How To Wrap Your Bike Fork With Vinyl

00:00 In this How-To video for Rvinyl, you're going to see how to wrap your bike fork with color change film.

00:09 Secure the fork to a vice on a table and the focus is on cleaning as these areas can be dirty and greasy. Once the fork is clean, it's time for install because it's such a technical object it should be wrapped in three pieces.

00:26 Remove the liner and begin with the inside of the fork. The material is placed and locked in the middle portion at the very bottom. Once this is set, it's time to form the film onto either side. Hold the material lightly away from the surface and then work it towards the top. You can use a squeegee, but because it's a tight gap, using the finger is the best option. Make sure you use overlapping strokes and work towards the top. This particular film has a satin finish, which means it has a low surface energy. If it was gloss, you would put on application, which will allow the finger to slide across the surface.

01:01 At the top, warm the film with a heat gun and stretch it gently around the tip. Don't cut it out. Instead, let it sit so the adhesive can activate and then focus on the other side to form the film into the deep crevice. It's very important to lift the film up and form it in Chile. This will help keep it from overstretching.

01:49 The material only needs to go about one eighth of an inch past the body light. This is the trickiest section, which is why relief cuts are needed. Once one side is complete, rotate the fork and make the same type of relief cuts. This allows the film to relax without overstretching on this critical section.

02:12 Once the film is formed around the scoop at the bottom, then from the film around the top and with a very sharply and light touch now cut directly on the body, like if you're a new installer and have never cut directly on the surface, it's highly recommended to use 3M Knifeless tape. This is sold by Rvinyl.

03:24 Now here for the tips. Make a rounded cut just right at the edge. Super focused and then removes the film carefully away. In this case, don't cover the gap where the wheel will be secured onto the fork. This area will get a lot of wear and tear, so no need to wrap it.

03:43 Now, move on to the additional pieces to get full coverage. Hook the bottom tip first, heat the film, so it's secure, then keeping the liner on halfway, stretch the film towards the top, then slowly release the liner. Now stretch the film all the way to the top section and hook it. This evenly distributed the tension on the side and makes the wrapping process much easier. Lock it in place right in the middle, then pick the material up and relax it, then cut away the excess film here. The film is being cut away, but an eighth of an inch on the inside portion. This creates a perfect overlap that disappears on the body line.

04:58 For this section here, just like the black sections that you can see there, cut it away cleanly.This ensures long term durability.

05:07 For the other side, repeat the exact same steps released to the liner roughly four to five inches secured on the bottom lip, heat it so it forms firmly into place, then gently stretch the material gently towards the back. This will help relax the film onto the surface. Then, once the film is on the main surface, we'll focus here at the tip add heat to relax the film, spread the material out so there's no wrinkles, then gently forming around the front tip. This area is critical to not overstretch. So by spreading the film uniformly, also by starting here means there'll be minimal tension. Cut away the excess film again with a steady cut. As mentioned earlier, if you feel uncomfortable cutting directly on the surface, use 3M Knifeless Tape.

05:58 Once everything's cut out on the bottom section here, stand the fork up, then tuck the material in to the top. Make sure it's nice and secure on all levels, then take the tip of the blade into the base and make a uniform cut. The tip of the blade should be held securely by the top section, so it won't jump off, then once all the film has been cut away, make sure it's cut on the lower section evenly. Always rotate the blade to make sure it cuts at 10 degree angle, then remove the excess film.

06:29 The final step is to go over the entire floor with a heat gun, just to make sure all the edges are sealed and the overlaps are secure. Be extra thorough during this process, as you can see by wrapping it in three pieces with the right techniques, it's very easy and straightforward and also helps ensure long term durability so there's no overstretching plus hiding the overlaps on the body lines make it looks like one piece.

06:53 When you use great color change film and tools from Rvinyl, you can customize a factory frame and make it truly your own in just a matter of a few minutes.

#Rvinyl #JustinPate #BikeWraps