National Emergency Bumper Sticker Making (nebsi/english)
Intro: National Emergency Bumper Sticker Making (nebsi/english)
In an emergency, keep your head down, and keep working on your bumper stickers. It's not right that this democratic channel of communication would be throttled by calamity. There's a way to make attractive, weather-resistant, and removable bumper stickers using things you probably have at home. I'll show you how.
STEP 1: Tools and Supplies
a bumper sticker design on ordinary paper
clear packing tape
scotch tape
wax paper
a gluestick
scissors
a pencil with an eraser
a toothpick
STEP 2: Find a Design
STEP 3: Print Your Design
STEP 4: Cut Out Your Paper Sticker
STEP 5: Tape Wax Paper Down on Your Work Surface
STEP 6: Glue the Back of Your Paper Sticker
STEP 7: Press the Sticker Onto the Wax Paper
STEP 8: Laminate With "shingles" of Clear Tape
Repeat this with another length of clear packing tape, this time overlapping the first layer of tape by about 1/4".
Shingle on more lengths of tape until you have put down the last, the one that extends more than 1/2" above the top edge of the sticker.
STEP 9: Trim Around the Laminated Sticker
STEP 10: Get the Peeling Started
Apply a shearing force to the edge of the paper sticker in the vicinity of one of the corners. This causes a bubble of separation to open between the tape and the wax paper. The opening can be worked all the way out to an edge. From there you can get the true peeling started by inserting a toothpick. Use the toothpick to drag the opening to the corner. At that point you can trim off a bit of the corner from the tape (not the wax paper.) That creates a place where it will be easy to start peeling when you are ready to install your sticker.
Congratulations, your new sticker is ready to distribute to others or to take out to the bumper for installation.
STEP 11: Installingâand Removingâ Your Bumper Sticker
Choose a lsurface that is flat or curved in only one direction.
Clean and dry the surface.
Peel off the wax paper. (If it tears, you won't find it difficult to peel off what remains.)
Keep the exposed sticker in tension, holding the clear tape margins on each side. Stick the left edge down on the surface. Apply strong tension need to get wrinkle-free edges. If you have a problem you can back up and stretch a little differently as it goes down. Gradually enlarge the area of adhesive contact until the whole sticker is down.
Lastly, use the eraser end of a pencil to rub firmly down on all the margins and seams. The top edge is the important area to seal, it keeps water out, keeping your water-soluble inkjet ink happy. Press closed any wrinkles.
When removing a sticker many days later, some adhesive may stay behind. Remove it this way: put some ammonia on a soft cloth; press it on the adhesive for about 30 seconds or so; then gently wipe.
(Sorry about the bucket. Sandy was already dousing my bumper when I got around to taking these pictures.)
Comments
IDThoris 10 years ago