Removing Decals

scaddude · Post by **scaddude** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:15 pm

Attempting to help a newbie friend: They had applied decals on their kit and before waiting for it to fully dry, they sprayed a gloss coat over it. Of course now the decals have wrinkled and they're freaking out. It's been a few hours and I'm heading over later to take a look at it, so, suffice to say it'll have been almost 8 hours since they sprayed. I've never run into this issue before so I don't really know if there is a way around it. I believe they used micro set on it before spraying. Is there a good way to remove it without wrecking the surrounding area? I already told em the decal is a goner though.

Thanks for any assists.

PACinT · Post by **PACinT** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:58 pm

Sand them off gently with a very fine grid paper.

Yes, he will have to re-apply the decal & clear coat again.

Most decal setting solutionz will dissolve the carrier film and leave the pigment.

scaddude · Post by **scaddude** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 6:51 pm

Thanks!

irishtrek · Post by **irishtrek** » Wed Apr 26, 2017 10:42 pm

Using sand paper will most likely ruin the pain finish. My suggestion would be to use pieces of tape, masking or scotch tape.

dizzyfugu · Post by **dizzyfugu** » Fri Apr 28, 2017 6:22 am

You could also try to use adhesive tape to rip the decals off of the surface. Sounds crude, but if the decals are wrinkled and did not bond well with the surface below, chances are good they might be "peeled" or scraped off with little other damage. Sand paper can work, but I guess that this will affect the surface/paint below and the surroundings, too. Tricky!

Lt. Z0mBe · Post by **Lt. Z0mBe** » Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:16 am

dizzyfugu wrote:You could also try to use adhesive tape to rip the decals off of the surface. Sounds crude, but if the decals are wrinkled and did not bond well with the surface below, chances are good they might be "peeled" or scraped off with little other damage. Sand paper can work, but I guess that this will affect the surface/paint below and the surroundings, too. Tricky!

Do this method BUT place a warm cloth over it first. Failing this, you want to use some polishing film and wet sand the decal off. Again, I mean polishing film at, say 1000 grit or so. Failing this, I would strip the thing and your ahem..."friend (;))" can consider it a lesson learned.

I hope this helps.

Kenny