I just got back from looking at water tanker a local fire dept. just bought. Seems they want to remove the former town's name, which is gilded and lettered in true gold leaf, w/ a thin coat of clear, and outlined in black One Shot. My question is how do ya remove the gold leaf w/o sanding, or can ya at all? I know One-Shot comes off w/ oven cleaner, but I've never had to take gold leaf off...
I do it using Mr. Muscle oven cleaner. Never had a problem. Of course, as in all things, test a small hidden area first to make sure that the substrate's paint job won't be damaged.
I'd try a rubbing compound from a body shop. There are several grades available...course, medium, and fine. Start with the course grade on a buffing wheel. Go very easy until you get the feel of it. After the clear has been "cut through" and you start seeing the gold come off, rinse your wool buffing pad to completely remove the course compound, spin dry, and continue with the medium compound until all the gold and outline/shade are gone. Finish up with the fine compound to polish the area you've worked on. Take it very slowly as you go...you don't want to cut through the paint itself. If you do so, the area that you've compounded will have to be re-painted. You may even want to do your final buff by hand.
------------------ Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail kjmlhenry@home.com
Posted by Kent Smith (Member # 251) on :
both othe the avobe a good tricks but I would emphasize, test first. You can check to see if the clear is two component by rubbing a small area with lacquer thinner, if it does not dull, then it will be difficult to remove.
------------------ Kent Smith Smith Sign Studio Greeley, Colorado, USA oldgilt@aol.com
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
Cake Bon-Ami will remove the gold(with a damp rag and pasty mixture)the size can be removed safely without damage to the paint below by using a mixture of (60% denatured alcohol and 40% mineral spirits) flood the lettering area frequently (mix often it will try to seperate)but rub only on the the letter itself a little elbow grease and time will reveal great results.You may need some fine rubbing compound when you are thru to blend everything in.
There are faster methods,but few as safe as this.
"Werks fer me,it'll werk fer you".
------------------ Monte Jumper SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla.
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
Dwayne,if the clear is a two part urethane ya may have to tape off the lettering with premask then cut & remove the tape like a mask with just the gold letter exposed. wet sand each letter until the clear is removed.If ya need a hand or some help just hollar,I'm only 20 miles south of ya here in winston.
hope this helps ya!
------------------ fly low...timi/NC is,.....Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC members.xoom.com/Signz
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
Here's a little trick thats worth trying. I've used it a number of times , works about 50% of the time. Seems to work better on newer vehicles. Get some aggressive masking tape, duct tape might work in a pinch. Cover all the gold lettering and outlines etc. you want to remove. Press it down hard or squeege it real good, leaving some excess tape on one end as a handle, yank the tape up quickly. If it works you will find all the gold will come off usually at once leaving only the small overlap of the clear and the size to contend with. If it doesn't work, oh well nothing lost but a few minutes. P.S., I wouldn't try this if there are any chips in the area to be taped.
------------------ George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@ixlmemphis.com
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
Ahh the age old mystery... How to remove paint without damage. By now you have gathered that everyone has a special way that works great every time,(except when you try it.) truth is it's Paint! it's not designed to come off. However, the Quality and durability of One-Shot, gold size & many of the finishes & topcoats used by the sign industry is less than that of automotive finishes, therefore making it possible (but not easy) to remove. I posted a topic a few weeks ago and got some tips that I haven't tried and posted some that I have. But basicly all the theroies are the same, you need something strong enough to break down the enamel but not the acrylic finish on most newer cars. anyway, recomendations: good idea; wet-sand gently with 1500grit automotive grade sandpaper, polish back to orginal finish with 3M microfinishing hand glaze or Meguire's Mirror Glaze finishing Compound.
Bad Idea; E-Z Off oven cleaner though is a strong enough chemical to remove the lettering will damage the vehichle's finish more times than not, not to mention harmful to your skin and lungs, If all else fails and you are going to try it, please wear gloves and a mask.
either of theses techniques will only work on base-coat / clearcoat paint. so if its been repainted already... uh oh better get Maaco!
------------------ -------------------------------------------------- "A wise man once said that, or was it a wise guy?"
Ken McTague The Witch city Salem, MA
Posted by Dwayne Hunter (Member # 133) on :
Gaw-lee ya'll...I didn't expect so many good suggestions so quick...
I do appreciate it everybody's help. I'm not sure what we're are gonna do yet. The basecoat underneath the lettering is not the greatest, so I'm kinda afear'd to go sprayin' much on it.
However, before I left the fire dept., I recommended the fella call a local body shop, who specializes in big trucks (they have this HUGE account with UPS...gonna span three years, the owner said!!!). So we may be workin' over new paint...
Anyways and anyhow, I appreciate the advice, I've definitely got some ideas flowin'....
