# Removing Old Stubborn Decals



## Grandcheapskate

I have some old recently acquired Aurora bodies with user-applied decals on them from probably decades ago. Some of them came off fairly easily, but some will not come off. Maybe they were clear coated over at some point.

What tricks are there to removing these decals without harming the paint?

Thanks...Joe


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## Super Coupe

I've had a couple old cars that had decals on them and I just kept putting hot water on them to soften up glue and wipe them off. but as you mention with the possibility of clear coat,the hot water idea may not help.
>Tom<


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## tjd241

They're painted bodies Joe or what?... Any pics?


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## alpink

if they are NOT clear coated, white vinegar will probably loosen them up and not affect paint.


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## Grandcheapskate

tjd241 said:


> They're painted bodies Joe or what?... Any pics?


No, they are just regular Aurora T-Jet and AFX bodies. They were mostly from two seperate Craigslist buys I got months ago. On most of them, the decals had become somewhat brittle and they just came off with nothing more than my fingernail. Others are really stuck.

If I get ambitious I'll take out the camera and take a few pics although there is not much to see.

I'll try white vinegar and see how that works out. Thanks for the suggestions.

Joe


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## tjd241

Grandcheapskate said:


> they are just regular Aurora T-Jet and AFX bodies. .....although there is not much to see. Joe


No worries Joe. My thought was that the chances were pretty good another guy might have had the same decals on one of theirs. Maybe could ignite a spark in the old memory banks. Warm water works better than cool btw. dm


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## Grandcheapskate

How long before I know if the white vinegar will loosen the decal? There is a white Firebird with an old decal on the roof. I have had it soaking for at least 45 min to an hour and there is no indication that it is going to loosen. Do I need to leave it soaking for hours/days, or is an hour long enough to know if the treatment will work?

Thanks...Joe


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## alpink

leave it for a couple of hours. the plastic of the decal should start to wrinkle and that will be a sign that it is nearly ready to remove. if it doesn't wrinkle by dinner time tonight remove from the vinegar and try the hot water soak someone else recommended.


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## Bill Hall

Depends on the era and of course the quality of the decal. Some of the old school stuff can be frustrating. 

If passive methods dont work, sometimes you have to cooperate them. I "finger-nail" the stubborn offenders off. 

Many times there will be a UV tattoo where the decal was, or some nail scratches. Scratch and Swirl remover usually cures those ails. I try and be extra careful/patient on painted areas.


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## Grandcheapskate

Well, after a good 6+ hour soak in white vinegar, the decal was most unimpressed with my efforts. The remains of the decal (which is what I started with) didn't budge at all.

Of the two cars from this lot which had hard to remove decals, this was the first car I wanted to try. The other is a red Cheetah which is in perfect condition except for a meatball #1 sticker on the hood. That one doesn't budge at all. There is also an AFX Ferrari covered in decals and I'll bet those will be just as tough to remove.

The finger nail method worked for a lot of the decals, but not for those remaining.

Oh well, maybe I'll try something more powerful like acetone or paint thinner applied by Q-Tip. I'm not a big decal guy and I don't like the look of those cars which still have the decals, especially those which are about 80% gone.

Thanks...Joe


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## copperhead71

The decals on the old custom Camaro on the right appear to have been on the car for many years,what is the harshes chemical I could use to remove these decals,and or the factory blue paint?(answered at 5:13))cool


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## LDThomas

I have never used it, but I have been told that ELO takes off those bad case decals.


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## alpink

Electric Light Orchestra!


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## fastlap

Just removed all the Tyco (tampo) decals from a Petty superbird yesterday to start a recreation of the original light blue petty TycoPro superbird. When removing decals, I start with either of the Microscale Decal set. Here is a pic of the bottle of the set. I also use the one with red writing on it, as it seems to be a bit stronger. I use a painting brush to apply and a toothpick or my fingernail to remove. This works on the regular palstic bodies, however, it may be a bit harsh if removing decals from a painted body. Best way is to experiment before using it on your good subjects.


