So what about them vinyl eraser wheels? Are they any good? Or about that product called Vinyl-off?
Posted by Rick Milne (Member # 4621) on :
I use them exclusively for removing reflective on my squad cars. Regular vinyl I can usually peel quicker with the heat and pull method, but reflective I use the wheels. You'll need a good compressor to keep up the air flow, but they really can't be beat. They do make a mess, though...
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Alicia..........much better to tell them to bring it to you cleaned off....or....take it to a detail shop and have them clean it off, then charge accordingly!
Life is too short to spend it removing old vinyl!
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
I've tried both and wasn't impressed........
Posted by Cody Reich (Member # 8052) on :
The 3M wheel works good on vinyl that is really old and cracked making it very hard to remove with standard techniques.
Posted by Ben Diaz (Member # 7319) on :
The wheels work great for some applications and not so great for others. In my experience there is no perfect solution for removing vinyl. It is good to have the wheels as another tool in your arsenal. As for Vinyl-Off, the few times I've tried it I didn't like it. It's greasy which makes the vinyl hard to grip as you pull off, and it smells really bad. I think Rapid Remover is a superior product.
Posted by Ben Diaz (Member # 7319) on :
Ooh also, if you are using a wheel be real careful not to run it down to the metal core on the inside. And maybe cover up anything below where you are using the wheel, because they do get messy.
Posted by Kathy Weeks (Member # 10828) on :
Hi Alicia - My younger brother works in a good sized auto body shop, and I've watched him use the vinyl eraser to take off vinyl lettering. It worked real slick - took about 5 minutes to do the back panel of a flatbead tow truck. It did make a bit of a mess - little rubber pcs. and vinyl pcs. everywhere. And he did have the use of a powerful shop compressor, which I'm sure made everything work better and faster. I've had customers ask me if I will remove their old vinyl graphics, and I tell them that I don't remove vinyl graphics - I only apply(I agree with Si - life's too short), but I tell them to check local autobody shops or dealerships to see if they have the vinyl erasers and ask what they'd charge to remove the old graphics, otherwise get out the heat gun and elbow grease. But if you want to get an eraser, get a good compressor, probably a big compressor too.
Posted by Jason Davie (Member # 2172) on :
mbx vinyl zapper works great
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
I prefer a heat gun and some tugging, but once in a while the wheel comes in handy.
I use the "pinstripe removal wheel" you can get at most auto parts places. Same thing but smaller. I've used it to remove really old vinyl from truck doors and heavy equipment without any problems.
The one bonus is when you don't have access to an outlet for a heat gun. A portable drill with a backup battery is usually enough to strip a pair of doors.
Rapid
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
Gee I like the vinyl zapper. I'll have to ask my buddy "Ben, who sells tools out of the back of his van, if he can get me one.
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
We just finished stripping a large portion of triple layered vinyl off a dark green crap pumper today. We tried the heat gun and the wheel and my little steamer and finally went to the rental yard and got a larger commercial steamer. That did what we needed without damaging the paint. I remember 3M once had a spray that penetrated the vinyl for removal, but if they still sell it, it's not available in California.
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
So Rick, what's makes the commercial steamer better than a heat gun? Does the steam somehow penetrate the vinyl to loosen the aghesive? Are you more likely to get burned by the steamer?
Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
We bought our wallpaper steamer at Home Depot. It strips the vinyl off really clean and leaves less glue residue. BUT like Ben says, it's only one tool that we use. If the surface is curved and the steamer can't get down flat, then it doesn't work as well. We use them all, steamer, heatgun, hair dryer, razor blade scraper, but again it depends on what we are working on, a vehicle or a window or a metal sign. Sometimes it takes more labor to remove the old than we can buy a new substrate for. We charge by the HOUR to remove old vinyl and like Si says, we tell them up front, a body shop (or a motivated teenager with proper instruction) can take it off for them at a cheaper price. It's a hassle we are happy to pass on to others! You could also probably tell them how it's done and the thing we have found is half way into the explanation, most customers are happy to just say, "Why don't I just pay you to do it..."
