Removing old decals (?)

[les45]

It looks like one of the more daunting tasks on my current project to upgrade/modify a 26 year old Jayco pop-up camper will be the removal of all the decals and pinstriping on the sheet metal side walls. I've made a few preliminary attempts with a razor blade scraper but the corrugations make that nearly impossible. Chemical strippers (Formby's) soften the paint but don't put a dent in the decals. My next step will be a very light touch with a power wire brush. Has anyone found a better way to do this without damaging the fairly thin metal?

[pete49]

If they are vinyl decals and stripes a heatgun or hairdrier will soften them. I used this method to remove decals from my Nissan 4x4.
Pete

[doug hodder]

Go to an automotive paint shop, they have a spray made just for the removal of vinyl graphics. Doug

[Vedette]

Wire wheel is not the way to go!
I agree with Doug's suggestion.......there are great products out there!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[capnTelescope]

WD-40 might soften the adhesive. Also, the plastic chisel-shaped scrapers available in the automotive section at Harbor Fright are useful non-scratching tools. http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-nonmarring-scraper-set-95832.html

[darrellbeck]

Years ago , when I worked in a body shop, they had a wheel that attached to a drill, where the spinning part was basically an eraser, like on a pencil. As it spun it heated the decal and softened it while removing it.I don't even know if they make them any more.

[Tom Kurth]

Have you tried all the standard thinners? Acetone, lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol are solvents for most of the finishes out there and a lot of adhesives. Try them on an out-of-the-way spot first. If you can peel the vinyl, one of those might remove any remaining adhesive.

Best,
Tom

[Padilen]

Years ago , when I worked in a body shop, they had a wheel that attached to a drill, where the spinning part was basically an eraser, like on a pencil. As it spun it heated the decal and softened it while removing it.I don't even know if they make them any more.

They make one called Magic Eraser. Let me check who.
Ok it's not called Magic, but it's 3M
http://www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com ... -tool.html

[starleen2]

I have used a heat gun on low settings, and even a hair dryer to loosen up the vinyl to remove graphics from autos. Any residue left behind usually cleaned up with WD-40

[GPW]

26 year old Jayco ..... must have been stored inside all the time ...

[doug hodder]

Watch using "hot" solvents, IE, Acetone, lacquer thinner...it will remove/damage paint, unless you don't care about that. There are also plastic razor blades, I use them for cleaning butyl tape that may work as well. Doug

[felixx]

we have a product here called De solv it
I think you can get it in the us:
http://www.de-solv-it.com/

it is citrus based and worked well for me

[les45]

After trying numerous liquid solvents, nothing would touch the old dried out decals. Their only use is to clean up the glue after removing the decal. I tried a heat gun and it worked pretty well but it was cumbersome having to change hands constantly as I scraped. I found that putting a halogen work lamp up against the side and moving it slowly in the direction that I was working seemed to do the best. I also found that a simple single edge razor blade scraper would get under the decals without damaging the metal. The razor blade worked well on flat surfaces but it took the clip blade of my pocket knife to get the angled areas along the corrugations. This looks like the best way to do it so far but it is going to be a long, slow process. I'm not trying to save the paint as it will all get sanded and re-painted later.

[les45]

After a lot of tedious time with the razor blade scraper and knife, I decided to try something different. I did a test section using a small propane torch and moving it continuously with a low flame. I could actually see the decal bubbling from the heat. As long as I scraped while it was still hot, it would easily come right off, saving a lot of time and effort. This produced a few sooty spots where the decal actually burned a little, but those spots cleaned up nicely with a little sanding. After working about a square foot area and cleaning it up, there was absolutely no damage to the metal skin. Guess I'll keep using this method for now.