[Teresa Lang]

I use plasticizer catalyst/hot stuff and kicker. I never had to fix someone elses repair and never got a call back from the ones I have done so I guess they hold up well. I charge 75 retail and 55 for my dealerships. I’m gonna take some before and after pictures next time I do one of those.

[Teresa Lang]

Hey Brannon!

I use the VSR Material for bathtub/shower repairs. I know some techs use the power gel and kicker for smaller damages. On a crack this large I’d definitely go with the VSRM though.

Start sanding with 180/220 and end with 1000. I usually end with 600/800 on my repair materials, then bulldog adhesion promoter, primer, send primer flush with surface 800/1000, seal with SEM clear, dye to match, and finish with DVVA (Dr. Vinyl Visual Aid Headlight Clear).

I hope this helps. Feel free to call me if you have any questions! +1-417-952-0516

Teresa – Dr. Vinyl of Joplin/HQ

[Teresa Lang]

Hello Mitchell!

Tom (Viper Products) will have a demo room to him self almost all day Friday, there he will inform us about everything new, do demonstrations and let us test and try new products! I will publish a list of all new products presented by Viper before convention. A few highlights include the new Polycryl color system, the Flock Pro velour puffer and the new Pro Air cordless airbrush!

As far as vinyl/leather repair products go I’m sure we’ll see a wide variety of new and improved products. Not only by Viper but also by Dura Mend (the company that makes the Deep Leather Flex Fill). Nanoskin and SEM will also have Leather/Vinyl re-condition and dye products.

Less than a month to go, yipiii! Hopefully we get the schedule with a description of products and demonstrations to be presented published by next week…

Looking forward to seeing you!
– Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Hello Brennon!

Once the water-based dye is completely dry you can lightly sand it with high grit to knock of the rough feeling and give the leather a smooth finish!

If the scratches are gone there should be no need for more air-dry fillers. Just sand your final layer of dye with a high-grit sandpaper (such as 800 or 1000) until it feels smooth again, then wipe away the sanding dust with a damp microfiber towel or with silicone remover on a lint free towel (do not rub to hard since you do not want to remove the layers of dye already sprayed). When you apply more dye or a top coat make sure it is not going on to dry since that might give you a rough coat again. Once finished you can still taper off rough spots by very lightly sanding those spots with high grit sandpaper… You can also use a leather conditioner, such as the RX-Vinyl Conditioner after you’re satisfied with the smoothness of the repaired area to give the surface a nice even sheen!

If you’re working in the cold make sure your surface is warm prior to applying any product at all.

-Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Good Morning Brennon!

Good news: There will be flooring-repair demos at convention 🙂

I personally have never tried the Flooring-Repair-Kit from Home Depot. If you’re going to try it I would definitely change the labels on the kit or use a different box for the kit… The ratings seem very promising. Especially on wood/laminate flooring this seems like a good option.

On linoleum, sheet vinyl and vinyl tile flooring I always use Flex Gel to repair the area and I use Sem Lacquer Dye with paint brushes to re-create the color pattern. The re-coloring is often tricky and might take a little while, however, the end-result is usually very nice. Vinyl/Linoleum-Flooring-Repairs and Re-Coloring will be demonstrated at the convention. We’re hoping to have the final convention schedule ready by mid-February. Flooring-demo-sessions are planned to be held on both days, Friday and Saturday.

– Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Hello Mitchell!

Thank you for the update. It is always good talking to you 🙂 I’m glad you liked the new Medium Vinyl Hyde. It’s definitely one of my favorites too!

Looking forward to seeing you at convention.

Best,
Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Hello!

I’d say bounce house materials are probably comparable with high quality inflatable boats/rafts!
Here are links to repair kits from Walmart: Evercoat Inflatable Boat Repair Kit
Inflatable Boat Repair Kit 2 and here is one from Amazon.com that has very good ratings: Amazon Bounce House Repair Kit

I fixed my inflatable boat before but I’d have to check on what I used. I’ll keep you updated!

[Teresa Lang]

[Teresa Lang]

Hello Mitchell!

As far as I can tell the NEW Medium Vinyl Hyde takes the longest to set up. Here’s what I did: I took a little bit of all our heat cure compounds and put it on a scrap vinyl cushion. I did use a hair dryer and evenly warmed up all the compounds. Now I’m basically just let them sit on the vinyl for a few days to figure out which ones set up and which ones stay wet the longest. Tomorrow I’ll put the cushion with the fillers out in the sun (we’re supposed to get over 70 degrees, yay) to see what happens. So far the NEW Medium Vinyl Hyde is still wet and spreadable while ALL the other ones started setting up already. The Duraflex, Extra Thick and XR-15 set up the quickest. Base Fill and FX-9 set up a little bit but not too bad.

I’m also hoping that other technicians here share their experience with fillers setting up and give us their opinion on which ones have the longest shelf-live. I will also talk to Tom from Viper about it to find out more about shelf lives in different temperature ranges.

– Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Good Morning,

Are all the available heat cure compounds you listed available through the Dr.Vinyl Warehouse?

YES! They are all available through the Dr. Vinyl Warehouse.