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
I think the steam solution sounds really interesting. I've never tried it, but it seems like people report really good results with it.
This topic comes up every so often, and several times I have mentioned the use of a tile scraper. I can't remember if I've ever had a response to any of my posts. I guess people think I'm either kidding or crazy. I have stripped many many vehicles using this:
I think I got the trick from Mike Meyer. It was in the bitter cold of winter and my boss got a job to replace the logos on the fuel tanks at the local air strip. Using heat was out of the question, and with the tanks full of cold liquid, it wouldn't have worked anyway. The last thing I wanted to do was spend hours in the cold, with a lil chizler, trying to remove the heavy-duty reflective decals that were about 3 feet square. We also had to remove similar decals from their tanker trucks.
I posted the problem on the BB, and the tile scraper was the one suggestion that seemed like it might work in the cold. I prepared a scraper according to Mike's instructions. You dull the blade by sliding it back and forth on sandpaper - like you're trying to cut the sandpaper with the blade. It seems like I used 200 grit. Then you round the corners of the blade:
We drove out to the site for a trial run. We were just going to give it a quick try and head back to the shop. In less than an hour we had both of the large decals stripped off the main tanks. The vinyl and adhesive were so brittle in the cold, the pieces came off like potato chips. The job went so well, my boss was asked to do the same thing for another small airport.
After that I started using the scraper a lot. You do have to be careful, and it is possible to scratch or nick the paint. It makes sense to practice on something where risk is minimal until you get a feel for the correct angle. But, it's a very useful tool if you know how to use it. The surface should be clean, and the blade has to be perfectly smooth, with no burrs or nicks. It works best with factory paint. The smoother the surface, the better it works.
In warmer temperatures, there is usually some adhesive residue left behind, and Rapid Remover works best for taking care of that.
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
The larger steamers cover a bigger area. The steam loosens the adhesive like any heat does, but often works better with far less risk to the first surface. We've made scrapers from blocks of 1/4" plexi that we've ground and sharpened and they work great too. Sometimes on a hot sunny day we can just cut open a black plastic trash bag and drape it over the vinyl to be removed and in fifteen minutes its hot enough to peel right off. I've seen no method or tool that is ideal for all of this type of work.
Posted by Sam Staffan (Member # 4552) on :
I know where you are coming from Russ.
Yes they look scary but I purchased one years ago for cleaning large glass panels before etching them.
When I heard about rounding the edges and softening down the blade I was hooked.
Alicia, you could start this Forum again in a week and get total all new responses, there is No #1 perfect way but there is a lot of Great ways to do it.
I love the wallpaper stripper on large Cargo trailers and vehicles. I love it when I go to the dealership and they hit the doors down with the wheel (and have to clean their own eraser messes up). And I love my scraper for small detailed lettering and stripping Backlit sign faces off.
Sometime a heat gun is the best tool and sometime the heat gun is your worst enemy.
Oh and one last tool. When removing that itty bitty crap off of vehicles... "Oh Honey I need you!" Yes the fingernails do come in handy and she has better eyes than me to see it. Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
No body mentioned the "heat lamp tree" which I have found to be not only fast but clean and easy as well. See a video demo of a simple use of the heat lamp tree at; www.youtube.com/rapidtac
Roger
Posted by Sam Staffan (Member # 4552) on :
Well Alicia,
We have all given our input to help you the best as possible.
And your question to Neil on his Vacuum Post was, "Does it remove vinyl?"
Member # 1272
posted June 05, 2009 10:51 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ah, if only they made one that could suck off vinyl.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) . . .. . . . . . . . . . It does now!
[ June 07, 2009, 08:53 PM: Message edited by: Sam Staffan ]
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
Nice work Sam. That is cool!
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
