Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Decal Removal

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Decal Removal

Old 07-15-15, 05:54 PM
  #1  
Useless Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 750
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 380 Post(s)
Liked 181 Times in 113 Posts
Decal Removal

Can anyone give me a tip on removal of old decals?

I have ordered repro Columbus fork decals and I am wondering how to remove the old ones without damaging the paint. I know there are bound to be restorers out there that have faced this problem before and have a great solution! Thanks!!

By the way, I'm still scratching my head wondering how this one ended up torn and separated like this. It would seem to me it would have had to have been torn during the initial application and whoever did it just said "screw it" and sent it on down the line?



UKFan4Sure is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 05:57 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Elwood Indiana
Posts: 7,559

Bikes: they change so much I'm tired of updating this

Mentioned: 168 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1211 Post(s)
Liked 1,120 Times in 421 Posts
heat gun, or hair dryer, scrape off with an old credit card.
__________________
Semper fi
sloar is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 06:00 PM
  #3  
Useless Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 750
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 380 Post(s)
Liked 181 Times in 113 Posts
Should it be wet first to loosen the transfer glue?
UKFan4Sure is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 06:03 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Elwood Indiana
Posts: 7,559

Bikes: they change so much I'm tired of updating this

Mentioned: 168 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1211 Post(s)
Liked 1,120 Times in 421 Posts
I've never wet it. They are very brittle and should flake right off.
__________________
Semper fi
sloar is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 06:08 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
davester's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Berkeley CA
Posts: 2,531

Bikes: 1981 Ron Cooper, 1974 Cinelli Speciale Corsa, 2000 Gary Fisher Sugar 1, 1986 Miyata 710, 1982 Raleigh "International"

Mentioned: 97 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 926 Post(s)
Liked 1,281 Times in 482 Posts
Goo-gone can help if there is adhesive holding it on. That's what I used on mine.
davester is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 06:19 PM
  #6  
Useless Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 750
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 380 Post(s)
Liked 181 Times in 113 Posts
Thanks!!
UKFan4Sure is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 06:33 PM
  #7  
weapons-grade bolognium
 
thinktubes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Across the street from Chicago
Posts: 6,327

Bikes: Battaglin Cromor, Ciocc Designer 84, Schwinn Superior 1981

Mentioned: 43 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 981 Post(s)
Liked 2,344 Times in 879 Posts
Buy a Pinarello?
thinktubes is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 06:34 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Elwood Indiana
Posts: 7,559

Bikes: they change so much I'm tired of updating this

Mentioned: 168 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1211 Post(s)
Liked 1,120 Times in 421 Posts
You'll get plenty of practice removing decals with a Pinarello.
__________________
Semper fi
sloar is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 06:45 PM
  #9  
Useless Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 750
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 380 Post(s)
Liked 181 Times in 113 Posts
Originally Posted by thinktubes
buy a pinarello?
UKFan4Sure is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 08:00 PM
  #10  
Old fart
 
JohnDThompson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,911

Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.

Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3556 Post(s)
Liked 3,332 Times in 1,899 Posts
Originally Posted by UKFan4Sure
I'm still scratching my head wondering how this one ended up torn and separated like this. It would seem to me it would have had to have been torn during the initial application and whoever did it just said "screw it" and sent it on down the line?
No. The decals are intentionally fragile to make it difficult to lift them from a legitimate frame and place on a forgery. Unless the builder clear-coated over the decal, it's very easy to sustain the type of damage your picture shows.
JohnDThompson is offline  
Old 07-15-15, 08:01 PM
  #11  
Useless Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 750
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 380 Post(s)
Liked 181 Times in 113 Posts
Originally Posted by JohnDThompson
No. The decals are intentionally fragile to make it difficult to lift them from a legitimate frame and place on a forgery. Unless the builder clear-coated over the decal, it's very easy to sustain the type of damage your picture shows.
Ahhh.... I see... Interesting.
UKFan4Sure is offline  
Old 07-16-15, 02:56 AM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
randyjawa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!
Posts: 11,671

Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma

Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1370 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,743 Times in 934 Posts
This is How I Remove Decals...

__________________
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
randyjawa is offline  
Old 07-16-15, 03:22 AM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
OldsCOOL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 594 Times in 313 Posts
In the autobody word there is a drill attachment called an eraser wheel. It's a 4" rubber wheel that is designed to peel back vinyl decals with no damage to paint. The auto store here has them for 13.00 and I'm most likely going to grab one. There are multiple videos on youtube.
OldsCOOL is offline  
Old 07-16-15, 12:08 PM
  #14  
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 33
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
You can also spray the decals with WD40 for 1-2 days and the scrape them !!! Works with most types of decals !!!
Costas Bras is offline  
Old 07-16-15, 01:28 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
OldsCOOL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 594 Times in 313 Posts
Originally Posted by Costas Bras
You can also spray the decals with WD40 for 1-2 days and the scrape them !!! Works with most types of decals !!!
I will try this. Thanx!
OldsCOOL is offline  
Old 07-16-15, 02:07 PM
  #16  
Calamari Marionette Ph.D
 
SquidPuppet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Coeur d' Alene
Posts: 7,862

Bikes: 3 Chinese Gas Pipe Nerdcycles and 2 Chicago Electroforged Boat Anchors

Mentioned: 75 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2358 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times in 26 Posts
Lighter fluid. Saturate rag, press firmly to decal for ~60 seconds. The decal decomposes to a loose wrinkly mess that can be rubbed right off. Will not hurt paint. Also removes the glue, so bonus. Wash with wet soapy rag.
SquidPuppet is offline  
Old 07-21-15, 05:15 PM
  #17  
Useless Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 750
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 380 Post(s)
Liked 181 Times in 113 Posts
I got it off, folks. I just used my thumbnail to scratch at it and then followed up with some Meguire's car polish to remove any residue and shine the surface back up. Worked perfectly.

