Removing signs

Thornapple

Seasoned Expediter
I know there was a post here about the best way to take the glue off of your truck after you get signs off but I can't find it.

Could anyone tell me what the best way was on that post or anyother one?

Hopefully it will be an expencive way.

Thanks for the help.

t.
 

Broompilot

Veteran Expediter
Mineral Spirits is the only thing that will remove the Glue or the Easiest.

Sign removal Hot Gun, patience and a scrapper. The kind they put the signs on with, Razor is gona cut into the paint, if you do use one be carefull. Plus one whole day on a big sign good luck.
 

arkjarhead

Veteran Expediter
They make some stuff in an aerosol can called decal remover. It does a good job. Just spray it on the decal and take a plastic putty knife and everything comes off. If its been on there awhile you might have to spray a little directly on the glue after the decal is off.
 

Jack_Berry

Moderator Emeritus
coke
or
goo gone.

coke is used to take blood off the hwy so it should work on sign stickum





Jack Berry
 

RichM

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Grafiti Removal comes in a spray can and is sold in Sherman Williams paint stores.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
3M woodgrain remover - it works every time without the hassle. If you have a newer vehicle, I would follow it up with some goo gone and then a good cleaning with a cleaner/polish and a good hand wax.

Oh I haven't found it any auto parts store but I have found it at an auto paint store.
 

dhalltoyo

Veteran Expediter
If the paint under the graphic is fairly new (1-2 years old), or the surface had a good coat of wax before the graphic was applied, I just wait for a nice sunny day, let the metal warm up nicely (you can speed up the warming time with a hairdryer, heat guns can damage your paint) take your finger nail or a teflon spatula and get one small edge lifted up. I then grab the graphic and s-l-o-w-l-y pull it up and away from the metal surface.

A cargo van with graphics all around takes me about two hours to remove all of them.
 

terryandrene

Veteran Expediter
Safety & Compliance
US Coast Guard
Last week I was washing my drivway with a 2400# pressure washer with a rotating nozzle. As I was reaching my van, I noticed a guano deposit on the fender next to my vinyl truck number. I gave the excrement a healthy squirt and the 'B' flew off the fender. At first I was annoyed the inspired to see if pressure washer might be an efficient way to remove decals; within the next two seconds, I removed all four numbers and all of the residue that had afixed the numbers for almost 1-1/2 years. I'll let y'all know the results when I try the big letters at the end of this van's life.
 

Thornapple

Seasoned Expediter
Thanks to all.

Terry, do you think the 2500# did the trick or could it be a lighter pressure?

I've got a 'lectric Pressure washer that only puts out about 1000#.

I'll try that.

Maybe I should stick the inlet hose into a bottle of Coke and speed things up.

Thanks again to all.:9
 

tr

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
After removing the decals, I always go over the area with WD40 and a terry cloth towel, seems to get the glue or other adhesive's off.
 

Broompilot

Veteran Expediter
At the end of the Vans Life? Terry is that you?

Heck by the time you give that Van up, we will be speaking Spanish or Chinese.
 

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
Terry

Your 2500 PSI power washer will remove all the signs. I used our new Honda 2550 power washer and removed the FedEx door signs on our one truck so we could put new FedEx signs on. Works great without hurting the paint. Hope that helps

Drive safe
Dave Mayfield
FedEx Custom Critical
14 years as an O/O in Expediting.
 

hondaking38

Veteran Expediter
just removed mine last nite. 50 deg weather, used a $21.00 heat gun from meijers, it took 1.5 hours to remove all cat signs and lettering, went way better then i thought
 

riverrat2000

Seasoned Expediter
The last truck I bought was a fed ex repo, that was 4 years old, I tried every trick in the book even one of the erasers that fit onto a drill, I didn't make much headway I have never seen vinyl lettering stuck on so bad, well I needed to take the truck to freightliner to have a few things done to it and while I was there I went to the body shop and ask them what they would charge to remove them, they told me 150.00 so I told them to go for it, they called the next day and they told me that they had removed the signs from the back but if I needed the truck quickly that I would have to remove the rest as they had a few people out sick ,I told them I was in no hurry, to make a long story short I found out from one of the guys that helped to remove them that it took two people two days to get them off and they would never take a job removing fed ex sings again, and that the call I got was the foremans way of trying to get out of the job, as they lost their A** on the job, the bonus is I actually got freightliner for once instead of the other way around
 

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
Yea the box signs are the worse. Glad to see you got something over on Freightliner. Someone needs too.

Drive safe
Dave Mayfield
FedEx Custom Critical
14 years as an O/O in Expediting.
 
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