Friday :: 03 July 2009 :: 05:31 PM
175 days to Christmas!
Cleaning Stickum Left From Vinyl Decals
Just after the winter began winding down and the weather was beginning to warm up, I removed a large 30" x 18" vinyl sticker from the tailgate of my truck. No matter how much heat was applied, the back of the sticker refused to come loose. I tried everything, Goof-Off®, fingernail polish remover, paint thinner, gum turpentine, etc. Nothing seemed to work very well.
Finally, I used WD40®, it worked better than anything else -- but it was still slow. After working almost two and one-half hours, I was able to remove about one-third of the decal debris, as you can see in this photo. At the rate I was going it would take a full day to remove the debris -- not a pretty picture.
So I got this idea to use my handy Wen Model 7000 10 inch Random Orbital Wax Applicator (Home Depot special) to see if that would speed things up a bit. After installing a fresh NAPA® Polishing Bonnet and spraying it with a light coat of WD40®, I went to work.
The working area was kept moist with regular light applications of WD40®. After the polishing action saturated the stickum with the oil, I took a putty knife and CAREFULLY removed the top layer of stickum. I was careful not to use the knife directly on the paint, nor did I try to remove the stickum down to the paint -- just kept to the top layer. This seemed to save some time as well.
All-in-all, I was able to remove the remaining two-thirds in less than an hour an one half. If I had used this technique from the start, the job would have been accomplished in about two hours -- less than the time it took to get the bright idea to use electric horsepower instead of manpower!
Another side benefit is the shine on the tailgate from working the oil into the finish. Kind of like applying a french polish to metal. As you can see the results were successful. Now, I just have to figure what kind of sticker is going to fill the big empty space!
After the last article regarding removing the stickum leftover from vinyl lettering and signs, several people got hold of me to let me know of their remedies. DM left a comment on the article site about peanut butter removing residue left behind by decals. This sounds like it would work, but you should remember there are abrasives in peanut butter (especially the chunky style!).
Lots of people recommended hair spray. I tried several. Most did little better than WD40 -- except one -- and my wife was quick to remind me it is not hair spray but anti-frizz spray. I have used StraightSexyHair by Sexy Hair Concepts. The label says, "Property of Michael O'Rourke" -- how cute!
My daughter picks this up at Fred Meyer (Kroger's for all of you in Ohio and the East).
I have used this on the toughest jobs, including some black marks that looked like vinyl on my rear window that several detailers were unable to deal with. Everything, including xzylene, was used to no avail. But a few deep rubs with StraightSexyHair and the marks were gone.
Try it for yourself. -- and keep me posted!
Random Humor: Another Blonde Joke
Did you hear about the blonde mapmaker from Arizona who was fired from her job?
She had no sense of Yuma!