Removing and replacing decals
Has anyone removed old decals and replaced them with new ones? How did it go? What is your recommendations for such activity?
Forum Discussion
I removed the cracked and peeling decals on the front and rear of my 5er. Sides still look good.
Started with a heat gun and plastic scraper. Worked pretty well on some decals that were in better condition. But the ones really cracked were very hard to get off, coming off in very small pieces. Bought a 3M eraser wheel. Decals came off easier with the added benefit that a lot of the old adhesive came off with the decal material. But it does take a good corded drill to turn the eraser wheel. I supppse a cordless would work but you would probably be recharging the battery every few minutes as it works it pretty hard.
With either method there will be adhesive material left on the surface requiring some type solvent to thoroughly remove it. I used 3M Adhesive Remover. What worked for me was to use an old towel and wet it with solvent. Then holding the towel below a section of adhesive, I would squirt a stream of solvent across and above that section letting the liquid “sheet” down over the adhesive and soak into the towel. Then use the towel to wipe the adhesive off that section. Then move on to another section working small sections at a time.
The areas that had been under the decals were nice and shiny showing the outline of the old decals. The other areas showed signs of oxidation. But for me that was great. I managed to get exact replacement decals and the outlines made placement of the new decals easy.
I used the “wet hinge” method of installing the new decals. (Google it). And found that using a wet towel to smooth the decals and squeeze out the water worked better than a squeegee.
Started with a heat gun and plastic scraper. Worked pretty well on some decals that were in better condition. But the ones really cracked were very hard to get off, coming off in very small pieces. Bought a 3M eraser wheel. Decals came off easier with the added benefit that a lot of the old adhesive came off with the decal material. But it does take a good corded drill to turn the eraser wheel. I supppse a cordless would work but you would probably be recharging the battery every few minutes as it works it pretty hard.
With either method there will be adhesive material left on the surface requiring some type solvent to thoroughly remove it. I used 3M Adhesive Remover. What worked for me was to use an old towel and wet it with solvent. Then holding the towel below a section of adhesive, I would squirt a stream of solvent across and above that section letting the liquid “sheet” down over the adhesive and soak into the towel. Then use the towel to wipe the adhesive off that section. Then move on to another section working small sections at a time.
The areas that had been under the decals were nice and shiny showing the outline of the old decals. The other areas showed signs of oxidation. But for me that was great. I managed to get exact replacement decals and the outlines made placement of the new decals easy.
I used the “wet hinge” method of installing the new decals. (Google it). And found that using a wet towel to smooth the decals and squeeze out the water worked better than a squeegee.
