Applying Vinyl Lettering

[coppinpr]

Not many machines have a use for Vinyl lettering but there are some, 5 or 6 of the Rotomint models used a direct lettering for their name plate (although not Vinyl in those days I guess). Anyway having used this kind of lettering at work for window signs I thought Id try it for my Roromint Silber, and it worked a treat. So, if anyone is interested this is how I did it.

The key is in the ordering from the cutter as the words come ready spaced so you need to know the size of the finished words both height and length. The other options available are numerous so you need to pick font, colours,shading etc. I looked carefully at the Silber on Automatix and got as near as I could to the original. The cost for both words was only £6 and they arrived in five days.

You need, masking tape,a measure,a fine water spray and an old credit card as a spatula

clean the surface you are going to work on removing all grease,dust etc
measure the position of the word both height and length and mark with tape

add a thin strip of masking tape to the top of the word and apply it to the machine ,folding it back to form a hinge

spray the surface your going to use with soapy water
peel back the backing paper leaving the letters attached to the front paper, note;- the letters are individual and not joined together,if one moves the others will not

Make sure to keep the hinged front paper clear of the machine at this stage, its an idea to use something to hold it back,Ive simply used a pair of scissors.
Starting in the middle use your spatula to press down the letters onto the case smoothing out the water and air at the same time

Once this is done to your satisfaction you can start to slowly peel back the front paper,remember,the letters are NOT joined together,treat each one separately when removing the paper. NOTE:- using this,safer WET method it may be best to allow the word to dry before removing the front paper,on small words and with practice this is not always the case.

Air bubbles can be removed with a pin and a certain amount of re-positioning can be done when using the WET method.(at this point BP will make a rude comment ) On this Rotomint there was not a single air bubble and all the letters went on in the correct place.
Once the word is complete use the spatula to press the letters down firmly and your done

[aristomatic]

Many thanks for sharing this technique with the forum and I am sure it will be useful to many of us for various projects, however, and only a personal opinion, I think I would have not bothered and just left it without the lettering. The inner artwork on this machine I really like but that manufacturer and model lettering? Again, personal opinion but I think it looks dreadful. If there were three holes in the cabinet from a missing chrome, brass or resin marquee casting were missing, I suppose I would be trying to source an original replacement to restore originality, and I know originality is not down to my taste it's down to originality, but with that machine it would be on my wall albeit minus the lettering...

GP

[coppinpr]

Well, I think you're wrong - I think it looks much better with the original style lettering, and of course this model never did have any sort of metal or plastic raised name plate. Like it or not, the original name looked much like it does now, so that will do me.

[raj]

That is a great piece of work Paul, thanks for sharing the technique with us...

[aristomatic]

Thanks for sharing your opinion....... on my opinion....

GP