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I am trying to remove old decals from a trailer. I used slight heat from a heat gun to peel them off, but adhesive residue was left behind. I tried Goo Gone and it did not work. I am concerened that anything else that would do the trick would also remove teh paint.
I may try WD40. Has anybody had any luck with anything else?
Bob,
I've used decal "erasers" before with success. You may go through a couple if the decals are numerous or very large.
Some examples:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keyw...AEraser&page=1
Craig
I've used Avon's Skin So Soft often. Apply it, let it stay on for 12-24 hrs, re-apply, then wipe/wash off with Fantastik. It may take a few applications. I'm surprised the Goo-Gone didn't work. Maybe re-try the Goo-Gone but let it soak on the stick-um longer.
Alan
I use a heat gun to soften decals before removing, and I don't worry too much about the heat. After that, if there is anything left behind WD40 is the only thing I use and it works perfect. Just be sure to wipe the car/trailer down with soapy water or denatured alcohol before re-applying new decals. No need to wait 24 hours or anything like that. Simple tools for simple tasks. ;)
WD-40 is a good choice. Peanut butter works as well in a pinch but is more suited to removing tech stickers versus large trailer decals. Tastes better too.
My GF works for a sign company, she says use rubbing alcohol.
3M Adhesive Remover. You can get it from NAPA in the paint section. It still takes a bit of elbow grease, but gets the stuff off. Race gas works pretty well too.
For decal adhesive removal? Not the best choice, IMO. You need some type of oil or solvent to break down the glues in the adhesives. GooGone is a citrus-based oil that works very well. Naptha or cigarette lighter fluid (Ronsonal) also works in a pinch, too. Rubbing alcohol doesn't work too much better than hot water. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jtovo
Also, sometimes if there is not a lot of adhesive to remove, you can actually use the decal itself (or a piece of masking tape) to 'pick' the remaining glue off of the surface. Use it as if you were taking pet hair off of a black sweater with a piece of packing tape. It works pretty well with the least amount of potential damage to the surface.
I have spent a large part of my life playing with all sorts of decals. I know how to get them off. :D
Goo Gone works great, just let it sit for a couple of minutes (I got a couple of bottles at the local dollar store). I used my thumbnails to scrape some grooves across the leftover adhesive, then rubbed the area a bit with a towel with a couple of drops of Goo Gone. The rest of the sticky stuff rolled into little booger-shapes right off the paint and onto the towel. Goo Gone doesn't work well over large areas of leftover adhesive (SCCA decals are terrible to remove), but scraping some grooves across it increases its effectiveness tremendously. Using a heat gun is definitely a must as mentioned above, and it helps sometimes to remove the decals slowly so the adhesive sticks to the decal rather than your bodywork. Some decals like to be removed at an angle, some straight off, some faster than others, but I fear we're getting a little too detailed...:checkered:
I use Rapid Remover. I usually buy it from my sign supply vendors, but I found some on ebay that anyone can buy. This stuff works.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rapid-Remover-Ap...d=p3286.c0.m14
I did a trailer with the 3M system - decal remover pops the actual decal off in seconds with no heat, then the adhesive remover takes the gunk off. I think it's actually designed to take off the faux wood trim on those classy station-wagons of yore.
Nothing took off the un-faded paint where the decals had been though
Brian
I recently did a 40' gooseneck covered with vinyl.
I went out and picked up every possible decal/ glue remover I could find. I went out of my way to buy some that were suggested after online research.
Seriously, tried about 15 different products including heat and rubber (on a drill) erasers.
ONE thing worked the best: Heat gun... get it hot, take your time and remove in the largest chunks you can. For the remaining residue the product that worked the best was "Auto Tech Quick & Easy Adhesive remover". Stuff worked great... spray it on, use a plastic scraper to dislodge the stubborn adhesive then pressure wash the whole mess right off. BTW- McMaster Carr sells the remover.
I did try everything mentioned thus far in this thread and this stuff was the most effective.
Still, it's very time consuming even with the heat gun and best stuff.
Thanks guys.
