Laser Prototype Beta Testing in progress...

[MastiffMike]

WW, oh vaping sorceress,

Is the vinyl printable? What I mean is, can a completely custom design be printed on say clear vinyl? I no that there's inkjet printable clear vinyl available (I was looking at some 8-1/2"x11" sheets last night that claimed it's waterproof!). I would imagine that the printer ink would really determine the waterproof aspect though (since the back is adhesive and thus you have to print on the front). I wonder if a person could print onto clear acetate (or other non-adhesive plastic film) and then spray mount?

I ask all this b/c the biggest draw to the Chuck is it's ability to customize/personalize it. If we can come up with a way for Isaac to offer custom options on the lasers (and maybe even the Chameleon?!?) it'd probably increase sells dramatically (there's lot of Chuck owners who have 4+ just because they like having different looks!). Heck at the price point of the lasers I could see some people buying one for each day of the week! Or color coordinating their pv with that days outfit!

Also, have you found a good way to handle the button area? I know we have a bunch of different hole punches in a variety of sizes and shapes and was thinking if you can find one the right size it'd make cutting the hole for the button really easy.

One last thought... Applying the vinyl is probably pretty easy but lining it up just right and minimizing air bubbles probably is a slight challenge. Have you (or Isaac?) considered making a "jig" to facilitate the actual application? What I'm picturing is a simple wood built holder for the vinyl (placed with sticky side up) and side rail(s) so that you just roll the laser across it. You could even drill out a reference point for where the button goes, thus insuring that the vinyl is lined up correctly. Is the thought that the vinyl goes on pre or post button assembly? I'm thinking probably post so there would need to be a hole/groove for where the button is while rolling.

Just thinking/typing out loud!

 

[WitchWay]

Hi Hi Mike!

I love that so many are getting excited about this and putting their thinking caps on! I promise to come back late tonight when I have actual time to think and type and respond properly to your questions


Happy vaping!!

 

[MastiffMike]

Hi Hi Mike!

I love that so many are getting excited about this and putting their thinking caps on! I promise to come back late tonight when I have actual time to think and type and respond properly to your questions


Happy vaping!!

OK, but please leave the swords (and don't forget your sexy avatar!! )

 

[WitchWay]

OK, but please leave the swords (and don't forget your sexy avatar!! )

No swords, knives or guns, I'm not allowed to play with anything sharp or dangerous LOL.

Ahhh the fantasy avatar, I can only dream. Although 15 years ago I did work as a bartender at a Hooters and could have given the avatar a run for her money. Those days are long gone though LOL

Be back later tonight!!

 

[MastiffMike]

Ah, "bartender" and "Hooters" - the english language doesn't get much better!

 

[JamBandPhan]

Ah, "bartender" and "Hooters" - the english language doesn't get much better!

 

[JamBandPhan]

Now if we could even get more of this kind of material to wrap the LPV2 in, it would stand out among the other vp's out there. I am fond of the rainbow "holographic" finish, I have some tape made of it that is very nice, and sticky, I will have to go back to that tape website and see if they make it in a wider tape, once it sticks down, it stays down until it gets really worn out. I'll go check on it now.

*** may have found something, need to do some testing before I give more details***

 

[MastiffMike]

I bought some clear printable stuff tonight and will have to try it out this weekend. Probably won't hold up as well as the commercial vinyl WW is using but it's supposed to peel off cleanly so it's might be fairly useful.

 

[JamBandPhan]

I hope that works out for you MM. I have a little something coming my way, I'll post images and more details if it works out the way I am hoping it will. Hopefully the wait on shipping won't be too long. I don't want to expose this idea until I am sure it's going to be fruitful...also it adds to the suspense

 

[JamBandPhan]

jam... The buying is addicting, I know! It does slow down after a while though LOL At least I keep telling myself that. Now I have the devices I want, plenty of batteries and have found the attys and carts I like best, I really should not have to spend a whole lot more.

Your excitement about your move is catchy. I find myself looking for your post talking about it. You are so creative you'll probably invent a new mod and have Isaac and Val sell it for you Please don't stop posting!! I know I enjoy reading your posts and look forward to what's ahead for you.

You are right about that WW, I am fully stocked up now and starting to see some kind of end to the spending madness All I am hoping for now is to get some pink/purple cartos. Then again, I might just be able to wrap my own colors Wait till you see what I found today. I hope it's as good as I think it will be. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up too high until I have the chance to see if it will work or not.

