@Young:
@Young:
Just paid $140 Canadian including tax for a G40 custom map print 72"X33" on adhesive vinyl… and it turned out amazing. I’m gonna definitely need help when I stick it to my table top surface because there’s not much room for error with the adhesive side.
DO NOT PRINT ON ADHESIVE VINYL!
No mater how much help I had and how careful I was, I could not prevent creases and air bubbles as I was sticking it down until it ultimately was ruined. Printer guy has agreed to help me out with a different material… I will update you all later.
My background is 18 years experience installing vinyl flooring. I state this so you know that I have a little clue as to what you were dealing with. With that being said I realize the difference between flooring and an adhesive backed map is huge, but I have some suggestions that may help someone else going this direction.
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Make sure the map fits the area. I know, but lets start there anyway. If you are building a table like Young Grass Hopper’s there is a definite area that the map has to fit into.
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Make sure you have all of the tools and help needed for the job. I’d have a roller on hand as well as a knife and pair of scissors. Lets not forget a tape measure, straight edge and pencil as these can be very important for set up. Also a couple thumb tacks as I will explain later. Dry Run! Dry run? Yes without peeling the backing go through a dry run so everyone knows what to do.
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Don’t worry so much about small air bubbles. Creases and god forbid it being allowed to stick to itself are your biggest worries. A word of caution about rollers. Rollers stretch vinyl, period! Be careful not to use to much pressure if using a roller.
Okay I am going to try to explain the process I’d use to do this. Hopefully it isn’t an epic fail. Here we go…
First I’d use my tape measure and pencil along with straight edge to lay out the area I want to cover on a sheet of plywood. I’d draw a rectangular box the size of the map where I want it on the plywood taking into consideration the planned placement of any storage containers for pieces, dice trays etc. Lay the map in place to make sure everything looks right. Now if all looks how I want it I’d take those two thumb tacks and put one in each corner of one end of the map. For me that would be upper and lower right corners, but do what is comfortable for you. The reason for the tacks is so the “Dry End” can’t shift.
Okay so now our game map is loose-laying where we want it and one end is tacked down. We all together on this? Good! Next step is measure 36" from the end that has the tacks and put a mark with your pencil starting on the map and following through to the plywood on the top and bottom. These marks will be your key for when you peel the backing so You KNOW that you are starting right.
Okay time for the dry run. Fold back the loose end toward the tacked end this will simulate having peeled back half of the backing. Now have your helpers take a corner each and lift them slowly vertical while you make sure you pencil line are lined now have them slowly start letting the map lay back out Having them dog - ear the corners a bit will help. That means hold the corners closer together like you are making a canoe. This will allow you to run the palm of your hand down the center lengthwise to set the adhesive in the center while the edges are still more or less free. Remember this was a dry run to get this technique down before doing it for real. I know it sounds corny, but just like with vinyl floors you’ve one shot to get it right or you’re buying another one.
Okay so you’ve dry run it 17 times and think you can do it right. The best way to stick this down is one half at a time and I’m going to assume that the backing is one piece just like the top so you need to peel half at a time. Okay so with one end tacked down we pull back the other end just past half way. Now peel the backing (exposing the adhesive) about half an inch past the pencil marks we made on the map and the plywood. (These mark designate true center which acts as our control line so we know that we are where we need to be when the sticky hits the plywood.) Now with our scissors cut off the loose backing leaving just a little so you can fold a flap under as this will make life easier when doing the second half.
Now we have bare adhesive so lets be careful! Roll just a bit of the map back into place. Just enough so yo can tell that your control lines are lined up. Now gently with a soft pressure working from the middle out and with the middle always ahead of the edges push the map into place. Your helpers should be holding the free corners dog eared and this will naturally let the middle touch the plywood before the edges. If you have a roller or even a short rolling pin without handles roll it down the center before the edges are set. Don’t push hard because the vinyl will stretch. Not go ahead and carefully work the edges and corners in. Like I stated before don’t be to concerned about air bubbles. Avoid them if you can but don’t freak if you get a few we can fix them. Also another thought about rollers as in if you don’t have one. Take a hand towel folded up about to about 6"x6" to 8"x8" and use that with your palm when pushing the map to the plywood. Bubbles are caused by air getting trapped behind enemy lines so to speak. Your hands not being perfectly flat and smooth can’t put even pressure on the surface thus letting air get trapped. So by using a many-times folded hand towel you will be making more even contact and not trap so much air.
For those bubbles that were unavoidable use a needle to put a hole in the middle then gently work with roller, folded towel, or fingers from the edges toward the center to help the air escape and the adhesive make contact. Now pull your tacks and repeat on the other end.
I hope this lengthy theoretic tutorial is helpful. I spent a lot of years laying sheet vinyl onto floors and these are a lot of the same tricks we used on a much larger scale. - Robar
