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Old 12-08-2013, 06:55 PM   #1
slider
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Removing my decals

Tired of looking at my curling/peeling decals so I'm taking them off. I got started this weekend and spent about 4 hours doing one side. Other than being slow it is going pretty well.

Best method I've found was using a heat gun and plastic razor blades (look like regular razor blade scraper but with plastic blades). Then spray with a product called Rapid Remover. First spray it, then scrape with plastic scraper, then spray once more and wipe with paper towel. This is the best adhesive remover I've tried (better than WD40, Goo Gone, Acetone).

Afterwards, I've got to take care of the ghosting from the faded Filon. Have read that Meguiars 105/205 combo is the ticket for that, will let you know in a couple weeks.

I'm building a shed this winter and won't do new decals until done with that. Thinking right now about just doing some horizontal stripes in black and copper - camper graphics look kinda tacky if you ever step back and think about it.
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Old 12-08-2013, 07:49 PM   #2
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Good luck. I haven't done it but have heard it is a slow, tedious job. I'm surprised to hear you have curling, faded graphics on a 2011.
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Old 12-08-2013, 07:51 PM   #3
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My stickers are holding up remarkably well, except for the front one. For some reason, it's two layers in parts. The top layer is starting to curl. I ordered and received a replacement, but for now I'm using a plastic putty knife to scrape the curls off as they occur. Eventually I'll remove the whole thing and put the new one on.

I'd like to hear how well the ghosting is managed.
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Old 12-09-2013, 11:38 AM   #4
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4 hrs in...

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Old 12-10-2013, 03:31 PM   #5
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Man that looks amazingly clean. I appreciate the tips on tools and technique as my 09 Fuzion is curling and my wife and I are debating how to handle this task.
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Old 12-10-2013, 04:07 PM   #6
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I am confident that what I am doing is going to work for me, its slow and tedious but absolutely getting every bit of the decal and adhesive off. Might even go better if it wasn't 35 deg out when I was doing it.

Now as far as the ghosting, I'm hopeful that I can get rid of it, but not sure yet since I haven't tried.

Santa is bringing me an orbital buffer (even if I have to be Santa myself), then we'll see.

A side note: not sure but seems plausible that if you hold the heat gun too close and in one place too long, you'll heat the adhesive holding the siding on - so I am being mindful of that as I go.
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Old 12-10-2013, 04:44 PM   #7
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Wbdvt asked the following in a diff thread

"Pictures of before and after with the decal removal would be nice. Also the finish details on removing the outdoor grill bracket. How did you finish the holes left?"

As far as the grill bracket, I unsrewed it, took it off and put the screws back in for now with some caulk. I'm looking for a more permanent solution but am thinking JB weld for plastic. That might not be the best option so I am researching and will let you know. Whatever I end up with I'll also do where I take out the cargo door holder thingies.

The only close up before pic I have is this one it was getting dark so its not that great. Coincidentially f6bits posted right after my first pic and his sig pic works very nicely.

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Old 12-11-2013, 07:05 PM   #8
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From internet searching a product called marine-tex, looks like it would work for patching screw holes - anybody use it?
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Old 12-13-2013, 01:00 AM   #9
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looks really nice w/o the graphics and with just a touch of color in the corners. I like it a lot better than the before. Great job!
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Old 12-13-2013, 08:17 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slider View Post
From internet searching a product called marine-tex, looks like it would work for patching screw holes - anybody use it?
Yes, I've used Marine-Tex previously but on a fiberglass boat to fill screws holes for bimini snaps. It stood up well in a marine environment.
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Old 12-13-2013, 04:30 PM   #11
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Thanks, but I'm not done. All of that is coming off and I'm going back with some simple horizontal stripes.

Thinking a black one about 2" wide near the top and bottom. And a 3-5" copper colored stripe about 2' above the bottome one, maybe have it run about mid-door level. Or possibly skip the top stripe and do something similar as existing in the top corners except with black instead of maroon.

