I would like remove a vinyl decal name from our boat. The adhesive has dried, and the vinyl does not lift. I was looking at the 3M Woodgrain and Stripe Remover product, but it says it is for acrylic painted surfaces. Others have suggested oven cleaner. Has anyone done either, and what was your success with either product? The previous owner said he had no luck with the eraser.
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Ed A.
eraser
did the previous owner use an eraser wheel. My experience is it works better than about anything else!
did the previous owner use an eraser wheel. My experience is it works better than about anything else!
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Laura Bertran
3M Vinyl Woodgrain and Stripe Remover
We've just finished removing the weathered and dried out vinyl sheerline stripes on our 1985 H31. We went through two cans of the the 3M product which worked on some sections of the stripes but not on others. What worked best was a hairdryer and a gently used putty knife. The 3M product did no harm to the gel coat that I could discern. I've also used oven cleaner in the past and decided not to use it again when it seemed to discolor the gel coat and turn it yellow. This was on a Catalina 25 and the sun eventually bleached out the yellowing, but I would not use it again.
We've just finished removing the weathered and dried out vinyl sheerline stripes on our 1985 H31. We went through two cans of the the 3M product which worked on some sections of the stripes but not on others. What worked best was a hairdryer and a gently used putty knife. The 3M product did no harm to the gel coat that I could discern. I've also used oven cleaner in the past and decided not to use it again when it seemed to discolor the gel coat and turn it yellow. This was on a Catalina 25 and the sun eventually bleached out the yellowing, but I would not use it again.
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Andy
Hair dryer
Second vote for the hair dryer. It worked for us. Be patient. Use a putty knife, as suggested, or similar tool but don't force things. Andy
Second vote for the hair dryer. It worked for us. Be patient. Use a putty knife, as suggested, or similar tool but don't force things. Andy
Oven off not for vinyl.
Jim: Oven-off is not for vinyl removal (not that I have heard of), it works great on paint. If the vinyl is thin and cooked on, the eraser is a great method. If it is thicker, you may want to try a heat gun or a hair dryer. Also there are some 3M products that will help loosen the vinyl.
Jim: Oven-off is not for vinyl removal (not that I have heard of), it works great on paint. If the vinyl is thin and cooked on, the eraser is a great method. If it is thicker, you may want to try a heat gun or a hair dryer. Also there are some 3M products that will help loosen the vinyl.
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Darrel
Removing Vinyl lettering
I've done this project on 2 boats. Best way I found (with lots of suggestions from others) was to scrape the vinyl off with a putty knife being carefil not to gouge the gel coat. Once all the vinyl has been removed, Easy-Off oven cleaner will remove all of the sticky residue that was left behind from the vinyl. This process works. You will have a ghosting effect (gelcoat that was under vinyl will be whiter than gel coat that has been exposed to sun) but the ghost will disappear over time. Suppose using something to soften the vinyl before scraping might be helpful. Good luck with your project.
I've done this project on 2 boats. Best way I found (with lots of suggestions from others) was to scrape the vinyl off with a putty knife being carefil not to gouge the gel coat. Once all the vinyl has been removed, Easy-Off oven cleaner will remove all of the sticky residue that was left behind from the vinyl. This process works. You will have a ghosting effect (gelcoat that was under vinyl will be whiter than gel coat that has been exposed to sun) but the ghost will disappear over time. Suppose using something to soften the vinyl before scraping might be helpful. Good luck with your project.
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Rich Wallace
I Used The Eraser Wheel
You can get them at an auto body shop supply house. The first one needs to have a spindle plus the eraser wheel. After that, you only need the wheel. I redid the name and all the stripes on a P42 and used about 1 & 1/2 wheels. The one with the spindle was around $20, the second was around $16. No damage to the fiberglass, no residue.
You can get them at an auto body shop supply house. The first one needs to have a spindle plus the eraser wheel. After that, you only need the wheel. I redid the name and all the stripes on a P42 and used about 1 & 1/2 wheels. The one with the spindle was around $20, the second was around $16. No damage to the fiberglass, no residue.
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