# Vinyl Coming off Reversible Jerseys



## Biverson (Oct 20, 2014)

Hi All,

I did 30 reversible jerseys for a team and just got an email stating some of the letters and numbers were falling off! They are Stahl's Thermofilm, two-layer design. The uniforms are Augusta Sportswear Windham Jerseys. I've got a PowerPress (Amazon for $400) that I use. I did not use a pillow or raise the shirts when printing because the surface was pretty even when I put them on the platen. Followed the directions like a book. 

What could cause this? Should I have used a pillow? If I get them back will pressing them again with a pad secure the adhesion or am I screwed?

Thanks in advance.


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## RS Farmah (Feb 4, 2015)

Hard to say when you cannot see how the vinyl is lifting. I probably would have used something alot firmer than a pillow to allow for maximum adhesiveness. Maybe like some really firm cardboard? You should be able to re-stick them but that's not to say that the vinyl is not faulty. If you any left try it on a tshirt. If it comes off he t shirt then you know what the problem is. However, if it sticks then the problem could be narrowed down to the jerseys themselves or the method in which they were applied.

Hope that helps.


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## 23spiderman (Jun 26, 2008)

the only time i've seen this happen is when my heat was inconsistent. my bottom plate was cold, and so the first few shirts i pressed didn't get the proper amount of heat as most of the head was absorbing into the bottom plate. it is also possible that your heat press isn't putting out the amount of heat that it should be. many times the actual heat is 20-30 degrees different from what your settings are at. the last thing is to ensure you have even pressure across your surface. if your pressure was uneven, or too light, that could have caused your problem.


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## DavidLRobison (Feb 3, 2015)

Some of the Augusta shirts have a water repellent coating that prevents adhesion. Repressing them should fix it but there is a couple of vinyls made to work better. I know JSI in Atlanta has info on it and they have guided us through some of those issues before. They can also make your heat transfers etc.


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## Biverson (Oct 20, 2014)

Thanks everyone. I called Stahl's and they said repressing it should still work. When I initially started pressing them I was putting a 1/4" board in between the layers. Sometimes the letters wouldn't even adhere though! Must not have had enough give? So I just started lying the shirts on the platten. I've also noticed it just seems to be on the double layered letters, not the single. 

I have since got a new Heat Press, Stahls Hotronix Auto Clam with 16" x 16" platten. I found it on Ebay for $775, barely used, and was able to go pick it up the same day. It also came with the 3 other plattens ($270 new). Works great. Also got the caddie so I can thread the shirts, which should prevent this from happening again, and make printing that much faster.

David - Good to know about the August Jerseys. I think if I do them again I'll looked into a different vinyl.


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## sgsellsit (Jul 31, 2008)

This is a printer's worst nightmare. Glad you got your problem resolved. It did sound to me like inconsistent heat and pressure. Stahls is the leader in this. I don't trust anybody else's stuff. I have been burned by other materials so I steer clear of the other stuff.


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