To apply an Ankilla vinyl ski wrap to your new skis follow these instructions. Please read each step before and then again as you go because you can mess it up and ruin it.
Brand new skis work best for applying my vinyl wraps. Scratches and rough patches on your skis will decrease the ability for the vinyl to bond the ski. So you can try to vinyl wrap a used pair of skis at your own risk. But I will always suggest a pair of brand new skis. And a brand and model of skis that does not comes factory stock with an already textured topsheet like some Icelantic skis do.
Supplies & Tools:
-Ankilla Vinyl Ski Wrap
-A pair of brand new unmounted skis
-A plastic card, gift card, credit card, or ski pass.
-Isopropyl Alcohol.
-Razor Blade
-(Optional) 3M Tape Primer 94
-(Optional) Rust-oleum 2x UltraCover Gloss Clear Coat
-(Optional) a friend to help.
Step 1: find an open space on the floor or a counter top of bench large enough to fit a pair of skis laid out.
Step 2: Take Isopropyl Alcohol on a paper towel and wip down the surface of your skis. This removes an debris that may get stuck under the vinyl resulting in a bad look and worse application of the adhesive vinyl.
Step 3: Take the 6.5ft x 1ft Matte Black Vinyl Roll and with a pair of scissors split it down the middle so that you have 2 rolls roughly 6.5ft x 0.5ft each. These rolls will cover a single ski each.
(Optional Step 3b: Following the directions on the can, apply a layer of 3M Tape Primer 94. This will cement your vinyl to your skis. You can find this primer online or at most hardware stores.)
(This step is not always necessary. The adhesive on the vinyl will be enough on its own. But it will be more prone to chipping, scratching, and minor peeling. I have done both methods before. Skis naturally chip, scratch, and peel when skiied on. I personally think it's a cool aesthetic, especially when the colors of the graphic underneath shows through adding an interesting twist to the over all aesthetic. But you do you. It's up to you. If you are attempting to vinyl wrap used skis then I do suggest using the 3M primer for a better result.)
Step 4: Using the help of a friend to hold one end of the matte black vinyl roll centered over the tip of the tail, or using a piece of tape to hold the vinyl wrap there instead, begin to peel a few inches of the vinyl away from its paper backing. With the exposed sticky vinyl, stick it to the tip of the nose of the ski with a centimeter to an inch of excess vinyl hanging over the nose and into the air. This gives you a good margin so everything runs smoothly. Now with the plastic card, squeegee the vinyl onto the ski surface. Make sure with the plastic card you remove any possible or present air bubbles under the vinyl. As you go unroll the paper backing off of the vinyl as your squeegeeing. Make sure you are aiming straight with the vinyl so that the vinyl covers the ski fully nose to tail. Squeegee the vinyl to the entire ski. Once done examine the vinyl on your ski for any air bubbles or problems, if you find any work to squeegee them flat and gone.
(I personally suggest to only apply the vinyl to the topsheet and not to the side walls. Often times its hard for the vinyl to stick to the curved small surface of the sidewalls. If you used the 3M primer, it can work. But like I said in most cases just apply the vinyl to the flat top sheet. Some color of the original ski's topsheet may show, but I personally think that's the aesthetic fun of winyl wrapping your skis.)
Step 5: With a razor blade trim the excess vinyl off.
Step 6: Repeat Step 4 & 5 with the other unwrapped ski, so that both skis will be fully wrapped in the matte black vinyl.
(If you only bought a black vinyl wrap, or only want your skis to be vinyl wrapped black, then you are done. Throw some Ankilla Stickers on them for some swag, and you are done!)
Step 7: Apply the holographic vinyl designs on top. The process is the same. Squeegee the holographic vinyl to the matte black vinyl topsheet. Make sure no bubbles form under the vinyl during your application. Once you've done that technically YOU'RE DONE! YAY! but keep reading.
(Now this is where it gets fun. The standard way to apply the vinyl designs is each 2 foot design is applied on each ski's nose and tail. This leaves the middle of the ski blank. But that's okay because your boots and bindings will got there anyways. But you are most welcome to apply the vinyl designs in any manner you'd like. Put them all on 1 ski for all I care. Or have all of the designs on the noses and middles so your tails are pure black. The world is yours! Have fun!)
(Optional Step 8: With fully vinyl wrapped skis. Take the skis to an outside area with good air flow. Take the Rust-Oleum 2x UltraCover Gloss Clear Coat and coat each ski in a layer. You can stop at 1 layer. Or wait until the Spray sets and can be worked with, and apply a 2nd layer of clear coat. I'll just say this. DO NOT spray clear coat on your bases. Don't be dumb. Just clear coat your topsheets.
The clear coat will help keep the 2nd layer of holographic vinyl down better. You don't have to do this, but it sure doesn't hurt, and a clear coat is cheap and can be found easily at hardware stores.
Alrighty! You are all done! and you have 1 of a kind Skis now. Aint nobody gunna be able to steal your skis! Everyone gunna know you for your skis too! You are now a 1 of a kind looking skier. So just watch as people notice your skiing EVEN MORE!
If you have any questions or need help DM me @X_Ankilla on Instagram. If you mess up your vinyl in the process, reach out to me, and for a small fee I can get you new vinyl.