Dry shrinking – How to heat shrink car window tint

There are various methods of heat shrinking car window tint, this article describes the dry shrinking method. Heat shrinking takes place on the outside of the window with the clear release liner of the film facing towards you and the factory edges at the top and bottom of the window.

You will need

Video

Method

  1. Place a small amount of baby powder into the palm of your hand and blow it onto the rear windscreen (the baby powder allows the film to slide over the glass)
  2. Wet the paper towel using the soap/water solution and wipe horizontally across the centre of the window and then vertically at either side to create an ‘H’ pattern.
  3. Place the window film on to the windscreen (with the release liner facing towards you and the factory edges at the top and bottom).
  4. Wet the paper towel using the soap/water solution and repeat the ‘H’ pattern on top of the film.
  5. Squeegee over the ‘H’ pattern to anchor the film to the glass.
  6. Cut the film to size, leaving 1/4″ at each side and 1″ at the top and bottom which cover the black border.
  7. Lift up and re-wet the ‘H’ pattern underneath the film and squeegee again. This will create two ‘pockets’ either side of the horizontal line.
  8. Use a heat gun held about 6″ – 10″ away from the film. For the top ‘pocket’ start at the centre of top edge of the central line and move the heat gun from side to side gradually moving up towards the top edge of the film. Move the heat gun in circular movement and be careful not to heat one area too much as it will cause it to burn.
  9. Repeat for the bottom ‘pocket’, starting from the bottom edge of the horizontal line and moving down towards the bottom of the film.
  10. Smooth out the film using your hand and repeat the above 2 steps until the window film has formed to the shape of the window.
  11. Lift one side of the film and spray the glass with the soap solution. Squeegee the film so it is flat against the glass. Repeat with the other side.
  12. If any fingers remain, use the heat gun the shrink them (start from the centre of the film and move the gun towards the top/bottom).
  13. The window film is ready to apply.
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