i have a number "decals" many of which are quite solid and intended to last a long time. any thoughts on how to remove them?> the registration decals are really building up. would acetone work? would that harm, the gel coat?
how to remove boat decals (registration certificates,etc)
- Thread starter balao92
- Start date
Use a hair dryer to soften the adhesive and pull it off. Too easy to get carried away with a heat gun and cook the whole thing into an unholy mess.
Probably use acetone to clean up after. Acetone does NOT hurt FG. I went through several gallons of acetone removing the mold release wax which was left on the hull bottom from the factory. Bottom paint did not want to stick.
Probably use acetone to clean up after. Acetone does NOT hurt FG. I went through several gallons of acetone removing the mold release wax which was left on the hull bottom from the factory. Bottom paint did not want to stick.
I've never been totally confident that acetone won't at least take some of the gloss off of gel coat, though. So my regime has always been acetone for harsh cleaning, followed by vinegar to remove any acetone residue, followed by soap and water to get rid of any vinegar residue. Seems to work well.
The heat method works well, too, but you do have to be very careful not to get the fiberglass too hot. That will damage it. Fun fact: for many years, composite airplanes were almost never painted anything other that white, due to the limited thermal stability of the resins. They could be significantly weakened just from being parked in the sun if they were any colour other than white. Modern aerospace resins are more stable and you're starting to see other colours, but most boats are still made primarily using resins that have very low thermal stability. So, I would go very easy with the heat method.
Varsol (mineral spirits) usually works well to get rid of any left-over adhesive from the labels. And then soap and water to clean up the Varsol.
Acetone will harm gel coat. Best thing I've found for removing the glue once a sticker has been removed is lighter fluid.
They make a rubber eraser that fits into a drill, I used them with great results.
The eraser wheels for drills work well. Acetone evaporates too quickly to cause damage in my experience. Worse case scenario you can sand it off. Use a high grit sand paper to avoid leaving marks in the gelcoat
I know just about everybody would be horrified, but I just use a new wood chisel with a broad blade. I've never gouged any gel coat with it. It's sharp enough and stiff enough that there is very little effort in peeling any vinyl and even paint cleanly off. There is barely any residue left to clean with some acetone - in fact it peels the residue very well. I removed a painted boot stripe this spring (painted over the gel coat boot stripe and it was peeling badly). Most of it peeled off easily. Some of it took a lot pressure to remove the paint that adhered well, but never any gouge. I did have to sand with progressively fine grit to restore the original color, though. The key is to keep pressure on a flat blade. A wood chisel works far better than any razor blade or scraper. I tried the plastic razors - didn't work at all. I've also tried the rubber eraser on a drill and they suck, too. They are far too tedious for anything that is adhered well. Heat gun helps but I haven't found it necessary when using a very sharp wood chisel.
Heat gun to soften vinyl and then mineral spirits to get rid of gunk. You have to let the mineral spirits sit and soak in a bit and maybe even need a second attempt or so, but it will soften the sticky stuff and remove it without harming the gelcoat. Acetone flashes too quickly. Be careful not to get the gelcoat too hot with the heat gun.
It's like shaving with a straight razor. Keep it sharp and maintain the correct angle.
+1 to heat gun. After that, denatured alcohol. After that, Goof Off. I would save the more aggressive and potentially damaging solvents like acetone and lacquer thinner as last resorts.
Once removed, you may find that the fiberglass color is different where the stickers were. Compounding may help, but will probably not make it completely undetectable.
Once removed, you may find that the fiberglass color is different where the stickers were. Compounding may help, but will probably not make it completely undetectable.
Apply Rapid Decal Remover. Amazon.com: Rapid Remover Adhesive Remover for Vinyl Wraps Graphics Decals Stripes 32oz Sprayer : Automotive
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