If you have any questions regarding the installation, removal, care, or anything else about boat lettering, I will do my best to
assist you.

"Cap'n" John Grooms
407-522-1447
www.boatlettering.net

For direct replies remove "YOURSHOES" from the email address.

.. I have a 1986 Carver covered with factory decals,
stripes, letters, you name it. They have faded to gray. The local
detailers want almost $5,000 to remove them all. How the hell do I
get them off myself?

IF they are decals as you say:
1.Hairdryer (gently heat and they pull right off)
2. WD 40 to take off the residue (the only thing it's actually good for)


May I have 1/2 the $5 grand for that secret?

Ok, I'll bite. I have a 1986 Carver covered with factory decals,
stripes, letters, you name it. They have faded to gray. The local
detailers want almost $5,000 to remove them all. How the hell do I
get them off myself?


Decal removal can be a challenge. There are many variables that can affect it's adhesion including the type of vinyl, it's age and
long-term exposure to the elements. $5000 seems a bit high to me, but since I have not personally evaluated the job I will comment
no further.

I would start by using a heat gun (or hair dryer) and, holding it about 2-3" from the surface, heat the vinyl for approximately 10 -
15 seconds to soften it up. Heat about 12" of vinyl at a time and then peel it off.

Now comes the nasty part. Unless you're incredibly lucky there will be adhesive left over after the vinyl has been peeled off. To
remove the remaining adhesive... use an adhesive remover. You can get this at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. You will probably need several
quarts for the size job you are talking about. Soak a rag with the remover and wipe over the adhesive. Once it starts to "gel" take
a hard plastic scraper (also available at the aforementioned locations) and scrape it off. Wipe off any remaining residue with a
clean rag soaked in adhesive remover. The adhesive will build up on the rag so you will need to flip it often, otherwise you will
just spread the adhesive residue back onto itself. BTW, you are going to use a LOT of rags for this job.

If this method doesn't work then the vinyl has degraded so badly that it will need to be compounded off with a high-speed buffer. I
would recommend a professional for that job but shop around, you may find a lower quote.

I hope this helps.

Cap'n John Grooms
www.boatlettering.net

3M (and some other company) makes a rubber wheel, kind of like an eraser
that you chuck up in your drill and gets those things right off.

--


Keith
__
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
"." .@. wrote in message
...
On Fri, 05 Sep 2003 20:38:28 GMT, "Cap'n John"
wrote:

If you have any questions regarding the installation, removal, care, or
anything else about boat lettering, I will do my best to
assist you.

"Cap'n" John Grooms
407-522-1447
www.boatlettering.net

For direct replies remove "YOURSHOES" from the email address.



Ok, I'll bite. I have a 1986 Carver covered with factory decals,
stripes, letters, you name it. They have faded to gray. The local
detailers want almost $5,000 to remove them all. How the hell do I
get them off myself?

No wonder my penis hurts!

"Bill Cole" wrote in message
news:8lm7b.407067$uu5.73912@sccrnsc04...
WD 40 is not a lubricate, it is a Water Displacement product. It is good
for spraying on electronics to keep contact points dry and to reduce the
amount of corrosion. Too many people think it is an effective lubricate,
it
is not.

But I'll bet there's no corrosion.

"Phil" wrote in message
...
No wonder my penis hurts!

"Bill Cole" wrote in message
news:8lm7b.407067$uu5.73912@sccrnsc04...
WD 40 is not a lubricate, it is a Water Displacement product. It is
good
for spraying on electronics to keep contact points dry and to reduce the
amount of corrosion. Too many people think it is an effective
lubricate,
it
is not.

but it is very good when you are using the electrical device on your penis

"Paul" wrote in message
e.rogers.com...
But I'll bet there's no corrosion.

"Phil" wrote in message
...
No wonder my penis hurts!

"Bill Cole" wrote in message
news:8lm7b.407067$uu5.73912@sccrnsc04...
WD 40 is not a lubricate, it is a Water Displacement product. It is
good
for spraying on electronics to keep contact points dry and to reduce
the
amount of corrosion. Too many people think it is an effective
lubricate,
it
is not.

ps - WD40 says the only product it is not good for is polycarbonate and
clear polystyrene plastic. Are these used in electronics?

From their web site:
WD-40 can be used on just about everything. It is safe for metal, rubber,
wood and plastic. WD-40 can be applied to painted metal surfaces without
harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the
few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40.


