how to remove old stickers from motor cover?
 

ui have a 12 year old motor I need to remove the hard crusty stuck on decal stickers from my motor cover so I can repaint it and put on fresh new stickers.

trouble is I don't want to mess up the finish or use harsh chemicals so whats the best way to remove old stickers without damaging the smooth finish underneath?

Heat gun for stickers. Acetone for adhesive.

I had an old Johnson one time, took it the car wash and cleaned the stickers and the paint off of it. I had to prime it and repaint it afterwards. You can but the paint for it in spray cans to match the original color.

Ding


Spiral Out

I have no heat gun but will a blow dryer work?

I used acetone on raw cured fiberglass floor patch once to prep it for paint (to clean and etch the surface) and about a year later the paint had peeled off and the surface fiberglass was gone and the mat hairs underneath were showing because the fiberglass was actually wearing off. a body shop guy I know said acetone eats and dissolves fiberglass so that's why its used to clean fiberglass tools after they are done and I shouldn't have used it on the boat because it softened the surface coat.

I think I will try some carburator cleaner first for glue cleanup. based on visual appearance of how dried out the stickers are, I suspect the glue underneath will be hard and crumbly but I never did this before so maybe the heat gun will make it soft and gooey again :confused:

well the paint is still in good condition so just a carwash didn't work (but I tried it lol) the stickers are just faded out bad (but stuck real good) and I had to paint the whole motor so I figure no sense in not repainting the cover to match since the stickers need replacing anyway.

this motor is 12 years old but most likely less then 300 hours on it (sat outside in the weather for 9 years unused because of health issues) so its well worth the effort in restoring it to looking new again so I got a bunch of cans of gloss black and im going over the whole thing top to bottom cleaning areas of corrosion and repainting everything.

Its called an eraser that fits on a drill. Just removed 20 year old stickers. Its amazing no mess no effort. ill find you a link

I'd never use acetone on any painted surface. That stuff can be pretty harsh.

Used WD40 to take old cracked decals off a commercial van. Soaked em down and worked em off in the sun with a plastic putty knife.

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thanks, I actually used one of those to remove the pinstripes and molding tape from my truck before but I didnt know what it was called

yep, wd40 works great to remove stuck on bugs, road tar, bubble gum, bumper stickers or any kind of glue residue without hurting the paint.

i know I shouldn't be worried, but I don't think I want to put oil on something im about to repaint even if I am going to wash it off and clean it after. it just scares me if I miss one little spot or miss some oil in a crevice somewhere I could mess up the paint job so I think i'll try carb cleaner first and follow up with rubbing alcohol and see if that gets it all, if not then i'll break out the wd40.

can anyone confirm or deny if a blow drier will work instead of a heat gun?

haven't seen an answer to that question yet, I suppose if I had to I could try to rent a heat gun

im a little hesitant to just go after it with a blow drier and razor blade scraper in case I start tearing up the stickers, since I know its best if you can remove them whole instead of fighting tiny little bits of sticker everywhere

http://m.harborfreight.com/1500-watt...112-96289.html

You're better off getting a cheap heat gun from Harbor Freight. I've tried using the wife's blow drier once and burned it up.

You can buy a heat gun at Lowes for under $30

Great Reviews too
http://www.lowes.com/pd_43582-97-050...%3D1&facetInfo=

Go get your wife's blow dryer and try it. Then use acetone to remove adhesive. It's flash point is so low that it will evaporate before it has a chance to destroy the fiberglass resin or gelcoat.

ok, thanks guys

so blow drier not the best tool to use so i'll go buy a heat gun then, that's the kind of info I wanted.

I hate spending money if I don't have to but I also understand you need the right tool for the job, just don't know what the heck i'll do with a heat gun after this since i'll never have reason to use it again lol.

Give it to someone as a Christmas present! Lol

lol, I went looking for one and they are like $25 bucks but I found a decal removal gun (soldering gun with razor blade scraper tip) for $10 so i'll give that a go. if nothing else I can still use it as a scraper tool when im done.

Instead of acetone, use rubbing alcohol.

UPDATE:

I got the heated razor blade decal remover and it worked great, except when it slipped and cut my finger :eek: sliced open and burned at the same time, ouch!

it took most of everything off but a little sticky residue that came off easily with wd40 followed by alcohol after it was clean.

I did make a few minor gouges in it with the razor blade until I got used to it, starting it is tricky so it doesn't dig in but once its started it slowly glides right through the sticker. I did learn you have to make sure the sticker doesn't touch anything before it cools off or it will be stuck solid again lol.

thanks for all the help and advice guys

Ouch!!