Sticker/decal removal

[Bodhi290]

So my 2012 19’ had purple decals. I started removing the decals and used. Acetone to get residue off. Everything looks good but since my trailer is not new and my trailer is a little faded. I can see nice polished fiberglass lines still. Any helpful tips to remove those? Is the only way to buff the trailer? I don’t really want to do that unless I have to.

[occer]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...7bcbab773c6f89

This product will remove the glue and reduce the shadowing left behind. If the paint is really faded there may not be much you can do.

[John in Santa Cruz]

there is no paint on an Escape, its a fiberglass gel coat.

use a mild rubbing compound followed by a polishing compound should reduce any shadowing left behind from old decals. use marine compounds designed for fiberglass boats.

[Chasing Trials]

Originally Posted by Bodhi290

So my 2012 19’ had purple decals. I started removing the decals and used. Acetone to get residue off. Everything looks good but since my trailer is not new and my trailer is a little faded. I can see nice polished fiberglass lines still. Any helpful tips to remove those? Is the only way to buff the trailer? I don’t really want to do that unless I have to.

You are going to have buff(could try polishing compound 1st, before going to rubbing compound). You just have to get down to a layer that the UV rays & weather aging damage are the same, as not(hiding under the decals).

[Donna D.]

The area behind the decals is 'gelcoat' untouched by UVs. You'll need to compound and polish the area to bring the surface around the decal area to shine as close to new as possible..

[Jill]

Originally Posted by Bodhi290

So my 2012 19’ had purple decals. I started removing the decals and used. Acetone to get residue off. Everything looks good but since my trailer is not new and my trailer is a little faded. I can see nice polished fiberglass lines still. Any helpful tips to remove those? Is the only way to buff the trailer? I don’t really want to do that unless I have to.

I'm thinking of removing the front decal on our 21. What did you use to remove the decals themselves, and how did that process go? I've never really liked the look of the front decal (it's so big on the 21) and now that it has faded, the trailer would look better without it. On the other hand, I'm always wary of fixing one thing and introducing a new problem.

[occer]

The way body shops remove vinyl decals: Worm up the decal with a heat gun or hair blower and a plastic razor blade. Do not get the area to worm or the fiberglass can be damaged,
Be patient and don’t rush while warming up the decal you’ll get a feel for it after just a few minutes. There are some really good you tube videos showing how to remove a vinyl decal.

The best product to remove the glue is
)https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...7bcbab773c6f89

It is not cystic and will not hurt the gel coat..

Plastic razor blade:
https://www.amazon.com/Scrapers-Cont...a-825766221071

[HABBERDABBER]

Not to be a nit picking stickler, but I think you meant warm, not worm.
And I hope you meant caustic, not cystic.
And to save some money, lighter fluid, aka naptha, does a swell job of removing label adhesives and is a good bit less expensive than the amazon offering.

[Jill]

Originally Posted by occer

The way body shops remove vinyl decals: Worm up the decal with a heat gun or hair blower and a plastic razor blade. Do not get the area to worm or the fiberglass can be damaged,
Be patient and don’t rush while warming up the decal you’ll get a feel for it after just a few minutes. There are some really good you tube videos showing how to remove a vinyl decal.

The best product to remove the glue is
)https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...7bcbab773c6f89

It is not cystic and will not hurt the gel coat..

Plastic razor blade:
https://www.amazon.com/Scrapers-Cont...a-825766221071

Thank you so much - very helpful!!

[occer]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

Not to be a nit picking stickler, but I think you meant warm, not worm.
And I hope you meant caustic, not cystic.
And to save some money, lighter fluid, aka naptha, does a swell job of removing label adhesives and is a good bit less expensive than the amazon offering.

Correct on both words, I typed “worn” wrong. Auto correct changed caustic..

As the safety office at work, no to anything that can be dangerous when there is a safer product available. Especial when the safer product works really well or is good. LOL

[John in Santa Cruz]

The amazon remover stuff is, per its MSDS, 25-50% d-Limonene, it also contains a bunch of heavy alcohols and petroleum distillates. the amazon listing just described it as water soluble, which IMHO is kind of misleading even if true. It does sound like an industrial version of goo-be-gone, which i believe is orange oil based

[SageRpod]

Rapid Remover is the way to go. Used it on our Rpod when we removed the decals. Followed by Meguiar's #67 followed by Meguiar's Mirror Glaze. For light oxidation this stuff will most likely work as well https://www.amazon.com/each-Turtle-P...BoChnwQAvD_BwE

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Jill

I'm thinking of removing the front decal on our 21. What did you use to remove the decals themselves, and how did that process go? I've never really liked the look of the front decal (it's so big on the 21) and now that it has faded, the trailer would look better without it. On the other hand, I'm always wary of fixing one thing and introducing a new problem.

Whoa up on the heat gun advice.

It's all I ever use and even on old vinyl that's been baked on for years it'll allow it to be removed in one piece.

But the graphic on the rock shield is in a different league. Not sure if it's thin ABS or PVC but I'm sure using a heat gun on it could result in a disaster. A lot of care would be needed. I think that I'd try a solvent at the edge and work it off slowly.

Ron

[Carmel Clown]

A hair dryer would work and not get as hot as a heat gun. When you start peeling the vinyl, don’t pull outward, pull the vinyl back on itself, kind of in a rolling motion. A plastic putty knife or credit card can be used to help lift the vinyl. Then use Goo Gone or coconut oil or something like that to remove any sticky residue.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Carmel Clown

A hair dryer would work and not get as hot as a heat gun. When you start peeling the vinyl, don’t pull outward, pull the vinyl back on itself, kind of in a rolling motion. A plastic putty knife or credit card can be used to help lift the vinyl. Then use Goo Gone or coconut oil or something like that to remove any sticky residue.

or a heat gun on low... just keep it moving, don't leave it on one spot too long if you're worried about the material.

[Jill]

Thanks all. Based on advice found here I watched some youtubes on this and we're going with the hair dryer and plastic razor. We won't do this until the next time we get the trailer out of storage which will be late August. But I will report back on how things went. We don't have a front window on our 21 so no rock guard to worry about for us.

[TahoeJoe]

There is another solution not mentioned yet here, which is a special (I call it magic) wheel that attaches to your drill. I've used it on my Escape, and on various other RV's and vehicles with great success. It removes decals and the glue without damaging the substrate underneath, and with no harsh chemicals. It seems pricey at first (I bought mine for $45) but I've only had one that has lasted me years. I've seen it called various names, when I bought it 3M was calling it the Adhesive Eraser Wheel, but now it looks like they are calling it the Stripe Off Wheel:
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40065358/

There are videos on YouTube showing it in use...I vouch for it!

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Jill

Thanks all. Based on advice found here I watched some youtubes on this and we're going with the hair dryer and plastic razor. We won't do this until the next time we get the trailer out of storage which will be late August. But I will report back on how things went. We don't have a front window on our 21 so no rock guard to worry about for us.

Without a rock guard the heat isn't an issue. I've found that it's a patience or practice thing. If you use just the right amount of heat and get a corner free then it's possible to remove the whole decal intact without resorting to scraping.

Ron

[Jill]

Well I removed the decals today and am so happy with the results. Yes there is a shadow but it's a pale greenish color that actually matches some of my interior decor haha! I used a hair dryer and found that it required quite a bit of work to pry off (using the plastic razor at the same time). I think that's just because ours was in bad shape and cracked all over. I cleaned up the residue with Rapid Remover and waxed twice afterwards. The front is glossy and mirror like again. I think it looks great for an almost 8 year old trailer!