Community Forums

jwyoming · 05-27-2013, 08:11 PM

What is the easiest method to remove old decals top put new ones on. Or can you just put the new over the old decals.

BFlinn181 · 05-27-2013, 08:41 PM

Don't put new over old, you'll just have problems down the road. Use the search function at the top of the page and search for 'removing decals' Lots of posts on this topic.

steveclv · 05-27-2013, 09:14 PM

3M make a disc specifically for decal removal - I had mine done professionally - 7 hours for decal removal and 34 hours to polish it. If you are replacing the decals with the originals then you will be good, otherwise you find that the gelcoat has eroded around the decals leaving a noticeable mark. I wanted to update mine and so I spent the extra having it polished to within an inch of it's life

ouRVee · 05-28-2013, 07:40 AM

Hello,
I used an auto type 'heat-gun' and just took my time replacing mine. I put the heat gun about two inches away from the decal and started at the corners and worked my way out....also, used a small plastic pin to help get the process started. To replace the larger stripes I used the "outline" left over from the removed decal as a guide, and used a small 1/8 inch stripe to mark the area for new stripes........I had to make my own decals as the replacements are not out there.
If you have any questions please let me know and I'll be glad to elaborate.
Hope this helps,
patrick

smikles · 05-28-2013, 09:09 AM

Where did you get your decal material and what did you find is the best way to match the new with the old pattern.
Nice job

steveclv · 05-28-2013, 09:26 AM

If you want to have it done professionally then check out local sign companies in the yellow pages. On my Newmar, they photographed it, put it on the computer and then overlaid designs on it until I was happy. Then they printed the vinyl and applied.
The lower silver paint was covered in a silver metallic cast vinyl which looks like paint and was a lot cheaper

For the Newmar sign, they photographed the original, turned it into a vector image, recolored it and printed - they really came out nice

ouRVee · 05-29-2013, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smikles

Where did you get your decal material and what did you find is the best way to match the new with the old pattern.
Nice job

Hi,
I would have like to have the local sign folks do the job, but didn't want to invest that kind of money; so what I did was get a couple of the local sign company's "striping color charts" and see what colors they had that was close to ours. There were none of the colors available in our area so I went on line and found a company (Stripeman.com) that had the colors that were very close to what was on ouRVee. I had to order the dark blue in two different thickness and the light blue in one.
After I took the old stripes off I could see the "out line" of the complete decal; I used a 1/8 inch pin stripe and ran it along the edge (the out line of the large decal). Then I put as many of the 'large' stripes on that area, to cover the complete area, and this had the stripe on top of the 1/8 pin stripe. Then I used a 'Xacto' knife and cut using the inside of the 1/8 pin stripe as a guide.
I hope I explained this okay; if not, let me know and I give it a better try.
C'ya,
patrick

clyon51 · 05-29-2013, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwyoming

What is the easiest method to remove old decals to put new ones on.

It depends on their original quality and how old or how long they were on the coach. If you're lucky, a heat gun and some plastic razor blades or quality scraper will do the job. That didn't work for a friend of mine, so he had to use those 3M decal eracer wheels. I tested my '99 last fall, if I go ahead, I'll need the 3M wheels too.

A major problem if you are going with a new pattern is, if the coach is older, the shade under the decals will be lighter than rest of the body.

smikles · 05-29-2013, 03:23 PM

That is going to be my problem.

jwyoming · 05-29-2013, 06:44 PM

Thanks to all for the quick replies. I had good luck getting about half of the old ones to just peel off but the long ones at the top I am still working on. I am replacing the old with new ones from Winnebago. Next will be red max day...