As far as keeping in touch, you can count on it! I will do my best to check in as often as I can while traveling. We will be hitting up some festivals, and lots of areas that are out of range in the mountains, so if I don't have a connection, I'll get back on asap to check in. I would love to come up with a usable mod idea. I have some brewing in the back of my mind, I just don't have all the pieces together yet. I appreciate all you have contributed to this fun vaping experiment.

 

[WitchWay]

WW, oh vaping sorceress,


Is the vinyl printable? What I mean is, can a completely custom design be printed on say clear vinyl? I no that there's inkjet printable clear vinyl available (I was looking at some 8-1/2"x11" sheets last night that claimed it's waterproof!). I would imagine that the printer ink would really determine the waterproof aspect though (since the back is adhesive and thus you have to print on the front). I wonder if a person could print onto clear acetate (or other non-adhesive plastic film) and then spray mount?

The graphics vinyl is not printable. There is printable vinyl though and I even have some. We used to make printed computer skins, but in Nov decided to shut down that part of the business and only do the vinyl die cuts now. We sold all our equipment so we no longer even have the ability to do printed items. There is also the stuff they do auto wraps with that is printable, but I've never tried it so have no idea how it works at all. There are companies that specialize in that kind of thing, but not sure how affordable it is for something like PV skins.


As for clear printable vinyl, have some of that too. The problem with using that and a standard inkjet printer is that you can not get the ink dark enough to really stand out. Plus you can't print white. Home inkjet ink is translucent, so print on clear then put it on a dark background like the LVP2 and the ink isn't going to show up very well. Clear vinyl needs to be either silk screened or use a special printer. Most printing on vinyl is done on a white base stock though.


Anything printed that is going to be handled much, no matter how it is printed or what it is printed on, needs to be laminated or clear coated. Home printer ink will not stand up to the handling or UV exposure for long without being laminated even on waterproof material. I'm not talking hard plastic laminating, they make special clear overlays for vinyl.

I ask all this b/c the biggest draw to the Chuck is it's ability to customize/personalize it. If we can come up with a way for Isaac to offer custom options on the lasers (and maybe even the Chameleon?!?) it'd probably increase sells dramatically (there's lot of Chuck owners who have 4+ just because they like having different looks!). Heck at the price point of the lasers I could see some people buying one for each day of the week! Or color coordinating their pv with that days outfit!

I'm all for PVs that match my mood and clothes!! I can not say how they get the designs on the Chuck as I have only seen pictures of ones. They do appear to be clear coated though. And who ever does the graphics has much more Photoshop experience than I do, because they all look great. Printed skins are not something I'm going to be able to offer. As stated I no longer have the proper equipment. I only have a cheap Epson inkjet and absolutely very little skill with Photoshop. We employed a very talented graphic artist that was a Photoshop guru when we did printed stuff. When she moved, we decided not to hire anyone else and just stop offering that service. If I had only known about e-cigs then. That is the biggest thing about custom printed graphics. The customer sends very poor low quality images they find on the web and someone has to have the skill to turn them into the spectacular high quality images that can be printed and used. I admire the person that does the graphics for the Chucks as all the pics I've seen, they look fantastic. I really wish I had paid more attention and had that ability now.

Also, have you found a good way to handle the button area? I know we have a bunch of different hole punches in a variety of sizes and shapes and was thinking if you can find one the right size it'd make cutting the hole for the button really easy.

Sure have, the button area will be cut out using our vinyl cutters. The only thing was taking the time to make a template that gets it exactly where it needs to be and the right size. I know it sounds easy, but with it as small as it is, even a half mm off makes a big difference. Even though a computer controls the cutting there is still a +/- variance in translation from the software to the cutter. Most of the time that small variance doesn't matter, but on this it is a big deal so it has to be fine tuned. March is one of our busiest times of the year, not sure why, but it is, so getting time on the software and the cutters is hard to work in right now. I do have what I hope to be the final layout in line to be cut tonight. We have two cutters that run about 18 hours a day right now. In another two weeks that will change and we should slow down some.

One last thought... Applying the vinyl is probably pretty easy but lining it up just right and minimizing air bubbles probably is a slight challenge. Have you (or Isaac?) considered making a "jig" to facilitate the actual application? What I'm picturing is a simple wood built holder for the vinyl (placed with sticky side up) and side rail(s) so that you just roll the laser across it. You could even drill out a reference point for where the button goes, thus insuring that the vinyl is lined up correctly. Is the thought that the vinyl goes on pre or post button assembly? I'm thinking probably post so there would need to be a hole/groove for where the button is while rolling.

It would probably cost more for the jig than the vinyl cover. They are really not hard to put on at all. It's basically peel and stick. Air bubbles normally come out on their own and if not they are easy to get out. We are trying hard to work out all the details and make it as easy as possible for everybody. If I can put one on, anybody can LOL I'm pretty clumsy that way.

Just thinking/typing out loud!

Wow I'm sorry, I really did not mean to be so negative, only practical. The ideas are great, just not easy and affordable to make happen or beyond my ability. I DO appreciate you thinking and suggesting, so please don't stop. And I certainly don't know everything about everything LOL just the stuff we have tried and worked with. If you find something that's printable and works out and have Photoshop knowledge that would be great! I'm sure Isaac would love to offer printed skins. I wish I could do them. Heck I'd buy some myself!!!


I did receive a few samples today of some specialty vinyls. A metallic cobalt blue that's real sharp. It comes in a variety of colors but we only got this one to see how it looked. Also a carbon fiber and a chrome that has iridescent to it so it has some rainbow color change effect. There are a lot of specialty vinyls that will make for a wide range of color and design options. It is not printed custom graphics, but it will still be different


I spent a long time writing this all out and I was about to hit submit when hubby yells down the hall and asked if the internet had gone out. I am soooooo glad he did as I was able to cut and paste it into Notepad until the internet came back up.

 

[WitchWay]

You are right about that WW, I am fully stocked up now and starting to see some kind of end to the spending madness All I am hoping for now is to get some pink/purple cartos. Then again, I might just be able to wrap my own colors Wait till you see what I found today. I hope it's as good as I think it will be. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up too high until I have the chance to see if it will work or not.

As far as keeping in touch, you can count on it! I will do my best to check in as often as I can while traveling. We will be hitting up some festivals, and lots of areas that are out of range in the mountains, so if I don't have a connection, I'll get back on asap to check in. I would love to come up with a usable mod idea. I have some brewing in the back of my mind, I just don't have all the pieces together yet. I appreciate all you have contributed to this fun vaping experiment.

I'm looking forward to hearing about what you found and about your adventures! It is so great that you are able to make moving such a fun thing.

 

[MastiffMike]

I'm fairly familiar with the graphics on Chucks (well, as familiar as I can be considering I've never seen one in person! You can see some Photoshop stuff for Chucks here: Pictures by nekkidnorman - Photobucket - Feel free to page forward/backwards as I think there's ~80 - Beware some images, while no ....., may be offensive!). They're printed on clear vinyl, applied over the base coat, then Jeff (Chuck maker) clear coats them.

I do know that Jeff has had some problems getting the seam on a full wrap to line up perfectly. Which raises the question, is Isaac thinking of selling lasers with the vinyl applied, or just sell the wrap and the end user applies it?

 

[WitchWay]

I'm fairly familiar with the graphics on Chucks (well, as familiar as I can be considering I've never seen one in person! You can see some Photoshop stuff for Chucks here: Pictures by nekkidnorman - Photobucket - Feel free to page forward/backwards as I think there's ~80 - Beware some images, while no ....., may be offensive!). They're printed on clear vinyl, applied over the base coat, then Jeff (Chuck maker) clear coats them.

I do know that Jeff has had some problems getting the seam on a full wrap to line up perfectly. Which raises the question, is Isaac thinking of selling lasers with the vinyl applied, or just sell the wrap and the end user applies it?

Do you know what they use to print with? It does not appear to be an inkjet. They have far more talent than I do with Photoshop and printing. It's just not my area. I do admire their work though! As for lining up, that can be more difficult on elaborate printed things and also if the Chuck has any taper to it at all. Again not something I know anything about. There is going to be a seam no matter what you do. The LPV2 wraps will have a slight overlap down the middle of the back.

I'm not sure what Isaac plans exactly. I'm just making them LOL I am making them with the idea that they can be user applied though.

Edit add on... Are those actual Chucks or just Photoshop dream Chucks? I want a Chiana Chuck! LOL

 

[JamBandPhan]

I got my LPV2 and cartos in the mail today

The first thing I did was apply the silver zebra stripes to it. I can't seem to get any photos to upload in my profile, even after resizing them down to the point that they are below the requirements. so I am going through photobucket.

**these stripes apply a little differently than the regular vinyl, they have paper on both sides, the thicker more solid backing is peeled up to expose the sticky side of the stripes, and there is layer paper on the front to help keep the stripes in place while you apply them. This is the layer I removed after sticking them down to the LPV**

I put a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball, and cleaned the surface of the LPV2 first then I followed WW's directions, and peeled back one edge of the vinly (long side) stuck the center of the back along the edge, slowly rolled the stripes onto the LPV, had a little pucker around the button because I didn't pre cut the hole, which was not that big of a deal, I just took a blade and sliced the paper to ease the tension over the button, continued to slowly roll the rest on, smoothing it down with my fingers as I went to be sure there was no gaps or wrinkles, then just before I got back around to where I started, I left the last 1/4" unstuck, slowly peeled off the backing and when I got the backing peeled up to the point where I was at the 1/4" of the still unstuck edge, I smoothed the last 1/4" down and peeled the rest of the backing off. (longest sentence ever ) It was pretty easy, only had to smooth out a couple of little wrinkles around the button area and it was done

I can see this would not be that hard for just about anyone to do, given the proper directions. Now if there is a pre-cut hole, I can see where you would not want to start from the back, since you will need the hole to line up correctly.

It looks great! Nice and shiny silver zebra stripes. I would recommend cutting them just a little larger from top to bottom, maybe 2-3mm more to make the edges line up, but other than that, the width was perfect. I will leave this design on while I wait for the goodies I found last night to arrive. I don't know if it's the metallic vinyl, but there is just a little roughness to the edges of the stripes, might cause them to accidentally get peeled up if they get rubbed across something, but that is speculation at this point. We will have to see how they hold up. It is very cool, I like the silver on the black

 

[whiskey]

I bought some clear printable stuff tonight and will have to try it out this weekend. Probably won't hold up as well as the commercial vinyl WW is using but it's supposed to peel off cleanly so it's might be fairly useful.

Just Listen To You Guys Go! I Feel Like The Saga Is Going On In Front Of My Very Eyes On These LPV2's I Just Can't Wait To See How They Are Going To Look & How Cool They Will Turn Out...Keep Posting The Progress, It's SOOOO Exciting!!

 

[Electricnut]

That looks great.

 

[MastiffMike]

WW, those are just mock-ups (though some have been made and quite a few others are "in the works"). If you want a Chiana Chuck it can be done (and no, there's no taper to the chucks). Though I wouldn't feel right letting someone re-use that exact image without asking them first. Of course it could be done with a slightly different design/coloration and then I'd feel comfortable.

I think even better than a Chiana chuck would be a Chiana LPV2! Or a Chiana "Ikenvape" __________!


Again, just thinking out loud.... Anyone ever used the clear coat that comes in a spray can? I wonder if it would make it even more durable? It also would prevent the edges from peeling up (that's why Jeff stops the chuck graphics just short of each end, so that the clear coat has something to adhere to besides the graphic.

Hopefully Isaac can chime in on publicly or privately what his thoughts/plans are for custom designs???

 

[JamBandPhan]

Doesn't Jeff use some kind of clear coat you would use on a car? The vinyl has such a nice shiny finish, you would not need to coat it, unless you wanted it to be permanent. I like the idea of being able to remove and change the skin once in a while or when the mood strikes. Isaac, you need to make sure you have more LPV2's up when you get those pink/purple cartos I want to get at least one more, for skin research purposes hehehe.

 

[MastiffMike]

Doesn't Jeff use some kind of clear coat you would use on a car?

AFAIK, HE'S never said/claimed that. Other posters have said that he does but that doesn't mean it's true. I do know he's using a spray gun to apply it and that it is a very durable finish. I wouldn't be suprised if it was the same as a car, just not positive.

The clear coat does indeed make switching "skinz" much harder. Without knowing Isaac's goal (customer applied or "factory" applied) it's hard to know what the plan is. If it's factory applied I could see the benefit of the clear coat, and customers could still cover that with a skin if they want a change.