How Do You Remove Graffiti From a Truck?

[layoutshooter]

Interesting side bar on Graffiti. The ACLU has filed a couple of law suits, I think in NYC, to stop prosicution on graffiti charges. Thier claim is that not allowing people to "tag" other peoples property takes away thier right to "free speach". I have yet to here anything on the outcome or if the court even agreed to hear the cases. Layoutshooter

 

[Jack_Berry]

i called gracie, who is at scj, a family company, she called the outdoor div which makes fiberglass boats, they suggested fantastik, if it is a non acrylic finish. a co worker suggested non acetone nail polish remover.

what ever you try, be sure to try it on a surface that is not visible first.

i am going to call gracies dad who worked on space shuttle windows and has a history of knowning how to remove stuff from other stuff.

 

[JohnMueller]

Phil;

I also enjoyed Leo's response. Bolt-cutters vs. fingers (if you ever catch the culprit) would be the solution for me if the opportunity presented itself.

Thanks,
John
Oops - HotFr8Recruiter

 

[miguy1957]

If it is a felt tip marker, Just use aerosol Hair spray . Believe it or not it desolves Ink. Try it, it works.

 

[Humble2drive]

I am including two web sites for your consideration in removing the Graffiti From a Truck. I immediately thought of WD-40 because I received an email regarding how many uses it had....The first web site is the official WD-40 web site....The second address is the Snopes web site that reveals bogus emails....I hope this helps you guys.....and do keep the tin in the wind !!!!!!
WD-40 Brand 300 Uses - No Mess Pen
snopes.com: Uses for WD-40 Spray Lubricant

Just a side note here. I discovered use 301 for WD-40.

I got fed up with an elusive lizard that was running around our house so I purchased one of those "Have-a-Heart" glue traps. Sure enough, that little lizard was staring me in the eye the next morning. I couldn't bare the thought of throwing this little guy in the trash to die a slow death. (Why do they call it "Have-a-Heart??) I tried to pull him off but he was imbedded.
My brother suggested WD-40.
I took him outside and gave him the WD-40 treatment and within a few minutes he slid out and went on his way. I left a paper towel out on the step that night in case he wanted to come back and wipe some of that WD-40 off.

WD-40, Don't leave home without it.

 

[nightcreacher]

phil years ago had the whole side of the trailer done,while we were fishing in mexico,Goof off will do the job,wipe it on wipe it off,then take your truck to blue beacon and have it acid washed,will look like new

 

[Turtle]

I took him outside and gave him the WD-40 treatment and within a few minutes he slid out and went on his way. I left a paper towel out on the step that night in case he wanted to come back and wipe some of that WD-40 off.

Don't worry. The main ingredient in WD-40 is Stoddard Solvent (A.K.A., Type 3 White Mineral Spirits, Heavy Naptha, Light Kerosene) which, unlike water, is easily absorbed through the skin of lizards and salamanders. Also, unlike water, it is highly toxic to lizards, fish and salamanders. Accute exposure, as in the case of skin absorbtion in a lizard, will result in central nervous system effects such as Toxic Encephalopathy and the inability to control muscle movements. In other words, his brain won't be able to figure out how to get back to the paper towels, and even if it could, he won't be able to get back, anyway. He'll die a relatively quick, albeit painfull, death, when he's plucked out of the grass by a yellow tailed hawk or a garter snake, and then will probably kill whatever eats him, too.

 

[geo]

few years ago my truck was tag in front yard been all over and tagged in front yard

 

[ATeam]

Well, a lot of suggestions were offered, and I appreciate them. But I have only limited good news to report. Thinking the graffiti would be easy to get off with the right product or technique, we found out different after a full day of attempts. The fiberglass sleeper came clean but the truck body did not.

Part of the problem was that we were just beginning a long run when the graffiti was applied, and the route took us through the Mojave desert, which meant several hours of very hot and very dry air blowing down the side of the truck.

Another problem was the run itself; two days of non-stop driving that left no time to work on the "art" and gave it time to set all the more. It was a reefer run on which the reefer must run at all times. A truck wash stop was not an option as truck washes want reefers turned off when you are in the bay.

Third was the long weekend. We searched high and low for some of the products mentioned but the industrial supply stores that sell them were all closed on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

That left us going to Home Depot and hardware stores to find one product after another, when each product we tried failed to do the job. The ones that worked, worked only to an extent; taking some of the graffiti off, but nothing got it all off. The truck looks better but to look right, it needs repainting.

We have two last chances; the Sprayaway wipes Turtle recommended, and the 3M eraser product fastman_1 and hondaking38 recommended. If we can find them after the long weekend, we'll give them a shot, but with the long time the marker ink has had to set up, I'm not optimistic.

In five years, we have never had a truck vandalized like this. From now on, we will carry a supply of graffiti wipes with us so we will be better prepared for the next time. Carry them in a cargo bin, not in the back. That way, if you need them when you are under a sealed load, you can get them.

Here is a summary of the suggestions and results:

Diesel Fuel: Tried, no effect.

Oven Cleaner: Tried, no effect.

WD-40: Tried, partial effect.

Paint Thinner: Tried, no effect.

Bon Ami: Tried, partial effect.

Goo Gone: Tried, no effect.