Thanks for everyone's tips.


Last edited by UKFan4Sure; 07-21-15 at 05:21 PM.
UKFan4Sure is offline  
Old 07-21-15, 05:47 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
OldsCOOL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 594 Times in 313 Posts
Originally Posted by SquidPuppet
Lighter fluid. Saturate rag, press firmly to decal for ~60 seconds. The decal decomposes to a loose wrinkly mess that can be rubbed right off. Will not hurt paint. Also removes the glue, so bonus. Wash with wet soapy rag.
I tried this with the decals on my Colnago and they were unaffected. After trying various chemicals with no effect on the hardened varnish transfer decals I grabbed a 13.00 Decal Eraser wheel and chucked it up. Easy schmeezy. Wish I did that at the start.
OldsCOOL is offline  
Old 07-21-15, 06:15 PM
  #19  
Calamari Marionette Ph.D
 
SquidPuppet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Coeur d' Alene
Posts: 7,862

Bikes: 3 Chinese Gas Pipe Nerdcycles and 2 Chicago Electroforged Boat Anchors

Mentioned: 75 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2358 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times in 26 Posts
Originally Posted by OldsCOOL
I tried this with the decals on my Colnago and they were unaffected. After trying various chemicals with no effect on the hardened varnish transfer decals I grabbed a 13.00 Decal Eraser wheel and chucked it up. Easy schmeezy. Wish I did that at the start.
They must be great decals.

I saw you other thread. That thing sounds like a great gadget. Score!
SquidPuppet is offline  
Old 07-21-15, 06:47 PM
  #20  
Senior Member
 
Grand Bois's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Pinole, CA, USA
Posts: 17,414
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 443 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 27 Times in 25 Posts
Originally Posted by OldsCOOL
In the autobody word there is a drill attachment called an eraser wheel. It's a 4" rubber wheel that is designed to peel back vinyl decals with no damage to paint. The auto store here has them for 13.00 and I'm most likely going to grab one. There are multiple videos on youtube.
The manufacturer warns not to use it on lacquer finishes.
Grand Bois is offline  
Old 07-21-15, 07:17 PM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
OldsCOOL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 594 Times in 313 Posts
Originally Posted by Grand Bois
The manufacturer warns not to use it on lacquer finishes.
I'm not sure if I'm dealing with lacquer or enamel so I went at it cautiously. Sure glad I found it. May never use it again but was totally worth it to me.
OldsCOOL is offline  
Old 07-22-15, 10:47 AM
  #22  
Senior Member
 
Grand Bois's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Pinole, CA, USA
Posts: 17,414
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 443 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 27 Times in 25 Posts
You would probably only find lacquer on very old bikes.

I've used a wheel made by 3M to remove the double sided foam tape used to attach emblems and moldings to car bodies. It was a flapper type. It made a hell of a mess. Little pieces of sticky foam were all over me and my garage. I've gone back to mineral spirits and elbow grease. I initially cut off the emblems with a piece of string, but it leaves a lot of foam tape to be removed.

I remove vinyl lettering and stripes with a variable heat gun at the lowest setting.
Grand Bois is offline  
Old 07-22-15, 03:50 PM
  #23  
Useless Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 750
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 380 Post(s)
Liked 181 Times in 113 Posts
I thought I'd post the finished result. I put the new fork decals on and then realized that the black background of the originals is now red. No biggie to me, but I did note the difference.



The other thing I wanted to do was remove the seat tube SLX decal from where it currently was located. It was right on top of and colliding with the original Paramount logo. I thought it looked bad in that spot, so I removed it and put the new one down by the bottom bracket on the seat tube. I like this better. The P now looks clean. What are your thoughts?





Thanks!!
UKFan4Sure is offline  
Old 07-23-15, 03:20 AM
  #24  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Madison, Ohio
Posts: 696

Bikes: Gitane tdf,Schwinn 12.2,2 continentals,miyata310,univega supra soort,couple peugeots,ou8,ou10,a few mtb's and other bikes

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 158 Post(s)
Liked 148 Times in 74 Posts
Looks better down at the bottom. Where can I find replacement Columbus decals? My Tenax decal near bb bracket is scratched up.
Kdogbikes is offline  
Old 07-23-15, 04:12 AM
  #25  
Senior Member
 
OldsCOOL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 594 Times in 313 Posts
Originally Posted by Kdogbikes
Looks better down at the bottom. Where can I find replacement Columbus decals? My Tenax decal near bb bracket is scratched up.
Try Cyclomondo.
OldsCOOL is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.