Replacing stickers on vacs

[csmith]

I’ve got all new stickers for my vacs and I’m just wondering what everyone’s suggestions are for getting these old sun baked decals off..

 

[Randy]

I use a heat gun or a torch to remove the old decal and then use lacquer thinner to get off the glue residue. I never use any kind of scraper, it’ll scratch the stainless steel.

 

[csmith]

I use a heat gun or a torch to remove the old decal and then use lacquer thinner to get off the glue residue. I never use any kind of scraper, it’ll scratch the stainless steel.[/QUOTEdoes the heat gun make it to wear it peals right off or what?

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

Buddy it's tons of threads on this form about this topic use the search bar at top right. This subject and led lights get beat to death many different ways to go about stickers & restoring vacs sweat equity is the biggest advice

 

[soapy]

The best way to put them on is by using a spray water bottle with a little dish soap and spray both the back of decal and the vac. Then squeegy the water out with a plastic scraper.

 

[MEP001]

I've found that a brass wire wheel in a grinder is the fastest way to remove the bulk of a decal and adhesive. It may polish away the brushed finish so you might want to peel the edges first. Don't use a regular steel wire wheel as it will embed bits of metal that will rust.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Torch / Heat Gun.

 

[bert79]

I just did this and used a heat gun to remove the bulk of the sticker. When it was just the glue and residue left I used aerosol paint stripper (Kleen Strip I think). I let that sit for about 5 minutes and wiped it off with a rag. This seemed to work pretty well. After I got the new stickers on I cleaned the stainless with stainless cleaner with a non scratching scotch brite pad.

 

[Kevin James]

Why have stickers on the vacuum to begin with? We took all of our stickers off the vacuums and polished the vacuums so they are nice a shiny. The only sticker on the vacuum is the price decal and a your on video decal. I think everyone knows what vacuum at a S/S car wash is.

 

[OurTown]

Why have stickers on the vacuum to begin with? We took all of our stickers off the vacuums and polished the vacuums so they are nice a shiny. The only sticker on the vacuum is the price decal and a your on video decal. I think everyone knows what vacuum at a S/S car wash is.

If they have stainless domes they are pretty bland and boring without any decals. It also might be a good place to advertise your own branding or that it is also a shampoo or fragrance vac.

 

[MEP001]

I just did this and used a heat gun to remove the bulk of the sticker. When it was just the glue and residue left I used aerosol paint stripper (Kleen Strip I think). I let that sit for about 5 minutes and wiped it off with a rag. This seemed to work pretty well. After I got the new stickers on I cleaned the stainless with stainless cleaner with a non scratching scotch brite pad.

I tried some CRC penetrating oil called "Knock 'er Loose" on some really thick adhesive and it cut through it really well. It took about 10 seconds for it to work it loose, and a razor lifted it off completely in one swipe.

 

[Main Street Carwash]

Brake clean works well for removing residue and cleans the surface well in preparation for the new decal.

 

[Ontario Car Wash]

Easy way is heat and pull
i just took decals off a boat and bought a eraser wheel from pep boys worked really well

 

[Earl Weiss]

Why have stickers on the vacuum to begin with? .

I think they seem pretty Bland. Stickers ad some color.

 

[MEP001]

Brake clean works well for removing residue and cleans the surface well in preparation for the new decal.

It works well, but it evaporates so fast you have to use a lot of it, and it's a very bad carcinogen.

 

[Waxman]

I tried this yesterday; remove decal ( on stainless vending machine) with heat gun. Then I applied some gojo creme hand cleaner to the residual glue. wait 5 min. you'll see the hand cleaner go from milky to clear. then i used a safety razor blade and the glue rolls right off. i've used plenty of harsh solvent,s too, and they work great. but the older i get, the more careful i am about inhaling harsh chemicals.

 

[csmith]

thanks for the info guys, will the heat gun still work if the stickers seem thin and brittle?

im not sure why anyone would leave the stainless tanks and domes with nothing that just seems really boring!

 

[Twodose]

Torch or heat gun, xylol will remove all of the gum < will come off in layers.

 

[mjwalsh]

thanks for the info guys, will the heat gun still work if the stickers seem thin and brittle?

im not sure why anyone would leave the stainless tanks and domes with nothing that just seems really boring!

I think we paid a bit extra for the "red, white & blue with stars" decals from Kleen-Rite for our four stainless steel vacuums. They seem to be working out better than the previous two duller decals we had before. The decals kind of blend in nicely with our newly painted "Heaven Blue" color of the exterior of our building. No ... we do not have nor want CC acceptance on our Dixmor LED7 Readout dollar coin bonus vacuums.

 

[MEP001]

thanks for the info guys, will the heat gun still work if the stickers seem thin and brittle?

Sometimes it will, depends on how brittle. I've worked on some that were so brittle the easiest way was to heat the decal to melting and scrape it off. If you're careful you can slide a fresh, sharp blade through the adhesive without actually touching the metal so you won't ever scratch it.