Removing stickers from paint

[sickquad]

Anybody know how to remove a sticker from a really nice paint job. I have a sticker on the top of my gas tank of my bike that I want to take off. Don't want to leave a mark though. It is a fiberglass tank so I'm not sure if heat would do bad things to the paint.

Thanks
Chris

 

[bigcountryk5]

an extremely sharp razor blade and an absolutly rock steady hand

 

[ryoken]

paint on fiberglass will be just as tough... just have to realize the surface will heat at a different rate...

use gentle heat and patience... either hairdryer or heatgun on low... if glue is left behind after, start with a mild solvent.. goo gone, wd40, etc.... lacquer thinner will cut better than any of those and will not generally hurt most well-cured finishs, but try a test spot...

if you end up with a brighter spot where the sticker was due to oxidation on the rest of the finish, you can hit the surrounding area with a little 1000 wet paper and polish it so it blends...

 

[fortcollinsram]

Pull the sticker off and use some stuff my 3M called General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner. I have had good luck with it.

Chris

 

[dodgedude99]

my dad works for the post office body shop.
he gets the wonderful pleasure of peeling off those big 6' diameter eagles on the side of the mail trucks occasionaly.

he swears on using a heat gun to get the decal off, then using a citrus type cleaner to remove the glue.

 

[Jew Pimpin]

I agree with the heat gun, it heats the sticker up really quick. It's not like you are holding the heat in one place.

 

[sledheadak]

astro makes a wheel you put in a drill for removing decals and doesnt hurt the paint.any automotive paint supply store will have them.just dont put too much pressure in 1 spot or you can damage the paint.and dont go below the the marks saying stop here it has a metal disk in side it that will eat up your paint.

 

[diesel4me]

maybe..

All the above methods work--I've seen body shops use E-Z Off Oven Cleaner to remove decals and lettering on delivery vans before selling them...but on fiberglass it might not be the same as steel..it works great on sheet metal,but you have to leave it on JUST so long,or it will soften the underlying paint....they use a plastic bondo spreader to scrape off the decals or letters...if you try this,do it at your own risk!--I'm only repeating what I have seen others do! --the heat gun or hair dryer idea might be a better choice in this case!..good luck!..

 

[ryoken]

All the above methods work--I've seen body shops use E-Z Off Oven Cleaner to remove decals and lettering on delivery vans before selling them...but on fiberglass it might not be the same as steel..it works great on sheet metal,but you have to leave it on JUST so long,or it will soften the underlying paint....they use a plastic bondo spreader to scrape off the decals or letters...if you try this,do it at your own risk!--I'm only repeating what I have seen others do! --the heat gun or hair dryer idea might be a better choice in this case!..good luck!..

i've used it on painted names, but never a decal... when i ran the detailing business we would do a 1/2 dozen boat transoms a week using that for painted name removal.. my boss would buy it by the case...

still do it occasionally but the % of vinyl names on boats has increased dramatically over the last couple years.. then its the heatgun, then thinner.... but thats usually on gel, so it takes abuse well anyway....

 

[CrewCab59]

stickers

I have always used WD40 make the glue soft and wont hurt the paint .

 

[cbbr]

I use a hairdryer and goo gone.

 

[asisco72]

3m makes a wheel for removing pinstriping and such works well but dont go past the do not go past line