decal removal.

[kwilliamskw30]

Who would be interested in helping me with the fun chore of my decals?

[Mrclean81]

If I lived closer I would be glad to. Its really not that hard once you get it figured out.

[rexazz2]

http://www.tcpglobal.com/autobodydepot/adhremove.aspx

[Mojoe]

I find a heat gun works best. a blow dryer will work too, but is a bit slower. there is a trick to it, though, and that is to not heat it up too much. if you heat it too much it makes the decal too "stretchy", meaning once you start peeling it off the section you have lifted off will just stretch and break. you want to heat it just enough so that the adhesive separates, but not so much that the decal itself becomes too soft and stretchy.

once the decal if off you will be left with adhesive residue. personally, I find paint reducer, along with a little elbow grease, to be the best way to remove it. but it only if it is oem paint. I wouldn't try it with duplicrap or other rattle can paints. the good thing about reducer is that it evaporates too fast to really do any damage to the clear. then once it's done, a quick buff and polish will bring back the shine.

disclaimer: although my suggestion works well for me, and always has, I will not be responsible for your results seeing as I have no control over your technique and application of said advice.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/autobodydepot/adhremove.aspx

he might find this stuff cheaper, and it works almost as good as other stuff.

if by chance he spots those erasers, I warn you, TAKE CAUTION using those. in inexperienced hands they can make a mess of a paint job. spin it up and touch it to your panel at the wrong angle and you can "grind" right through the clear and base faster than you can say "oh crap".

[Badfaerie]

First step is you heat up the vinyl and pull that off. A plastic scraper/applicator helps. Then once the vinyl is gone, you use an adhesive remover to remove the residual adhesive. I use a citrus oil based removed I get from my vinyl supplier that I know won't damage the point and is non-toxic. It's really a pretty quick and simple process is you have the right supplies.

If the vinyl has been clear coated over though, all bets are off.

[Mojoe]

If the vinyl has been clear coated over though, all bets are off.

if that is the case, all you need to do is VERY VERY patiently go around the edge of it with an xacto knife. I can't express enough "very patiently". you don't want to go too deep in the clear. if you do it right, you can buff out the line made by the xacto.

[kwilliamskw30]

Thanks for all the input guys. I am going to attempt it, but I will get someone with experience to help me.

[Mojoe]

lmao @ someone with experience.

sorry to break it to you, but the more someone is "experienced", the less likely they are going to want to give you a hand. in other words, they have probably done enough to know just how much decal removal sucks. I know I have done enough, and now I don't do any more unless I absolutely have to....and I won't do it for free. only thing free will be instructions on how to do it yourself. if that ain't enough, I might be willing to supervise someone if they supply the beer or a good joint. and if the person still can't do it, I will likely just say, "move out of the way and I will do it for $5 a square inch

I kid...sort of. umm...no, I guess I am serious. I hate frickin' decal removal. so much so that if I have a bike to paint that has decals, I don't even bother attempting to remove them. I just sandblast the fookers off. it's easier to prime and sand than it is to mess with those damn things

[Mrclean81]

lmao @ someone with experience.

sorry to break it to you, but the more someone is "experienced", the less likely they are going to want to give you a hand. in other words, they have probably done enough to know just how much decal removal sucks. I know I have done enough, and now I don't do any more unless I absolutely have to....and I won't do it for free. only thing free will be instructions on how to do it yourself. if that ain't enough, I might be willing to supervise someone if they supply the beer or a good joint. and if the person still can't do it, I will likely just say, "move out of the way and I will do it for $5 a square inch

I kid...sort of. umm...no, I guess I am serious. I hate frickin' decal removal. so much so that if I have a bike to paint that has decals, I don't even bother attempting to remove them. I just sandblast the fookers off. it's easier to prime and sand than it is to mess with those damn things

Thats very true. Those with experience charge top dollar for that experience. Unless you have a good friend willing to donate a few hours to the cause, you could be looking at shelling out a few bucks for it.

[kwilliamskw30]

I don't mind spending a little $ to get it done right, but want to learn the tricks at the same time.

[BareKat]

I just used a hair dryer and picked the stickers off bit by bit. Like mojoe said it is a pain in the arse.

I used GooGone to remove the adhesive.

[Mojoe]

I really was sort of half kidding. if it was just a couple of small decals, I would gladly lend a hand to anyone who needed. but if it comes to anything like removing the decals on the '92 1100 kat, forget about it. I did it once, and will never do it again. they are huge, and there is a lot of hours involved. those burgundy stripes that look like paint are decals, with clear over them, and a nightmare to remove.

[Mrclean81]

I use to work for commercial truck dealership. They would buy used box trucks with the wraps, and guess who had to take thoae wraps off. We're talking days and days of sticker and glue removal. Talk about something that makes your head want to explode..I really hated that job lol.

[Toyfan]

very true.. i just used one of those rubber eraser disks on a drill today..made a huge mess and ended up burning through the paint right to plastic on the first side i was getting the feel for it. once i got the hang of it, went pretty smooth but made a HUGE mess, followed up with a bit of polishing compound to remove the last bits of gumminess and followed up with a cleaner wax.

[Mrclean81]

The wheel of death strikes again lol. Sorry to hear about you burning your paint. They market those eraser wheels to be some miraculous tool, when in reality they are dangerous as hell. I couldnt even tell you how many paint jobs Ive had to fix for people who tried to remove a pinstripe or something with one and butchered their car up.