Bicycle Mechanics - Dumb question to ask..?

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That Fixie Kid
09-05-11, 07:55 PM
I recently acquired a vintage Bridgestone road bike, and I am in the process of sanding it down & such to paint it. But the thing is, the decals are hard to get off. After all, they've been cooked in the sun for 15 years... Ive tried rubbing alcohol, acetone, and even peeling them off by hand... none of them have worked out well so far...

If anybody could provide any insight on this, it would be greatly appreciated

Thanks,
Camden

HillRider
09-05-11, 07:59 PM
Steel or Aluminum frame? Use a chemical paint stripper suitable for the material (i.e. no caustic if it's aluminum) and that will take everything off.
sk0tt
09-05-11, 08:00 PM
If your sanding it down, sanding over them will take them off.

That Fixie Kid
09-05-11, 08:01 PM
Steel frame
Jeff Wills
09-05-11, 09:00 PM
Steel frame

Sand away. 320 grit wet-or-dry paper will take anything off.
max5480
09-05-11, 09:03 PM
don't know how far into this project you've gone. But original decals are always best.
rsacilotto
09-05-11, 09:22 PM
I had good results with a hair dryer
Jeff Wills
09-05-11, 09:38 PM
don't know how far into this project you've gone. But original decals are always best.

True dat. However, since the OP implied he had already started the process of removing the paint, I thought better of berating him over ruining an intact original paint-and-decal job.

FWIW: Long ago I took a couple bike frames to an auto parts machine shop. They hot-tanked the parts, which dissolved all of the paint down to bare metal. No effort, cleaned the nooks and crannies, and it was very cheap- $10 or so.