billdowning Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 What is the best way to remove faded and cracked decals. Does the 3M rubber eraser harm gelcoat. Got any tips and or tricks to make it easier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluwood56 Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Sharp razor blade and a warm day works best for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat & Pete Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Try a heat gun ( carefully ) or maybe a hair drier will be enough . The idea is to soften the adhesive while pulling the decal off . Best to start at a corner or tip and lay the decal back on itself while removing , as opposed to pulling straight away from the surface . WD40 will remove most any adhesive left on the surface . Wash the surface with soap and water afterward . Goes around , comes around . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Catcher Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Depends on the decal, there are decal removing wheels, and adhesive removers, a warm day a heat gun a plastic spatula... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acampingwewillgo Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Having bought my brother's delivery HHR that had decals all over it(about 7 year old decals), I tried just about everything. Heat Gun, Plastic razor blades, 3M eraser wheel, chemicals, fingernails, ect ect. The things that worked best, hmmmmm the 3M eraser is good just be careful with it, it can leave marks. The heat gun in conjunction with the plastic razor's were a close second. I had practically the whole vehicle to work on. 96' Vogue PrimaVista, CAT 3176b, 10.2 litre, Allison HD-4060 Mollie, Rubie, Cassie and Maggie.......all rescued King Charles Spaniel's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambler62 Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 We just removed alot of the decals on our new to us MH. Razor blades and heat work but one of the decal and adhesive wheels works the best. DO NOT get one of the cheap one like from HF. Go to an automotive paint shop and get one. I have a good one and works great. Bought a cheap one and all it does is gum up the gel coat. Get what you pay for. They do last a long time too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyretired Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 I used a small decal remover from HF. It plugs in to heat a razor blade. Removed all of the decals on our Teton and painted new ones. If the decals are old and cracked pulling with a heat gun can be frustrating. The little decal remover just slides along but care must be taken to avoid nicking the gel coat. The 3M Eraser worked on some of our decals but left a mess on others. I used lacquer thinner to remove the glue. The HF decal remover is cheap, around $15. It took 2 to do our 40' 5er. I haven't tried some of the other methods so I can't comment on them. Randy 2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRum Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 What chemicals can you use to remove the glue residue after peeling the sticker off?... 3in1 Spray Oil?... I've always been a tinkerer and a fixer... So what better way to stay active in my retirement than to buy an RV... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lappir Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 The previous owner of my truck did a good job of getting a LOT of decals removed from it before I purchased it. Chuck, are you still here? What was your secret? Don't know if I have the photo of before but will look. Rod White 2000/2010Volvo VNL 770 with 7' Drom box with opposing doors, JOST slider hitch. 600 HP Cummins Signature 18 Speed three pedal auto shift. 1999 Isuzu VehiCross retired to a sticks and bricks garage. Brought out of storage the summer of 2022 2022 Jeep Wrangler Sport S Two door hard top. 2007 Honda GL 1800 2013 Space Craft Mfg S420 Custom built Toyhauler The Gold Volvo is still running and being emptied in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobsallyh Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 Well having removed decals from one side of our Alfa fiver, I looked like the medicine man. The stripes of different colors and some with gold spreckels all seemed to react differently. I used plastic razor blades (from NAPA) with a long handle scraper from O'Reilleys, plastic putty knives, adjustable temp heat gun from Harbor Freight,(aka Big Boys Toy Store) watch temps, Goo Gone, Goof Off and several others I don't remember. It does make it "slightly" easier working on the sunny side. It seemed like the dark colored stripes I could just get under them with the plastic razor blades and the heat gun. Went fairly well, just had to start over going from crack to crack. Lighter colors were more labor intensive for a lack of a better word. And the gold spreckles, well let's just say I made many new words up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D&J Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 What chemicals can you use to remove the glue residue after peeling the sticker off?... 3in1 Spray Oil?... I use minerals sprits, cheap and does the job. Denny Denny & Jami SKP#90175 Most Timing with Mac our Scottie, RIP Jasper our Westie 2013 F350 SC DRW 6.2 V8 4.30 Gears 2003 HH Premier 35FKTG Home Base Nebraska Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukedoodle Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 The previous owner of my truck did a good job of getting a LOT of decals removed from it before I purchased it. Chuck, are you still here? What was your secret? Don't know if I have the photo of before but will look. Rod Make that tons of decals! To the best of my knowledge Chuck fell off the planet several years ago. BTW, you might try looking in the HDT Resource Guide as at one time there were links to topics related to decal removal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarvan Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 Mineral spirits, acetone..... but for some odd reason I have the best results with carb cleaner.....which, if I am informed correctly is a cocktail of acetone, MEK, xylene, toluene and a few other "health products". Previously a 2017 Forest River, Berkshire 38A, "The Dragonship". https://dragonship.blog/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluwood56 Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 Mineral spirits, acetone..... but for some odd reason I have the best results with carb cleaner.....which, if I am informed correctly is a cocktail of acetone, MEK, xylene, toluene and a few other "health products". I'll have to try that! I have to remove decals on a regular basis and have never found any thing that worked really good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w4whh Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 I've taken off decals with the guidance of a buddy who has a sign shop. Use plastic razor blades as they won't gouge the fiberglass. I used a heat gun/hair dryer to "encourage" the decal to come off and also used the plastic razor blades. After the decals were removed I used Goo Gone to remove the adhesive. Finally, I followed up with acetone to remove the Goo Gone to assure that the fiberglass was clean and ready for new decals. Warren & Sandy 2006 New Horizons 36 ft 5ver 2003 Freightliner FL60 - Mountain Master conversion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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