Removing my decals

[f6bits]

Did Barkeeper's Friend scuff the finish at all? I'm always looking for heavy duty cleaners for the more troublesome stains.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by slider

I may get frisky this spring and buy some marine cutting compound but for now I am convinced it will be fine with just a good wash and wax. I am also thinking the extremely white parts (where decals were) will oxidize a little and blend in even more.

slider -
I'd recommend that you give Davis FSR a try. It is a blue gel fiberglass stain remover that is primarily intended for marine use on fiberglass boats but works well on any fiberglass surface - including RV's. It's very easy to apply - just let it stand for a few minutes, then wipe off and rinse with water. For stubborn stains, you might require another application.

I've used it on boats and works like a charm. It's available at most marine supply places, made in the USA and comes in a 16 oz plastic container.

It seems like you have done a very good job of removing the decals and trying various polishes/waxes to get rid of the "shadow". I would suspect that the "shadow" rather than being on the surface of the fiberglass and consequently easier to remove has permanently stained or discoloured the substrate and no matter how much you rub or polish, it will always be visible to some degree. It's something like leaving a rug over a finished hardwood floor. Over time, light and UV coming in through the window will "discolour" the exposed wood while leaving the covered wood untouched. The decals and the rug act in the same way.

If you have it to the stage where you have to stand on your head to see the shadow, you've accomplished a lot and I'm not sure how much better you can make it.

[slider]

The BKF didn't seem to bother the finish when just using on a microfiber cloth, although on a very small part on the back I tested BKF on a scrubbie and that did dull it a little (very aggressive scrubbing), so now I'm a little concerned to use it at all (did that after the other testing). I may try another spot tomorrow with just a sponge - leave it on for less than a minute and rinse well and leave it to see what it does, because it really is great stuff around the house.

For the toughest stains, I use Simple Green or a magic eraser. They both work great and I don't think they harm the finish (but I think they can take off wax). I also wax it a couple of times a year and usually it doesn't stain to the point a good washing won't get everything off.

Festus2, thanks for the tip, I will find some and give it a try.

[shov]

Is the shadowing a discoloring of the fiber glass? Reason i ask is because I removed the decals and badges from my TV, and it looks great when it is clean, but if a small amount of dust collects on the paint I can see where the decals were. But I was told by a body man, and have noticed this as well, that after some time in the sun it has started to diminish if not all of the way disappeared. My truck hasn't been clean for a while now, winter road grime and colder temps her MT are preventing, but very soon I hope.

[fibromob]

best way to remove decals is with a hair dryer you bring the decal warm ,this will allow for the glue to come off with it
then wash the remaining of the glue with WD40 ,by spraying the liquid on the glue wait 30 seconds and wash it off

the shadow most talk about is the discoloration of the gel coat ,the gel coat under the decals was not affected by UV and has no discoloration

you can just let it be and wait for the sun to slowly work on it and it will be blending after a year

or just use the lines to install the new decals back on

if the decals are so old and brittle
It will prove impossible to remove with the air dryer by pulling on the decals
they will break apart driving you in sane
you will need to blade them off

using a razor blade ,you need to dull one side of it by rubbing it on a wood piece ,in a 30 degree angle by rubbing away from the cutting edge
a 2 by 4 piece of wood will work ,the wood just gently fold up the cutting edge and will allow you to bite under the decals with out scratching the finish
the blade can never be turned to the opposite side
one side will leave no marks wile other side will dig right in the finish
use a black marker to mark the side you will work with and keep the 30 degree angle ,like holding the blade between your finger ,leave a finger touching the surface all the time this will keep the blade in perfect angle

best is to start in a location that does not stand out to test it out then work your way in the the more visible area
it is a pretty hard job ,I can see a full weekend on doing this if your just going carefully at a slow paste

[JRTJH]

There is a "special purpose product" called Plastice razor blades made especially for scraping on softer surfaces without leaving marks.

Essentially they are plastic razor blades and are great for removing decals, just make sure you don't point the hair dryer at the razor blade or it will soften along with the decal.... (don't ask me how I know this) <sigh>

There are three different "hardnesses" of blades that are color coded in the pack. Use the one that works best and it will help you avoid the inevitable scratches that too often happen with metal blades.

Here's one source:

http://www.amazon.com/Scraperite-Pla...c+razor+blades

[fibromob]

thanks for the link ,never seen them before
We are used to do it our own ways but if the plastic blade works ,sound like a much safer way to remove the graphics

thanks again

[JRTJH]

You're welcome. They aren't any faster and if you really REALLY "muscle them" you can still scratch the thin shiny coating on the Filon. But they are much less "dangerous" in the hands of a "novice".... they won't prevent any damage from a gorilla grip, but they will lessen the potential to scrape your RV "shiny side".....

[denverpilot]

Are those harder or softer plastic, than say, a $2 spackle applying "scraper" at Home Depot?

Asking 'cause I've not seen the "special" ones... But I've used the spackle "tool" for scraping similar stuff before.

[JRTJH]

There are three hardness types in the multipack. The softest ones are a little softer than the "hard plastic" spackle knife at home depot, but will last significantly longer before getting dulled. The other two are harder and I think do a better job of removing the decals. My biggest frustration is that once any of them are used for a bit,if you're not careful with how you use the edge, they tend to get tiny nicks on the edge and then they won't remove the adhesive in a flat sheet, rather then the adhesive gets scratched more than removed. The scratch lines in the adhesive make it easier to remove with Goo-Gone, etc, but that adds yet another step to the process.