"Bill Cole" wrote in message
news:b1q7b.295970$cF.91761@rwcrnsc53...
I have to agree not to take any posts on Usenet too seriously, but
according
to the company who makes the product:
WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. That's the
name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed WD-40
back in 1953. The chemist, Norm Larsen, was attempting to concoct a
formula
to prevent corrosion -- a task which is done by displacing water. Norm's
persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.
From another place on their web site they state:






September means it's time for many students to head
back-to-school.
To get into the school spirit, use WD-40 to:


a.. Remove stickers from lockers or any other hard surface
a.. Shine and clean scratches on eyeglass rims
a.. Lubricate three-ring binders
a.. Remove leftover adhesive from back to school supplies
a.. Lubricate backpack zippers


Since they only recommend using WD 40 to lubricate 3 ring binders and
zippers, I would have to stand on my premise that it is not a good
lubricant. Now, if you know it should not be used on any electronic
product
I will have to assume the person who told me this was wrong.
I do totally agree about not believing anything you read in Usenet
without
confirming it from another reliable source.

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 15:29:08 GMT, "Bill Cole"
wrote:

WD 40 is not a lubricate, it is a Water Displacement product. It is
good
for spraying on electronics to keep contact points dry and to reduce
the
amount of corrosion. Too many people think it is an effective
lubricate,
it
is not.

geez. this is why you have to be very very careful how seriously you
take what you read on the internet.

WD40 IS INDEED a lubricant, and a very good one. It is NOT a water
displacement product and should NEVER be used on sensitive electronic
products. That is for tuner cleaner or CRC but NOT WD40 ! WD40 is
petroleum based and as such will indeed remove the sticky goop from
boat lettering. (And perhaps the finish / fiberglass as well !)

Harry Krause wrote in message ...
. wrote:

On Fri, 05 Sep 2003 23:35:07 GMT, "bomar" wrote:



. I have a 1986 Carver covered with factory decals,
stripes, letters, you name it. They have faded to gray. The local
detailers want almost $5,000 to remove them all. How the hell do I
get them off myself?


The decals may be holding your boat together.

Harry, that's rude!

Being a Carver owner, and love having a
fair-weather-dock-side-cocktail
cruiser-floating-condo-camper-without-wheels-aint-gonna-see-the
big-greenie-don't-go-offshore-you-know-what-Pascoe-said boat, I can
tell you the stripes aren't holding the boat together. We can prove
this is not so. Zimmerman-like lobster boats, however, are less easy
to establish proof of... ; )

Anyhoo...

I, too, have a 1986 Carver, and the stripes were getting tired,
damaged, and scuffed (Scuffing was by the previous owner, of course.).
I contacted a local auto pinstripe company, who removed all the
stripes (boot, cabin, & flying bridge), and replaced all the old ones
with exactly the factory colors and dimensions for about $600. I keep
the boat in heated storage during the winter, & it was a "do it when
you get around to it" agreement. They did a great job, and the boat
looks great. They did use some type of rubber "grinding wheel" one
some of them. The black ones came off easily, but the silver stripes
were a real bear to remove. I could never have done the job this guy
did. Laid 'em on perfectly.

Good luck.

Coff

Alrighty then... here we go

WD 40 is not a lubricate, it is a Water Displacement product.

It is both.

It is good
for spraying on electronics to keep contact points dry and to reduce the
amount of corrosion

Yes, the contacts & mechanical switches


Too many people think it is an effective lubricate, it
is not.

Not for bearing grease, engine oil, or assembly lube... (and it will dissolve
any of these so should never be shot INTO a bearing or reel for LUBRICATION)
but definitely works for freeing seized parts, bolts, tools, etc.


WD40 IS INDEED a lubricant,

yes

and a very good one.

no, it's part lubricant, part solvent... it's viscosity is very low for just
lubricant, and it disspates rapidly. It makes a great chain cleaner for
motorcycles, and it also works well as a chain lube, as long as your willing to
reapply every 75 miles or so


It is NOT a water
displacement product

It works for me... as well as thousands of mechanics

and should NEVER be used on sensitive electronic
products.

agreed, not on a computer motherboard... but I use it for moisture
displacement/anti corrosion on all connectors, including the jacks on my
gps/bottom machine/radar/vhf equipment.

WD40 is
petroleum based and as such will indeed remove the sticky goop from
boat lettering.
(And perhaps the finish / fiberglass as well !)

Hmmm, not from what I've seen.

I've used it on automotive paint, boat gelcoat, fiberglass, ABS, metal etc. to
remove sticker goop for 15 years with no effect on the substrate, but it will
remove most spray enamels, and maybe even fingernail polish ;~

John D.

remove myshorts to reply