lettering removal advice please

[pybyr]

My 1989 F350 7.3 4x4 spent its life, prior to my purchase, as an Air Force crash truck, and, after retirement from that, as the brush/ utility truck with a local volunteer fire department. So I was able to buy it for a low price with only 12,500 miles of a garaged life and good care- and since it had a tool/cargo body, the frame and suspension never had to sit with weight the way a tanker does.

When I bought it, it still had the volunteer F.D. lettering, town names, etc., which I cannot legally display.

As a short-term solution, I covered the lettering with heavy gauge aluminum foil held on by blue painter's tape (... yep, one heck of a way to create bumpkin bling!!!). Originally I was hoping to leave the original lettering and cover it in vinyl covers or magnetic sheet as is used for some business truck signage, in case I ever wanted to unearth the lettering for a restoration.

Long story a bit shorter, I might as well pull the foil and try to pull the gold letters- the gold letters are some sort of thick film decal with gold and adhesive underneath- surrounded by painted-on black border accents.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to most quickly, easily and effectively remove the gold decals and black border with a minimum of damage to the red paint coat underneath?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[timothyr1014]

Carefully use a heat gun to get the decals warm enough to be flexible, but not melting or stretchy. once you get a corner lifted keep the removal angle at 90* (trust me, this makes a difference as it will keep as much adheasive as possible on the decal and off the truck). Goof Off should remove the rest of the adheasive from the paint without damage.

Again, the amount of heat is somewhat key...too much will cause adheasive to stick to the truck and the decal to become gummy and nasty; too little and you will end up pulling it off in several pieces, possible taking the paint with it.

my personal removal method is to warm it slowly while rubbing the seam with a credit card...when the heat is right the card will cause it to lift or wrinkle, from there I start my 90* pull, and keep the heat fanning as I go.

Have fun

 

[Diesel_brad]

As stated above. You can use heat to remove the metal sticker part. I'm sure it will come off in pieces. But be persistant and it will come off.

if it is just vinyl 3M makes what they call an eraser.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHKN5_UfDik. it removes vinyal and adhesive.

Easy Off oven cleaner takes off painted on lettering quite well. Spray it on. let it sit a min or two then wipe it off. Dont let it sit too long of it will take the truck paint with it

 

[w4dsb]

if it is just vinyl 3M makes what they call an eraser.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHKN5_UfDik. it removes vinyal and adhesive.

Easy with that thing! it will remove the vinyl but it removed some of my paint as well. I guess the paint on my 89 couldn't stand the eraser!

 

[Diesel_brad]

if it is just vinyl 3M makes what they call an eraser.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHKN5_UfDik. it removes vinyal and adhesive.

Easy with that thing! it will remove the vinyl but it removed some of my paint as well. I guess the paint on my 89 couldn't stand the eraser!

You have to go easy with as show in the video(hence the video link) other wise you can strip the panel down to bare metal, as with anything. You can peal paint w a hairdryer too

 

[THECACKLER]

Get a quart of 3M Adhesive and Decal Remover. Soak the corner of a rag so you can mop the solvent over the edge of the decal. Start at the top of the Decal and work toward the bottom giving the Solvent time to do it's job. You will likely lift about 1/4" every 20-30 seconds, depending. I use a "Bondo" spatula as a scraper and try to work two areas in tandem. Soak one while I scrape the other. I bought a door from the JY that had a big rectangular sticker on the panel and it took me about a half an hour to completely remove it.

 

[DragRag]

Oven cleaner takes off lettering paint.

Heat guns take off stickers.

An eraser wheel will take off stick tape, and or stickers also. Only found at paint and auto body suppliers.

 

[sassyrel]

Oven cleaner takes off lettering paint.

Heat guns take off stickers.

An eraser wheel will take off stick tape, and or stickers also. Only found at paint and auto body suppliers.

eraser wheels are the snitzs--upfront cost is there--but removes those without harming the paint--les you get crazy!!!!

 

[DragRag]

eraser wheels are the snitzs--upfront cost is there--but removes those without harming the paint--les you get crazy!!!!

Once I found out that little gem existed it really made my life a lot easier with the amount of trucks I buy and sometimes sell. Hands down the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[pdfhick69]

Snap on makes an amazing decal eraser air operated unit I'm pretty sure the call it a pinstripping remover or something along that line. Mine set me back around $300 kinda pricey but it's snap on and it works really well