I suppose everyone has their preferences and their observations, but to me, the plastic razor blades seem to be much more durable and easier to use than the plastic spackle knives....

[denverpilot]

Fair 'nuff... Just thought I would ask. Curiosity killed the cat, but got the dog through his Obedience class!

[fireballxl5]

Greetings! Joined about 2 months ago and learning a lot. Picked up my 2007 Laredo 29RL about 4 months ago for 17K. Don't know much history, but it was a bank repo that sat in the North CA sun for quite a while. Dusty, dirty, but it all works. Replaced tires, lighting (with generic LED), installed Fan-tastic Fan, and general cleaning/maint. Now on to topic.
Purchased a bottle of Rapid Remover spray for $20 from a local vinyl wrap wholesale house here in NW WA. My decals are peeling like crazy, with the Laredo by Keystone gone on the driver's side and rear, and almost gone street side. Based upon all that's been written, I didn't think I'd have much help from Keystone, so I've decided to strip the name.
Rapid Tec's spray did the job as advertised! Man, didn't take me any time to get the old dirty adhesive off (had to dodge the rain showers in Federal Way) and cleaned up nice. It really was fast with a cheap plastic scrapper. And lifting the remaining letters was slick with a flat razor knife/scrapper. Will likely remove all the decals (they are cracked or peeling...bad stuff.)
One thing I found really fast: don't let it drip down to your window seals or caulk...it melts that pretty fast too. Next time I will tape something just under to absorb any runoff (and there will be). For me though, I'm glad something actually worked as advertised and thank all of you for the sage advice! Safe journeys!

[wowchad]

Great thread, I'll be doing mine soon too so I'm taking notes.
Seems like I'm one of the few who actually got Keystone to send me a new set of decals although they didn't have them specifically for our Outback Loft anymore.
So far I used the 3M wheel on a drill & while it strips well it leaves a lot of goo behind so I hope to try Rapid Remover and plastic blades to clean that up.

My main question is about prepping once you have a clean slate & before you reinstall new decals. What product(s) are you guys using to even everything out but that decals stick well too?
Then once new decals are on do you wax the whole thing afterward?

[wowchad]

Originally Posted by slider

Spent some time today working on the ghosting.

First mistake - went with plan A (Meguiars 105 and 205 combo) and did most of one side without testing. It worked fine but read on.

Moved to the other side and decided to test several methods:

Area 1.) M205 alone
Area 2.) M105 followed by M205
Area 3.) Nufinish
Area 4.) Meguiars marine cleaner wax
Area 5.) Bar keepers friend

Then went back to area 1 and did M105 again, M205, Nufinish, bar keepers friend, then Nufinish again. Stopping each time to compare to the other spots.

After all of that, Area 1 did look slightly better than the rest but not enough to be worth the effort. The rest looked similar except didn't all shine the same so I went back and hit them with the cleaner wax...

...After all that, I am going to abandon the M105/M205 combo because it isn't giving enough results for the effort. I am going to just redo the entire camper with the marine cleaner wax...

Slider I'm confused when you list area 1.) M205 alone, but then say that it looked better but not worth the effort. If you only used one thing on that area how was it not worth the effort, what worked best & simplest?
I'm just trying to figure out the fastest most efficient way to get it bare white before installing new decals.
Oh and have you put new decals on yet? I'm also wondering how well they'll stick to a waxed surface like Meguiars marine cleaner wax if that was your final product you used.
Thanks, Chad

[slider]

Resurrecting my old thread here (sorry to anyone who needed info, but I’ve been away a while). I never successfully got rid of the ghosting. It would look okay when clean but after a month or so the areas where the decals were would start looking much more white than rest of camper.

I just left it plain white for a few years. This winter I got a leak in my roof (crack in molding trim and lack of good inspection on my part). Anyway I replaced rubber roof, molding, rotted wood and Filon on front. While I was putting over 40 hrs of work in it, I taped the outline of the old decals and just painted some new ones with marine paint.

Came out pretty good, we’ll see what time does to it.

Can’t get pics to upload right now but will soon as I can.

[slider]

Let’s see if this works....

[ctbruce]

Very nice. And yes it worked.

[slider]

And I did have best luck eventually with:

Perfect-It 36102 White Gelcoat Heavy Cutting Compound and Heavy Cutting Pads on my DA, but I had to spend about 10 mins on an area about 3’ square and do twice.

Still couldn’t get everything the same white, but this provided the best results for me that I experimented with. In the end decided to paint.

[GMH]

Re-resurrecting this thread, since it gave me the idea to look for plastic scrapers. I called a local bodyshop supply store and they didn’t have anything. I stopped at Princess auto on my way home and found these. Heating the decals slightly with a heat gun and using these scraper blades gets the decal and 95% of the glue off. A wipe down with wax and grease remover gets the rest. The Cougar decal I just peeled off with the heat gun. The X-Lite decal below it was done with the scraper.

[wborisenok]

Man I am so tempted to de-decal my new Bullet Crossfire. I did a quick photoshop to see what it would look like: