of painting MDF here on the forum.

I feel your pain about going over budget!

[The Lumberjackass]

the vinyl you purchased should have ultimate hold and it should be more than a good match for bare mdf.
i know the vinyl i got in the printers stuck even better to bare mdf than it did to the melamine finish i eventually stuck it to.

my 2 cents on the paint issue : if it was me, i wouldnt do it. cause if you need to lift the vinyl off to remove air bubbles, there
is a chance you'll take the paint with it. now, as i say, i have no idea what your vinyl is like, but i made sure as hell that my
printers gave me some samples of the vinyl i could choose from, and i tested them all before i made my final decision.

but what i did take from that test, was that the vinyl samples stuck way better to bare mdf. also, you have to give the adhesive a few days
to set properly, even weeks. ask any printer and they'll tell you that the adhesive gets better as it goes off.
but as i say, its your call. im just giving my 2 cents.
here is my vid of the application of the side art to melamine :

[Well Fed Games]

the vinyl you purchased should have ultimate hold and it should be more than a good match for bare mdf.
i know the vinyl i got in the printers stuck even better to bare mdf than it did to the melamine finish i eventually stuck it to.

my 2 cents on the paint issue : if it was me, i wouldnt do it. cause if you need to lift the vinyl off to remove air bubbles, there
is a chance you'll take the paint with it. now, as i say, i have no idea what your vinyl is like, but i made sure as hell that my
printers gave me some samples of the vinyl i could choose from, and i tested them all before i made my final decision.

but what i did take from that test, was that the vinyl samples stuck way better to bare mdf. also, you have to give the adhesive a few days
to set properly, even weeks. ask any printer and they'll tell you that the adhesive gets better as it goes off.
but as i say, its your call. im just giving my 2 cents.

I stand corrected!  I had forgotten that from watching those (excellent) videos previously!

[Mrephunk]

I am was gonna get my side art printed at gameongraphix.com, it says its adhesive backed final, is that good to use. Anyone have any better places to get it printed up at? And in the video you use a surgical blade, why? would a regular utility knife blade work ok

[The Lumberjackass]

i use a surgical blade because its the finest blade type on the planet for slicing and dicing. if its good enough for a surgeon,
well then its going to suit my needs just fine
but yes, the main reason why i chose surgical over utility is because A: its sharper which leaves a cleaner edge and
B: it has a better bevelled angle coming off the blade, making it easier to rest against the mdf while the vinyl is being cut.
i.e - the blade can be guided easier, whereas with some utility blades, they can, and will, wander off course because the bevel is too severe.

as for the vinyl, i know on-line places can be good for getting deals and they know their stuff, but for custom builds, i prefer if
i can source all parts needed from the closest vendor. so if anything goes wrong, i can drive to them or get a replacement asap.
by visiting my local printers, i was able to get samples of vinyl i could choose from which suited my needs, i.e - sticky as hell , and it wouldnt
loose shape if i had to peel it back off the cab.
so be careful when getting vinyl, because some of it can be too light and it wont be able to withstand a bit of tension and it'll stretch,
ruining your art, and wasting your money.

just to clarify, i didnt use an online source, and im not knocking them. im sure they'll sell good quality vinyl.
but to be absolutely sure of what your getting, having a sample beforehand is a must to check for strength and adhesion.
also, as long as you have the art file on a disk or a flash drive, any printers can do that job for you. if you dont have an art file, visit a sign company
and they could help you out with doing something custom, or have them request a file from the art section here, and they will print it for you