I have used all you have listed but FX-9

Have you used the FX-8 in the past? The FX-9 is very similar but has a few advantages over the FX-8. It is just a little bit thicker, thus it fills nicer. It is very easy to spread and grain and cures at only 295 degrees. It is way more durable than the FX-8 was. I will send you a FREE sample of the FX-9 with your next order since you were the first one to respond to this!

As far as the B2 goes I will try to find out if we have a filler or can get a filler with a comparable longevity in the heat.

Thank you for your feedback
– Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Mitchell,

Let me start off with a description of each filler by the manufacturer (Viper):

Base fill is a medium viscosity heat cure compound used to fill holes or deep cracks in vinyl or leather is cures to a firmer feel and sands well. It can be grain when its hot. And cures at a lower temp around 295 degrees.

Dura Flex is our super thick state of the art reinforced heat cure compound it has fiberglass blended into it to provide and extremely durable repair it has excellent adhesion to both leather and vinyl., it grains easily and can be sanded. It also cures with very little shine for excellent hiding . This is a viper exclusive product and the best compound in the industry.

Extra Thick Vinylhyde is a unique vinyl repair compound. It has special fillers added to it to give it a super thick constancy that provides excellent filling without shrinking . Very popular for use in doing restaurant repair work as well as automobiles.

Fusion X is a unique vinyl repair compound. It has special fillers added to it to give it a super thick constancy that provides excellent filling without shrinking . Very popular for use in doing restaurant repair work as well as automobiles.

FX-9 goes off at 295 degrees and grains very well. It has multi flex technology and is extremely durable. This is a must have compound for today’s new heat sensitive vinyls.

Medium Vinylhyde is a medium viscosity vinyl repair compound . It grains well and spreads easily. This compound is similar to our competitors but with a stronger tensile strength and better flex.

XR-15 is our exclusive reinforced high performance heat cure . It cures at a lower temp and has a softer feel and now is reinforced with our exclusive process using a special milled reinforced fiberglass this adds extreme strength to the compound.

Was there something wrong with the previous fillers?

No. But we do try to constantly improve our products. In the past vinyl fillers might have been migrating, required more heat to cure, weaker, cured harder/less flexible, didn’t grain as easy and so on. Viper does a great deal on improving their heat cure compounds and making them the best in the market. A lot of comparable heat cure compounds of competitors lack in one of the following characters: Easy to grain, durable, non-migrating, easy to hide, real leather- or vinyl feel, strength, sand-able, easy to cure, easy to spread, durability, and so on. In your other comment you mention the B-1 and the very long shelf live. This is a good point. Since we have Dr. Vinyl technicians all over the US our heat cure compounds (and every other product for that matter) should withstand the long therm effects of different temperatures. Let me look into that and see if any of our current fillers has a comparable shelf live to the B-1!

Another reason for frequent updates on heat cure compounds is that all our techs have very different preferences. Some like thin viscosity, super easy to grain fillers while others might like thick viscosity, quick fill compounds. I think the different thicknesses mainly benefit new techs. I’m sure most experienced techs are able to fill, spread, cure and grain with every available compound. For “newbies” it might just be easier to find the right viscosity and get used to the process before they are able to use every product on the marked. This is why during training every new technician has the option to test all fillers and find their favorite choice.

– Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Mitchell,

I love your idea about using the steamer instead of an iron for the red relief. I’m going to use a steamer now in my future training classes as well. Thanks so much for this advice!

– Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Pros and Cons of HWE and/or shop vacs:

Pros:
– Easier to remove residue of stain, cleaning solution and excess water
– Quicker dry times

Cons:
– Depending on the size of the HWE or shop vac it can take away space in the van
– Most HWEs and shop vacs are bulky and heavy
– Electricity/Extension cord needed
– Heavy duty ones are usually very expensive

Personally I ran in to the situation before were I didn’t bring my HWE to a client where I had to do a very big stain removal and it took me longer that it usually would have. Though a lot of times I don’t even get the heavy/bulky HWE out of the van for smaller/easier cleanings or in hot weather when dry times are short(er) anyways.

What I use on all organic/general stains is Firewater! I love that stuff… I just spray a diluted version all over the seat (10to1), brush with my soft bristle brush, spray more water, clean off with towel. HWE optional!

– Teresa

[Teresa Lang]

Hello Will!

Here is a thought: Alternative to a hot water extractor you could also go with a shop vac and a spray bottle to remove the red relief residue.

Here is a little cordless spot-cleaner device for a very reasonable price from Walmart (66$): https://www.walmart.com/ip/BISSELL-Pet-Stain-Eraser-Advanced-Cordless-Portable-Spot-and-Carpet-Cleaner-2054/592551386?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0

And here is a little shop vac for just 30$, also from Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shop-Vac-3-Gallon-3-0-Peak-HP-Wet-Dry-Vac/453742942?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227092729983&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=207449677632&wl4=aud-273067695102:pla-336729941491&wl5=9023204&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=453742942&wl13=&veh=sem

– Teresa

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Teresa Lang.
• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Teresa Lang.
• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Teresa Lang.

[Teresa Lang]

Thank you Raymond for your feedback!

A canoe trip would be great… we’ll keep in touch about that 🙂

– Teresa

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