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## partspig

Hey I'm an old fart and old school. I remove old decals with a drop of Dawn dish soap in an old plastic butter with some WARM water. I usually just drop the body in and let her soak for a day or two. Doesn't harm the factory paint or any paint for that matter. Vinegar?? Really?? That's an acid and WILL attack paint and plastic! Have a good day! pig


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## Jisp

It sounds to me like clear coat is probably involved, given that the vinegar didn't work. I have used vinegar before with success and no harm to the underlying paint.

Is the area in question reasonably flat? If so, I would probably try very carefully cutting the decal back with fine wet and dry, with water and a few drops of dish liquid.

My theory is that the dish soap breaks water surface tension and so keeps the water in contact with the area being rubbed back at all times. Having said that....... I'm no scientist.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## Grandcheapskate

I was away for a couple days, so haven't tried anything else, but what if these are glued on? What would break that down?

Thanks...Joe


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## Ralphthe3rd

Use a Q-tip with a dab of Brake Fluid on it. But if the decal is over a painted surface- be very careful to just wet the decal itself. To stop the Brake Fluid from attacking paint if left on too long, just wash (or dip) the body in warm water, and it'll stop the solvent activity in it's tracks.


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## win43

You could try taking some 1200 grit wet/dry sand paper and VERY lightly sand the decal off. Then use the aforementioned scratch/swirl remover. I use Novus 2.

I haven't tried this method on decals, but I have used it to remove painted on stripes on MM and Dash bodies.


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## Grandcheapskate

Today I decided to try something drastic. I put some acetone on a Q-Tip and rubbed it on the decal. I think the decal came off, but there remains a glob of (what I think is) glue. I'm also not sure whether the acetone did any harm to the surrounding plastic, so I would not try this at (your) home.

Oh well. This body goes in the parts bin. I rather use a better looking body.

Joe


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## Ralphthe3rd

Oh man Joe ! ....you should NOT have Used Acetone  ....you shoulda used Brake Fluid like i said. And it really won't take off the paint very easy either. As a matter of Fact, I just used Brake Fluid to remove 95% of the Mud from my AW Dukes of Hazzard- "Muddy" General Lee. No Harm to the Orange paint below, but it did start to remove the tampo marker lights, and I was very light on the rebel flag on the roof....
When using brake fluid, use a dampened cloth or Q-Tip, and rub a little and then hit it with a (water)wet sponge, examine, then repeat if necessary to remove tampos and such.


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## NTxSlotCars

Have you tried brake cleaner? Takes em right off


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## Grandcheapskate

I think there is some brake fluid in the garage. I'll try that over the weekend and see if it removes the (what looks like) glue.

Thanks...Joe


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## alpink

Naptha(known to cause cancer in California), lighter fluid, Coleman fuel will dissolve most adhesives. if it is merely adhesive residue.
however, the Acetone(known to cause cancer in California) likely converted the plastic of the decal and whatever clear coat that was protecting it into a mass that has fused to the surface plastic.
I have to agree with the observation of others that there had to be a protectant clear coat over the decal for nothing previously mentioned to work.
many of us used clear fingernail polish because it right there in Mom's stuff and there was a brush in the bottle. after decades of protecting the decal the clear finger nail polish was not about to lay down on the job.
too bad you didn't have more success and hopefully this thread will serve others in the future(not Pledge, but maybe)!


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## Grandcheapskate

Hi Al,
I don't think the acetone melted the plastic (although I could be wrong), but may have dulled the plastic shine in that area; the car is molded in white and is all white. Before I applied the acetone, there was clearly a "lump" at that decal which is still there, but now that the decal is gone can be more clearly seen.

Thanks...Joe


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## alpink

LOL, maybe the decal was to cover up the lump in the first place! LOL


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## plymouth71

alpink said:


> LOL, maybe the decal was to cover up the lump in the first place! LOL


Excellent Point Al!


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## Ralphthe3rd

Well....just send that body to ME, and nobody else will have to look at that ugly Lump


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