# Having major issues with numbers on football jerseys HELP



## tkbdesigns (Jun 21, 2010)

We are having problems with numbers peeling loose on football jerseys. We had a few last year, but marked it up to a fluke. This year we have had two teams contact us that the numbers are peeling off of a few of the jerseys. THey have only played one or two games so far!

Does anyone else have this problem with transfer numbers? It's not all of them just a few?? 

I have contacted the sportswear supplier and my vinyl supplier, and of course they are blaming each other, Augusta Sportswear says its a problem with my vinyl, and FDC says its something in the material?? I'm lost...

The jerseys are Augusta 100% poly, we are using FDC thermal advantage hot peel heat transfer film and cutting them in house. We have our heat set on 301 deg, press for 5 sec heat up then 10 sec to apply, we use a teflon sheet every time?? At this point I am so aggravated that we are looking into dropping some dough into a number printing system.

Any help would be great, just to know we are not the only ones having this issue......


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## screen260 (Aug 3, 2008)

What type of heat press are you using? It could be inconsistent temperature.


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## DanVC (Sep 11, 2012)

hi, '*tkbdesigns*' I have been doing a fair bit of R&D' into vinyls for the past 2yrs. It seems there are alot of vinyls out there in the market that will do the job and some which will simply be not able to complete the necessary task it was suppose to be able to do. It can be categorized into what they are going to be used for and the suitability of the vinyl for different occasions... *as you may already know* I quite disagree that the problem is in the garment. The inconsistency of the result could be from the process in your production which outlines the life of the vinyl. 

We have vinyl ordered from a company that sold to us PVC vinyl material which are quite thick and seemingly heavy duty stuff. Settings were adjusted onto our heat press for the pressing of vinyls onto the shirts we used, also 100% polyester. End result was not desirable with warm and hot peel been trialled. I found that cold peel was much safer and the adhesive on the back of the vinyl was set properly onto the garment. We used almost hardly any pressure to avoid melting and pressure marks left behind by the carrier film and the heat press platen. Keep in mind that the trade off for less pressure was to increase the temperature slightly. Generally most settings layed out by the manufacturers are guidelines. As a personal preference with settings and techniques which work, cold peel would be the safer way to go.


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## uncletee (Feb 25, 2007)

good luck; uncletee. If they were white we would sublimate them. wonder how they are washing them? just a thought.


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## tkbdesigns (Jun 21, 2010)

Screen 260 
We have a Knight clamshell, how can you tell if it is inconsistent temps? And how do we correct that?

DanVC
Last season we used cold peel and had the same problem. I have checked with the manufacturer, we are using the right type of vinyl, and the right settings. We have an informational sheet on what vinyl is compatible with each material, that is provided by the vinyl manufacturer, IMO if a manufacturer says that it is compatible with that material, then it should be. I should not have to do a test on every vinyl, on every substrate just to make sure the manufacturer is right.

uncletee
We tell the coaches to inform the parents not to use fabric softener, and to line dry, or air dry, as we were told by the manufacturer that those can hinder the sustainability of the vinyl. So far the jerseys that have been brought back, we have been told that they had done what we advised when washing...so I dont know.

Thanks for all the help and advice, we are truly stumped though as to where the problem lies.


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## screen260 (Aug 3, 2008)

A knight press is a darn good press so that's probably not the problem but, you could use a temp gun to check the temperature to make sure.


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## DNeeld (Sep 8, 2010)

301 degrees seems about 30 degrees to low, in my opinion.

Aside from that, you have to consider other factors besides whether the material you are using is compatible with poly. For example, a polyester football jersey is going to take much more abuse from wearing and washing than a polyester shirt. For football jerseys, you need not only a material that is compatible with polyester, but one that has an aggressive adhesive. I'd personally recommend Stahls's Thermo-Grip series for football uniforms, unless the uniforms are porthole mesh. Then you want to use Stahls's Heat Applied Vinyl.


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## BeeM 05 (Oct 13, 2009)

Double check your pressure as well. That plays a very important roll in the application process and can affect the durability of it.


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## tkbdesigns (Jun 21, 2010)

Thanks for all the info. I am going to check into the Stahls that was recommended and see if that works. So far we have only had 4 come back, both after the first game, so I am pretty sure it wasnt because of playing to hard. Hopefully we will be able to work it out. 

Thanks
Tosha


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## RecklessDesignz (Sep 13, 2012)

I've done several football and baseball jerseys and used Siser Easyweed vinyl at 330* firm pressure and haven't had any problems. It's is also hot peel. 

