I just bought a Pearlabel 270 and it works great. Although I have been having some issues with the finished product, and I was hoping I could pick up a few tips.

I can still see the edge of the decal under the finish. I used a brayer to flaten down all the edges, and just after that applied the finish so the decal didn't have a chance to start peeling up.

Which brings me to my second concern. If you leave the decal on for a few days before you apply the finish, I've noticed that the edges start to peel. Not much, a fraction of millimeter, but it would be enough to make the edge that much more noticable. So I've been applying the finish to the decal as soon as it is in place with the edges as flat as I can get them with the brayer.

Are you guys applying color preserver to the edges to help with peeling?

Any other tips or tricks that have worked well for others would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Dave

I purchased the 270 at the show in NC last Feb. I have the same issues. I have done several tests with the decals and here are the results:

* Placed on bare blank, no finish, then placed a finish over the decal, came out great but could still see the edges.

* Placed on bare blank, CP over decal, let dry then a topcoat of finish, came out great but the decal edges were visible.

* Tried to bevel the edges of the decal 45°, topcoat of finish, came out great, did notice the edges were not as visible but still could be seen.

* Prior to placing the decal on the blank I used a black marker and covered the edges, edges still visible.

My tape is the 1/2" variety. If one would use the 1" tape at least the edges would be on the back side of the blank, just a thought. Overall I like the machine and what it can do. Scanning logos and various items and placing them on the blank is a plus. If they could only design a tape that was not as thick I feel this would help. The only cons to this machine is the edges showing, other than that it is a great "toy" to have. I did have Decal Connection make decals for me and I have to admit there are no visible edges, looks as if my logo was painted on the blank, very happy with the results.

Good luck in your search,


Pat Barnard

Thanks Pat, you saved me a few experiments.

It must just be the thickness of the tape then.

Have you tried laying a thin coat of finish down, apply the decal, and then putting a final coat of finish on top of that? If not, I'm going to try it on the next rod I do. It seems like that might help.

Dave,

I did that experiment as well, just failed to post it. I tried it with finish down, waited 24 hours then placed decal onto blank, then finish topcoat, still could see the edges. I did this also with beveling to 45°, with the same results.

Pat Barnard

Shoot an email to Larry and see if he can advise you. I think he may have covered this issue previously.

...............

Mmm I have been thinking about purchasing one of these and thinking about whether the edges would be visable and on previous experiences with hundreds of decals the thickness of the material has a lot to do with it I remember using the decals that were supplied with the old GUSA blanks and they were fantastic never had an issue but the material it self they were printed on was very thin and supplied with protective cover both sides of the decal as alot of you would be awhere that used them, if I remember correctly I think they were produced by Downey Decals anyway maybe Larry can get back and shed some light on his material etc.

G'day Dave,

I have the PearLabel 360 and have the same issue to some extent. I have noticed that on black blanks the edges are more visible than on a pink rod I recently did.

I am however not too fussed about it. This label printer gives me such great flexibility to print labels that I think that outweighs the slightly visible edges. I would not want to be tied to buying a whole sheet of decals that I couldn't change/customise as needed.

Just my .02 worth.

Cheers

Jason

Talked to Larry several months ago on any tips/tricks in reference to the edges and he stated he had none. If something has evolved since then I have not seen it.

Pat

Hey Pat, what are you using to bevel the edges?

I cut a small board at a 45° angle, place the decal where the edge of the decal is exposed and use an Exacto knife to do the trimming. I also purchased a bevel tool for matted pictures, you can purchase them at a Hobby shop. Worked OK, just hard to hold. Had to apply great pressure and have a really sharp blade. You can also lay a scissor on its side, tried that as well. Still had the edge showing. Maybe Larry can come up with a thinner tape, BTW, Larry is a great guy and answers all calls for help with requisite effort.

Pat

Maybe have your decals made up from Decal Connection

Don't get me wrong !!
I like the machine But i waited to see what kind of problems builders would have
Usually it is User Error maybe the tape is too thick -- I will wate

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2014 03:28PM by bill boettcher.

