Safety and Security Film

Additional Installation Instructions 

Below are the additional instructions for the safety/security film

use in conjunction with existing film installation instructions on website (the main difference is the use of mainly water rather than a detergent/water mix)

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CAUTION - the film edges of security/safety films are extremely sharp, be careful when handling eg if you stand on a scrap and it sticks to your shoe, peel it off the sole, do not try to pull it from under your foot or you may cut your fingers or hand (from experience)
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As this film has a pressure sensitive adhesive (like packaging tape), it is quite 'grabby', therefore it is advisable to have an assistant to help with this installation - to hold the film while you peel the backing sheet off and spray with water only - generally with all films you would use a detergent/water mix, however with these rigid safety/security films, it is best to thoroughly wet the adhesive side with droplets of water (spray so that droplets are visible on the surface, too much and the water will simply run off the film). Spray the film's adhesive side progressively as the backing sheet is removed from it.

Now spray the window so that it too has droplets of water on the surface (you may spray very lightly some detergent/water mix just to add a little slip) - the droplets of water on both surfaces form a "floating" layer of water between film and glass, and with light pressure you will find the film moves around the window on this layer of water.

Try not to wet the top or side window edge to minimise "dirt" contamination flushing back onto glass surface.

Install the film as per standard instructions, after positioning the film with the top edge just clear of the window frame (about 2mm), spray plenty of shampoo/water mix on the back of the film so the squeegee will 'slip' easily on the film.

Starting on the top edge in the centre, squeegee across to one side, then repeat to other side (all squeegee action should be from centre to side) - squeegee a few times on one side, then the other, gradually working your way down to the bottom of the section - be sure to "support" the film with your other hand so that it doesn't re-position itself on the glass. (if you have sprayed some detergent/water mix, you may find the film moves around a little as you squeegee).

Due to the thickness of these films, trimming off excess is a bit trickier as the film doesn't "push" into the window edge, it tends to roll over the edge - trimming is done more manually as the trimming guide can't be pushed firmly against the window edge, so it doesn't provide much off a guide. Do not be concerned with getting a perfectly straight edge to the film, do the best you can and snap off blade sections regularly to keep knife sharp.

After trimming off excess, re-wet and squeegee the film completely again with firmer pressure - it is advisable to use the heavy duty Turbo or Bluemax style squeegees as these remove far more water from under the film and therefore speeds drying time. If necessary you may need to do this again - note that there is a lot of water left behind with this film, as long as there are no large "puddles" under the film, all will dry over the next few weeks (it does take much longer for these films to dry than ordinary solar films) - keep checking position of film after trimming excess and re-position if necessary, especially if you sprayed some detergent/water mix on the glass surface before fitting.

Using a bump card or similar (an old credit card or similar will suffice) wrapped in paper towel, progressively work your way around the window drying the 25mm (1") edge of the film. Firm pressure can be applied.

You may notice that some film edges have slight "crinkles" in it - this is due to the thickness of the film restricting the ability to push the film neatly into window frame edge when fitting and squeegeeing and thus the film gets these small fold lines in it.

These "crinkles" may not want to stick down right away - do the best you can, but if stubborn, leave for a hour or so and go back to firmly push these "crinkled" areas onto the glass when the film has dried a little. You may leave for another hour or so if still not sticking down, sometimes the trimmed edge might just need trimming back a little further to remove some "crinkle" along the edge allowing the film to sit flatter on the glass. If it still won't stick down, leave for a day then try again; sometimes a little clear 'nail varnish' may help stick down a problem edge or corner.

The film will be about 90% dry within a couple of days and be fully bonded within 3 - 6 weeks (it is very slow drying due to the film's thickness). These films may also appear hazy for a few weeks as they dry, don't be concerned as it will virtually disappear and be clear to look at and through.

After a few days of drying, any "air" bubbles that were missed during installation may be "pricked" in the centre with a sharp blade, and using a 'bump card', the "air" can be worked towards the centre.