Test Your Fate: Vinyl Construction

Once all the vinyl has been prepped the MDF had to be wiped down to remove any dust that may stop the vinyl from sticking. A few elements were hand sanded to make the surface smoother to allow the vinyl to adhere to the wood more. Placing the blue vinyl onto the board was difficult as the holes in the vinyl had to align with the holes on the board. The alignment worked quite well, with some holes being slightly off resulting in some of the MDF being visible however this can be covered with spare vinyl or paint. The only issues that arose with the blue vinyl were some creasing where the vinyl stuck to itself due to the large size of the piece (see figures 1-2). It was difficult to keep everything level and even when sticking the vinyl down whilst also focusing on the alignment of the holes. However this creasing shouldn't be too noticeable once the perspex and lights are added.

In relation to the white vinyl this was cut into sections and pre-arranged on the board in order to make sure everything fit (see figure 3). This process was very helpful as it meant the text could be placed down separately and other elements placed around so nothing was too close or crowded. Splitting the piece into sections also made the transferring process much easier as each individual element was stuck on on its own, limiting the risk of errors as the pieces where so small so extra care could be taken to avoid air bubbles or creasing (see figures 4-5). Overall applying the white in sections has allowed for a higher quality finish to the whole board as each element went on smoothly. Futhermore the white sections have also taken some attention away from the creasing in the blue vinyl as the white stands out more (see figures 5-8).

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

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Figure 8