May change my mind but that's what I'm thinking. I've got a while because I'm not restriping until I get my shed done.

Also thanks for the feedback on marine tex, should be on my doorstep 12/17.
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Old 12-13-2013, 06:49 PM   #12
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Marine Tex should give you a bulletproof seal. I would suggest mixing a small batch and trying it on a scrap of something in the environment you will be using it to get a feel for cure time and cleanup. It can be mixed a little hotter if you need to and is a chemical cure.
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Old 12-14-2013, 02:52 PM   #13
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Here is how it looks with no decals at all



Not sure if you can see the ghosting here, but I tried to get it in this pic. This is where the "Passport" decal was



This is without any effort to remove ghosting, except a quick wipe with some Simple Green and rinsed with water.
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Old 12-16-2013, 09:55 AM   #14
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It is hard to see in the pic but I can tell it is there how is it very noticeable to the eye in normal light?
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Old 12-16-2013, 10:23 AM   #15
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If you were looking for it, it is very noticeable. A casual look at the camper and it isn't as obvious/glaring. Not sure if that makes sense or not.

Anyway, hopefully very soon I will get the other side done (got 1 side and front and back complete), then I will hit with a couple compounds that I have read will take care of it. Will report on that when done.

Ive also read alot more on marine tex (mostly for boats) but the chatter seems to be that this will be exactly what is needed for filling holes. I now also have 2 gouges to fix on the front. The metal scraper I have been using works fine with everything flat (like when I did the side walls) but when I was doing the front the siding flexed and I created two nickel-sized holes in my siding. These are very shallow but don't look good. Hoping the marine tex works for this too. What I have read is to use it a fill holes, then cover with Saran wrap and roll or squeegee it smooth, leave wrap on until dry and when removed it should be relatively flat/smooth - we'll see.
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Old 12-16-2013, 11:15 AM   #16
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Just some additional advice for decal removal. 3M makes a product called the eraser wheel, it is amazing and safe as long as you don't hold it one spot for a period of time. They also make an adhesive remover, to help remove any film left over. The gohsting your refering to will more than likely fade as it sit in the sun light. Light rubbing compound and or buffing will hlep. Good luck and your rig looks pretty good all slick like that. Post some pic's when your done with the new decals!
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Old 12-16-2013, 06:09 PM   #17
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It looks naked, but I'm starting to get used to it. I don't know how long I'll keep mine, but I'd like to see your final result.
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Old 12-21-2013, 11:24 AM   #18
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Wow what a difference the weather makes!

Did the last side of my camper today and it was 70 degrees (as opposed to 35 last time).

Most of the decals peeled up and I was able to pull/peel them off. I didn't have to use the heat gun at all and did very little scraping. Even more significant, about 95% of the adhesive came off with the decals.

So in addition to no scraping and that step taking about 20% of the time as doing it in the cold weather, it completely eliminated the step of spraying the adhesive remover and scraping up the gooey adhesive. I did still spray the adhesive remover to get rid of the little bit was left but instead of 2 steps (one to spray then scrape, one to spray and wipe the remaining), I was able to spray it, wait about 90 seconds, and pretty much wipe the adhesive away with a paper towel.

Unbelievably different process. So I would recommend anybody thinking about removing any decals, wait and do it in warmer weather.

Next step - work on the ghosting. Not sure when I'll get the time, but I'll report on the process.
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Old 12-30-2013, 05:47 PM   #19
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Awesome. I live down in Tampa where it is practically warm year round and hope I am as lucky on doing mine as you were on the second half.

Those curled and torn decals blight the camper something awful.
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Old 01-01-2014, 12:29 PM   #20
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Ghosting update:

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.

The good news to all of this is my camper is so white and shiny that in the sun you can barely look at it and can't see the ghosting at all without putting your eye right up against the wall and looking down the surface (still difficult to see). 1 ft away you can't see anything different. With my polarized glasses I can make out where most of the decals where by looking for them. Will see how it looks in the shade later this afternoon.

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.

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.
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