Good luck


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## m33mcg (Jan 12, 2011)

I had the same problem with the vinyl peeling (cold peel material) on poly products. I have had great results with Siser easyweed extra which is made for ploy and nylon products.


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## freebird1963 (Jan 21, 2007)

I had some Augusta shirts were the design peeled off. They weren't football jerseys tho.
I got prints from First Edition one color white. Out of 17 shirts I think between 5-9 the design peeled off right in the same spot. 
Many suggested a platent cold spot I don't believe that was the reason cuz on the platen when I check heat that area is normally around what I set the temp to.
I also had a couple of shirts were the hems were coming loose.
Just saying.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

tkbdesigns said:


> We have an informational sheet on what vinyl is compatible with each material, that is provided by the vinyl manufacturer, IMO if a manufacturer says that it is compatible with that material, then it should be. I should not have to do a test on every vinyl, on every substrate just to make sure the manufacturer is right.


While this may make sense to you, the reality is that a material may be 100% polyester, 100% cotton, etc., however, sometimes they have finishes applied to the material that are not disclosed.....Sizing, stain protection, insect repellent, etc.....So testing is always a good idea.....


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

I use thermal flex plus on everything. Yes it's slightly more expensive than most but never had anything peel. I have a home repair business and about 5 years ago I made shirts and I still have those shirts. My wife uses fabric softener, drys them on high heat the shirts are starting to come apart and that the only places the vinyl is starting to lift. I do baseball and basketball uniforms and never 1 problem. I press with heavy pressure at 335F for 25 sec with Teflon sheet then pull carrier put Teflon back on and press for 12-15 sec. I have a screen print number system but only 1 set of 7" varsity numbers and some of the customers that had stuff done before I got it prefer the vinyl and don't mind paying the extra for it. The thermal flex when done like I do comes out soft flexible and very durable. there are some shirts that contain a coating and should be wiped done with acetone lightly as reccomended by some of the vinyl manufactures but I have ignored that with the thermal flex plus when I know a few had a coating or treatment on them as they has a waring on them for embellishers.


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## suzamac (Mar 18, 2008)

We used thermoflex plus for years without a problem. Then suddenly we had 36 jerseys fail and one shirt that you literally could peel off every letter without a problem. Our heat presses did not change. Our process did not change. We bought a roll of Stahl's Gorilla Grip, figuring that nothing would make that dislodge. We sold our business before we had a chance to test it. But I feel your pain. There is some material out there called "zazzle???" which is 100% poly but with a surface texture. We thought that might be the problem.


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

My guess is that those jerseys had a coating or your supplier change the vinyl. Most suppliers buy huge rolls and the sell the smaller rolls. I had a supplier change the vinyl and still label it as thermal flex plus. Soon as I cut the first piece and started weeding I knew it wasn't. They still claim it was but I ordered somewhere else and filed a claim with credit card cause the wouldn't give refund. Make sure deal with a reputable supplier or you can be using something much cheaper than you think you are.


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## ocean502 (Jul 22, 2008)

I've never had numbers fall off, then I did some ASA-Football jerseys, all lettering fell off, some before they washed them. I was told there may be a coating on them. I ordered therma grip hoping this will solve the problem. Has anyone else had luck with Siser xtra on these jerseys? They are nylon.


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## Angelkelley (Jan 21, 2015)

Not sure if any headway has been made with this situation but......
I had the same problem last year. 100% Nylon football jersey. Did a lot of research and went with Stahls Thermo grip. 25% peeled which made my new business look bad bad. Some are saying Siser, others thermo flex for nylon. I have used both but I'm unsure if they can take the beating. I see Stahls has a new Super film. Has anyone tried this or recommend something else. I have checked my press, heats consistent.
thank you for any wisdom you can pass on.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

Sports jerseys are a very unique animal.....Usually made of synthetic materials with additives to make them stain and moisture resistant.....Unless you know what is in the material and what additives it is hard to know which heat press vinyl to use....

Here is a good blog post on the subject...https://joshellsworth.com/2010/02/15/decorating-team-sports-uniforms/


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## jetsales (Aug 11, 2016)

I am also interested in this topic. We are getting ready to do 150 football jersey's and have been told to use either Easy Weed Extra or Stahls Thermo Film. Anyone had success with either of these brands?? The jersey's are 100% polyester. Thanks!


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## Angelkelley (Jan 21, 2015)

I've been using Thermofilm on 100% poly for a while with good results.


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## ocean502 (Jul 22, 2008)

The only solution to this problem that I have found is to wash the jerseys first. There must be a coating.


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## Angelkelley (Jan 21, 2015)

I'm def gonna try, thank you!!


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