Author Topic: Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?  (Read 2407 times)

Offline mimosatexas

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Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?
« on: December 07, 2015, 12:14:28 PM »
Have a client who wants a one of "jersey" made of nylon.

Rush job, they are providing the blank, simple 6 letter name on the back, and charging them a ton.  Yay!

I have some of this: http://www.stahls.com/heat-transfer-material-thermo-grip and have used it in the past on nylon without issue, but in looking around I noticed this is listed as working on "knit nylon", but for "woven nylon" Stahls says I should be using this: http://www.stahls.com/heat-transfer-material-gorilla-grip

Have I just gotten lucky in the past or had clients who didnt let me know about an issue?  What exactly is the difference between knit and woven nylon and how would I be able to tell which is which (seems like a dumb question, but I'm confused)?  I do nylon stuff so rarely, I just want to make sure I have my ducks in a row...


Offline Ryan

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Re: Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2015, 12:37:48 PM »
I think they mean more of a Nylon jersey, ie mesh style of jersey or what I like to think of as actual material feeling like polyester vs woven, which would be like a nylon jacket. Hope that makes sense. I use Easyweed extra for the woven type right now, but used to use gorrila grip for that and thermo grip for the jersey type of material.

Offline mimosatexas

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Re: Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2015, 12:40:55 PM »
ok cool, sounds like I am good.  So the easyweed extra/gorilla grip is more for the coaches jackets and smooth bags etc, but the jersey style material should be fine with thermo grip, right?

Offline Frog

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Re: Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2015, 01:36:42 PM »
My understanding is that unlike with Plastisol, any sort of nylon does require a special adhesive heat seal film. For the occasional nylon jersey, I use Thermo Grip and Easyweed Extra.
On Cordura and other woven nylons, I have used Gorilla Grip, and lately, something my supplier sent as a substitute for Easyweed Stretch when they were out, Stahl's Sport Lite, which works on a lot of stuff!, including both types of Nylon. Same problem (or feature) as Gorilla Grip, a non-adhesive carrier film. Really easy to weed as long as you don't need to re-position any tiny area that lifted by accident. Then it's toothpicks and glue sticks! :P
That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

Offline Wildcard

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Re: Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2015, 05:07:59 PM »
A knit has more mechanical stretch and more surface texture than a weave so I'm guessing that in terms of transfer adhesion, a knit will be more problematic and require a pretty resilient transfer.

Offline Frog

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Re: Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2015, 06:47:42 PM »
A knit has more mechanical stretch and more surface texture than a weave so I'm guessing that in terms of transfer adhesion, a knit will be more problematic and require a pretty resilient transfer.



yet it is the woven that gets the materials also featuring stretch properties
That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

Offline Wildcard

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Re: Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2015, 07:43:09 AM »

yet it is the woven that gets the materials also featuring stretch properties
It's a fascinating topic and one I'm looking to learn more about as with my other recent posts.
If I understand you correctly, then you mean stretch materials like elastane/spandex?
I figure that using a stretchy core material in a woven fabric balances out its rigidity, where using it in a knit results in fabrics like Lycra, but then Lycra needs the polyester in there to maintain some strength or control over the fabric to make it functional.
Like everything else there seems to be countless variables to be aware of and I'm pretty sure my brain is full...

Offline Frog

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Re: Vinyl for Knit Nylon vs Woven Nylon?
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2015, 08:46:29 AM »

yet it is the woven that gets the materials also featuring stretch properties
It's a fascinating topic and one I'm looking to learn more about as with my other recent posts.
If I understand you correctly, then you mean stretch materials like elastane/spandex?
I figure that using a stretchy core material in a woven fabric balances out its rigidity, where using it in a knit results in fabrics like Lycra, but then Lycra needs the polyester in there to maintain some strength or control over the fabric to make it functional.
Like everything else there seems to be countless variables to be aware of and I'm pretty sure my brain is full...

Actually, my reference to "materials" was referring to the different heat seal films, in this case Gorilla Grip and Sport Film Light, recommended for both stretchy spandex fabrics and woven (as well as knit) nylon
That rug really tied the room together, did it not?