Am I the only one that uses brake clean for this? It works way better than goo gone, although the goo gone smells a lot better.
Yes. Highly toxic, very noxious and will not be very friendly to paint. I'd stay away from that stuff on painted pieces unless you really have to.Quote:
Originally Posted by SStadel
They guy who paints my car (and other northern illinois IRL cars) says to use acetone, but realize that the painted surfaces touched by acetone needs an immediate application of a non cleaner carnuba wax to the area. This has worked well for me, both in removing the gunk and also in maintaining a good paint finish. YMMV.
Tim
[quote=carnut169;187800] the product that worked the best was "Auto Tech Quick & Easy Adhesive remover". Stuff worked great... spray it on, use a plastic scraper to dislodge the stubborn adhesive then pressure wash the whole mess right off. BTW- McMaster Carr sells the remover.
/quote]
Auto tech remover is awesome - same results as the rapid remover I've mentioned before. Good to know that McMaster Carr sells it; my sign material supplier stopped carrying the Auto tech remover and only sells Rapid brand products.
Also, the plastic straight razor blades work great.
Ian
I have found the 3M adhesive remover or WD40 work pretty well for small jobs, but a caution with all of the removers is that if you start rubbing hard on some old dried-up adhesive, you may start doing something to the paint.
- Frank C
Not all are... we are forced to use some that are very "friendly" when a tech is working in a closed area such as a mine - a requirement. Our tucks can't even have noxious or toxic cleaners on them when working in such locations.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Carter
I've always found it better to heat the body material from the backside. Not always possible of course. If you get the amount of heat right this does two things - (1) softens the adhesive more at the body interface rather then the decal interface thus leaving more on the decal and less on the body - (2) doesn't make the decal quite as soft which means it doesn't tear as easily.Quote:
Originally Posted by carnut169
By the way has anyone else found tech stickers seem easier to get off these days than years ago? Material doesn't seem to tear as easily and a steady pull seems to get them off without leaving any adhesive behind.
Yes, particularly on a windy, rainy day - on the way to the grid for the race......:meatball:Quote:
Originally Posted by dereklola
In the old days, a 'badge of honor' was how many tech stickers you had on your role bar and body work. Somewhere (after I was gone) I guess pregrid decided that searching for the correct weekend sticker was getting to be too much work! Thus the 'remove' oldies.Quote:
Originally Posted by dereklola
The other thing was how many dash plaques you had in the car. That tradition is gone too. But perhaps that was a saftey issue. Plaques make good shrapnel in impacts I guess. Now they go on the tool box. No, we don't have an enclosed trailer for them :(
Surprise, it rains in Seattle area a lot. By Sunday morning our tech stickers are all but melted off the car. One weekend I looked and basically all that was left on Sunday was the outline of the glue.
P.S.
Yes, I use WD40 on gel coat for decal glue removal. Wipe with Windex then a new layer of wax.
When peeling off any sticker, do not pull it off on the dirction you're removing the decal...but lift the decal and pull it the opposite way, usually this way 99% of the glue stays with the vinyl....for the 1% I use a rubbing alcohol and my fingers to soften the very sticky glue then scrape it off with somthing like a credit card or the Sticker spatula.
Just make sure U do this in the shade and wash off any residue with car was type of soap...
Plain and simple to remove adhesive glue.......
MINERAL SPIRITS
It is cheap to buy....
It won't ruin your paint....
It works.....
The residue of the glues are gone.
Buy it at any Walmart, Kmart, Lowes, Home Depot anywhere paint products are sold.
Try It........
A product called "DeSolvit" - similar to Goo Gone (Citrus based) except it works. Goo Gone is junk. DeSolvit will not harm paint or plastic face shields. WalMart has it or look it up on line. I buy a gallon of it and us it for most adhesive removal tasks. A lot better and faster that even some of the solvents. 3M Adhesive remover-I use that also but only when it is not on paint. I use DeSolvit to take off the old sticky tape from wheel wieghts, race stickers and car decals. You can heat it and it will not catch on fire - kinda nice. No, I don't work for them...