Dave I had the same problem when I first got my 270 and it drove me crazy!. I started using a high tack clear app tape to apply my decals, after rolling( I use a lot of pressure) the decal on the blank, I apply a little heat to the top app tape right before I remove it. Then take that same piece of tape and blot all the way around the decal to remove the tiny amount of glue that was squeezed out from under the decal from rolling. Since i started blotting, the decal edges have disappered for me. Hope that helps ya some

Jerry,

What is high tack clear app tape? Can you be more specific?

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas

Thanks Jerry.

I'm interested in hearing more about this tape too.

Because of the themal transfer tape that the 270 prints on, have you had problems with the heat making marks on the decal through the app tape? I'm assuming my heat gun on the lowest setting is still too much for this job.

The glue that squeezes out is just the adhesive on the back of the decal correct?

I can see how this would work with the combination of heat and the brayer to get the decal to lay as flat as possible. And the tape is basically a protection layer between the heat/brayer and the decal right?

Thank you all for your responses. I have been getting my decals made up for a while now, I just like the freedom of being able to instantly print off another if I mess up, it's much cheaper overall, and I hate waiting for the decals to come in, especially when it's holding up an entire build. The ability to change font's and names/other on the fly is an added bonus.

I am new to this forum, but would like to add some input to this thread.
I am waiting delivery of the 360 right now, and have been using a different product in the past. What I have done is to use a pair of "Pinking Shears" (Crooked cut scissors) and
trim the edges of the tape (must use tape wider than 1/2) to create a jagged edge. The outer points of the edge creates a situation where the tape does not have enough "recoil"
to lift as bad. It is not perfect, but much better than before. All of these polyester tapes are going to lift a slight amount, I wish they would make these in a vinyl. Even if the polyester
were half as thick it would be 100% better.

Tony

has anyone contacted the company and let them know the problems your having
Maybe they can come out with some thing better

Bill - willierods.com

Bill,

The edge is barely noticable, and I haven't had a single person look close enough to notice. I'm looking really closely, under high light, and with a magnifier, and I'm extremely picky.

I wouldn't call these issues "problems" at all. That being said, a thinner tape would be awesome!

Its just an application tape, i use it to put over vinyl decals i cut after wedding. It's used to pull the decal off the wax backing paper to apply the decal. If you google application tape you will find a few sign supply places that carry it. I use clear high tack because that's what i already have for my vinyl decals doing layering work. Plus using it i don't touch my printed rod decals at all and helps in placing them on the blank. I apply just a little of heat from my butane torch, it seams to "relax" the printed decal and really gives it a good bond and i have no trouble with the edges lifting at all. After heating i slowly pull of the app tape and blot the edges of the decal to remove the adhesive that pushed out from under the decal from rolling. I my be wrong, but i feel the adhesive that has been rolled out from under the decal is what is catching light and making the edges visible.
Dave, send me an email.

I've got the 360 but it uses the same tape as the 270.

I get my best results by warming the decal after it is applied then following up with a brayer roller working along the axis of the blank from the center of the decal to the edges. The brayer both sets the decal firmly, and it works out a little decal adhesive along the edges. I clean up this adhesive really well making sure none remains along the edge of the decal, and I inspect it with a magnifying glass (as my eyesight is getting pretty bad).

The second thing I do is apply a coat of CP to seal the edges of the decal so the finish doesn't lift the edges of the decal off the blank.

This gives me satisfactory results without having to resort to something like feathering the edge of the decal.

On a side note, I really like the corner trimmer on the 360. The 270 doesn't have that feature.

Hi,

Are you using the clear tape or the colored tape?

Does it look that bad or are you being very critical? After all it is a fishing rod not plastic surgery.

The product in question is the best I have seen for a rod builder. Think back to using a P Touch label maker and rub ons.

Capt Neil Faulkner