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Ausfish Custom Sticker Application

Ausfish standard sticker application details here.

The Ausfish custom stickers are a vinyl sticker and are applied a bit different to the standard bumper sticker.

When you receive your stickers you will notice they are in a sandwich style. The front layer is application tape, middle layer being the sticker/vinyl and the back layer is a waxed paper.

To apply your stickers first clean the surface thoroughly. Any little specs under the stickers can end up looking like mountains. It is a good idea to clean the surface with prepsol or metho, especially if you have recently applied polish to the surface or recently painted it.

To make it easier to apply the stickers it is recommended that you apply a little bit of water to the surface. This is best done with a spray bottle with two or three drops of detergent in the water. 1 cup of water and two drops of detergent is fine. Spray the surface with a mist of the mixture. You only need a little bit of moisture, don't soak it. If you do not have a spray bottle you can moisten the surface with a rag or sponge.

Doing this makes it easier to position the sticker as it stops the sticker sticking immediately to anything it touches. It will also give you a better finish as you will be able to remove air bubbles.

Peel the waxed paper away from the application tape and sticker making sure that all parts of the sticker remain on the application tape.

Do not throw away the waxed paper you will need this later.

Apply the sticker, with the application tape attached, to the surface. It is best to start at the top and working down. Make sure that only the top few centimeters of the application tape is touching the surface and that the sticker is in the position you want it. Then with the supplied squeegee slowly work the sticker and application tape down onto the surface, ensuring that there is little or no air bubbles under the sticker.

Once the entire sticker is on the surface use the squeegee to wipe over the application tape working from the centre out making sure you cover the entire area. This will force out any air bubbles that may be trapped under the sticker. Work over the entire sticker with the squeegee until you are satisfied that as much moisture as possible is removed and all air bubbles are removed.

The squeegee should be used in a manner so that it is wiping over the area, not digging in like a chisel.

You can now leave this one alone and apply the other one.

Depending on the amount of moisture you sprayed on the surface you will now need to wait for the surface to dry. About 30 minutes to an hour is a reasonable time, depending on the temperature.

Once you are satisfied that the sticker is dry you can remove the application tape. Carefully start peeling back the application tape from the front top corner on a diagonal. If the sticker stays on the application tape instead of staying on the surface this means it is not yet dry enough. If the sticker does lift just push it back down with the squeegee as you did before. If it is dry enough just slowly remove the application tape on a diagonal keeping your hand that is pulling the application tape close to the surface so the application tape is folding back on itself. Once removed you can discard the application tape.

Now grab the waxed paper and place it over the sticker with the waxed side facing you and rub over the entire sticker area firmly with the squeegee as you did when applying it. It is best to never apply pressure with the squeegee or any device directly to the sticker as you mat scratch the sticker, always use the waxed paper as a shield.

If you do have some air bubbles the above method should remove them. If the surface is too dry and you have some air bubbles that will not work their way towards the edge of the vinyl you can pierce them with a pin and work the air out the hole. If you have any tinny air bubbles they may disappear in a few days as the vinyl settles.

Note on applying stickers to hulls with chines.

If you are applying the sticker to a hull with chines you should work the sticker and application tape gradually on to the surface starting from the top, working down. Making sure the sticker makes contact with the entire surface, working it in and over each chine. If you have a gap in the valley of the chine between the sticker and the surface it can trap dirt and grime and could also result in the sticker splitting or peeling off as dirt and grime build up underneath it.

Use our Design Centre to design your own custom vinyl stickers.

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