Gasoline: Not tried.

Goof-Off: Tried, partial effect.

Blue Beacon Truck Wash with acid and high pressure hoses held very, very close to the graffiti: Tried, no effect.

Oops! (product name): Tried, partial effect.

Aerosol Hair Spray: Not tried, but we will give it a shot.

At this point, we have nothing much to lose. And if the hair spray does not work, at least the truck body will not be too stiff or sticky, and it will have a style that looks beautiful and moves naturally.

 

[greg334]

Sorry to hear that.

As one who had several properties that were always 'taged' along with trucks we used a product that was like the one I mentioned.

Anyhow, the problem is it could also be a paint pen, which in any case don't try things that will set it. A paint pen is the same as using paint, except if it a certain brand of paint pen than you may have a real issue as it can not be removed.

As for a product, Tagaway works to a point, you can call 877.824.7763 to find out where you can by the stuff on the west coast or order it at that number. Goo Gone, acetone and even lighter fluid will mess up the finish if not used properly.

Of course your truck is waxed? I would expect to be but waxing it helps a lot with these little real world issues.

The one thing we learned was the use of paint pens were always a real problem, this stuff would dry quick and a real pain. We kept our stuff waxed so it was easier to remove the paint and pen marks.

 

[P51bombay]

Well as a last resort try some acetone - its rather harsh stuff so wet a rag and wipe dry right away. Failing that a trip to an auto body shop might be in order - polishing compound and a machine buffer might just do the trick.

 

[gotta go]

Not knowing where your load has taken you, I would like to offer that the polish shop in Jackson, GA, (exit 201, I-75) offers the erasure wheel treatment for a reasonable price.

 

[cheri1122]

Phil: sorry to hear about the vandalism, and you are taking it much better than I suspect I would. I hope you find something that works, and let us know what it is. (I'm betting on the Sprayway)
PS Not sure the hairspray is a good idea, as most promise to add bounce....

 

[Broompilot]

Very easy to remove: Clay Bar Majic any Auto Zone sells it. It is what I use when detailing vehicles and the majority of vehicles have white or yellow paint on the lower panels this stuff removes anything that is not orignal from any clear coat.

So hows the pressure washer working anyway?

 

[miguy1957]

PS Not sure the hairspray is a good idea, as most promise to add bounce....

You may laugh, but hair spray desolves ink. If you have hair spray and a felt tip marker try it, mark on something (not paper) like a Coke can wait till its dry spray and wipe off..

 

[TinInTheWind]

Very easy to remove: Clay Bar Majic any Auto Zone sells it. It is what I use when detailing vehicles and the majority of vehicles have white or yellow paint on the lower panels this stuff removes anything that is not orignal from any clear coat.

So hows the pressure washer working anyway?

I am not familiar with Clay Bar Magic but know that rubbing compound (also found at Wal~Mart & parts stores) used with a buffer can remove foreign matter from a vehicle.

 

[Paul56]

Lacquer thinner is a strong solvent.

If you decide to try it be very careful. Try in area that does not show to see the effects on the finish first. If no effect or acceptable effect then try on the more visible graffiti areas.

Where to obtain?

Anyplace that sells paint should have it.

 

[nightcreacher]

phil as i stated earlier,goof off,wipe it o wipe it off,no more grafitti,then go to blue beacon,get the box cid washed,and tell them to brush it,,box will look better than it did when it was new

 

[ATeam]

phil as i stated earlier,goof off,wipe it o wipe it off,no more grafitti,then go to blue beacon,get the box cid washed,and tell them to brush it,,box will look better than it did when it was new

We tried exactly that (mentioned above). In fact, we drove 60 miles to a Blue Beacon because of your suggestion. The Goof-Off had a partial effect. Blue Beacon had no effect.

I stood along side the Blue Beacon manager and watched/directed him as he tried his best. He put acid (brightener) on the graffiti, let it soak a bit, and then blasted it with the hose, with that high-pressure nozzle no more than an inch off the surface. After two attempts, it surprsed me to see no effect, but that was the result.

We will try another technique or two, at this point out of product-research curiosity. But with as much time as the stains have now had to set in, and the setting perhaps made worse by what we tried before, I think we are beyond hope of cleaning this up ourselves.

We have reduced the black graffiti writing to gray shadows and unrecognizable letters. A lot of people looking at the truck would not notice the graffiti unless they were specifically looking for it. Still, it will be to the body shop we go. It is not our way to leave the truck in less than like-new condition.

It's not a hard job for a body shop to do. The work is at ground level. There is little masking to do. With a little bit of prep work and blowing some paint, the truck will be good as new. As I said, the fiberglass sleeper came clean. On the truck body, the affected area is 1.5' x 4' in size.

 

[cheri1122]

You may laugh, but hair spray desolves ink. If you have hair spray and a felt tip marker try it, mark on something (not paper) like a Coke can wait till its dry spray and wipe off..

Miguy: I know that hairspray removes ink, because one of my granddaughters (Hurricane Meg), is quite fond of tagging things, sigh.
But the problem Phil has is not knowing what was used to tag his truck, which makes removing it more difficult - what works for one problem may only make another kind worse. It's a tough one, and the information Phil is (unfortunately) getting may one day be needed by someone else.