Removing Stickers from Hull

[Smelly]

Hi all!

Best way to remove stubborn advertising stickers off Gel coat without damaging surface please?

Smelly

[Wooly]

Smelly

Forthose plasticy ones I just warm up with hot air gun and peel off. Wipe residue of with citrus based cleaner and was off straight away with water.

cheers

[Smelly]

Thanks Wooly.
How much are hot air guns?


ANy other tips?

[mylestom]

Try borrowing your wifes hair dryer when she is not looking.
Trev

[Smelly]

Great idea!

[DazSamFishing]

The hair dryer does work!

[Big_unit]

How much are hot air guns?
ANy other tips?


I just picked up a top of the range Bosch heat gun with digital display for $99 from Bunnings. Very handy tool, heats from 50 up to 630 degrees celcius.

You can get cheap ones for $30 or $40.

Just depends how much you will use it ?

Cheers
James

[Fishing_Freddy]

I've use a hair dryer before then wiped glue of with eucalyptus oil then rinse with fresh water, hope this help Ken ;D ;D ;D

[Smelly]

Tried methods - no luck.. :(

These damn stubborn stickers have probably been onboat since new - 1989..

ANy other methods?

[ribbit]

being gelcoat and so hard you can use acrylic paint thinners and a razor blade. just keep angle right to not dig in. also put boat putside in sun for couple hours to soften decals. thinners will take of residue.

[ribbit]

or also if that dont work, drink the thinners and cut your wrists with blade.
just a thought....

[Smelly]

I have already spent around $20 on this stuff trying to get the stickers off and they won't budge... :'(

Now I have to buy thinners - acrylic - is this terpentine?

Now, where's that bloody blade of mine.. 8-)

[Big_unit]

A hair dryer just wont produce enough heat. ::) ::)

Buy a proper heat gun, problem will be solved within minutes. ;) ;)

[Smelly]

ok - i will try the air gun - otherwise i cannot remove these f ckers! >:(

[Smelly]

I just bought the air gun - what temperature shuld be used - without weakening the fiberglass?

[poncho]

I once had some very stubborn stickers that had obviously been on the boat for 15 odd years#and tried every thing... i used the heat gun on low setting and that worked on a few but even that cooked the gel coat in some spots and some of the stickers still didn't come off. In the end i used one of the razor blades with a handle for about $3 from bunnings and got all the stickers off by carefully getting under the sticker with the razor blade in one hand and pulling the sticker away with the other hand. It worked a charm and they came off quiet easily with only very minimal scratching in one part that easily buffed out. Usually you will need to heavily polish the boat anyways because under the sticker the gel-coat will be a different colour (like new). I cleaned up all the sticky stuff with a citrus cleaner. Anyways good luck

,cheers Chris

[lippa]

get it hot enough so you can just touch the surface with the "back" of your hand. any more heat, and you risk damaging the substrate.

cheers

lippa

[Smelly]

what is "substrate"?

Is 100 deg c too hot?

[Smelly]

what is "substrate"?

Is 100 deg c too hot?

[davez104]

I think he just means underlying structure

[lippa]

substrate=surface to which somthing is applied. in your case, the fibreglass is the substrate.

100 deg c too hot? would you pour boiling water on the back of your hand?????? i would estimate somwhere between 40-50 deg c is about the temp. you need to achieve.

cheers

lippa

[Smelly]

Now I am worried - I used temps of up to 220 deg C for short periods of time..

Sticker has started to come off now but how do i know if damage to substrate has occuured?

[Poodroo]

Ah bugger it.... just cover it up with a new Ausfish sticker. ;D ;D

Poodroo

[Smelly]

Good one! But no thanks.. ;)

[Poodroo]

Just a thought in all seriousness Smelly. Might pay to try a small test area first though. I remember many years ago I used a couple of products as I was in the aviation industry spray painting aircraft. One product I am not sure you can buy easily but it used to dissolve things quickly was a product called Methyl Ethol Ketone (MEK) available from major paint distributors. I used it to dissolve paint stripper residue off the aircraft aluminium and I know if it came into contact with plastics like the shield on my protective face mask it would literally melt the plastic. I am sure this would melt off a sticker in seconds. If you cannot find the product then try the good old lighter fluid but once again try it on a small section. I would hate to see a boat out on the water with a massive scar from where a sticker used to be. #;D I don't think either of these products would damage the gel coat however. Worth a try.

Poodroo

[lippa]

if the substrate was at 220 deg c, it would have ignited. you can use a heat gun flat out, say at 650deg c, just keep checking the heat of the substrate, ie, with the back of your hand. i use this method, near on a daily basis to remove sign writing from vechiles. some stickers are a real pain in the arse. ya just got to be patient. it would be obvious if you have caused any damage, the area in which you have heated would of gone yellow(which may polish up), it would be wrinkled, or obviously burnt. all the best with it!!

cheers

lippa

[Smelly]

Certainly will give it a try..

Incidently, I will now use this (MEK) to strip down my Series 1 Land ROver painted panels which are also made of the aircraft aluminium .. Thanks :D

[Smelly]

Thanks Lippa. I will proceed with this technique then.. ;)

[Smelly]

So just ot confirm if my heat gun says 220 Deg C, this is not the temperature that the fiberglass 'feels' - but much lower..? (due to heat loss in air)? :-?

[Smelly]

Hi guys.

Just for closure - I have finally completed this job.

Fkn pain! Stickers 250mm long by 95mm deep (one each side of hull) - since 1989.

About four(4) man hours and two(2) hours gettign the equipment..

Glad it's over and no apparent damage done to hull.

Smelly!