Up here in Airdrie it seems that when a business wants to "cheap out" on getting their cansign info changed, they have some local guy come out and paint the face with latex paint. I have a sign that has sub-surface graphics with a White diffuser but, has had 1st surface graphics applied to it sinse (YOU CAN SEE THE OLD CO. NAME ONLY AT NIGHT) and then had HALF of that painted out (it read, GROCERY LIQUIDATORS - now liquidators has the paint on it. NOW, she wants me to take off the "Y" in Grocery and put on "ies and stuff" so the finished product will say GROCERIES AND STUFF. I already quoted her for new Tuffak but, it's Airdrie........CHEAPOS. Is there a product that removes the paint safetly without effing up &/or fogging up my sign face???
Posted by Danny Busselle (Member # 3746) on :
Hi Removing paint from Plastic. Drano Drain Cleaner, Use Rubber Gloves always. very Caustic Rinse with Baking Soda and Water. First Try a SAMPLE. BE VERY CAREFUL! it will work But I don't want to hear about you getting Hurt.
Regards Danny
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
Either buy new plex faces, or refuse the job. You don't need this much hassle and mess in this life.
Think about it. Is your labor to muck around with crap like this worth LESS than the price of new materials?
Posted by Marty Happy (Member # 302) on :
I've heard brake fluid will remove paint safely.
If the plastic is quite old chances are there is little you can do with it. It'll crack and craze and look really crappy. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands I have to agree with Cam.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
I have to agree with Cam on this!
Tell El Cheapo a price that is higher to clean the old panels, than starting with new!
If she insists on reusing the old panels...charge her the much higher price....don't back down!!!!!!
Posted by Pam Eddy (Member # 1858) on :
I had a guy want to cheap out and reuse lexan faces. I told him "he" could try placing papertowl on the painted surface and pour denatured alcohol over the paper towel to try and remove the paint himself. (denatured alcohol on papertowel loosened the paint) I warned him that the faces may yellow or crack, cloud up etc. He was willing to try it and since he did it himself, he was satisfied with the slight clouding of the material. I will not go to the trouble myself. Been there, done that and it costed me a great deal of my time that I didn't get paid for.
Just my two cents.
Pam, Pam's Signs
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
I agree, a piece of lexan shouldn't be as expensive as the cost of the of the time you'll waste screwing with this mess. If the lexan is more expensive, you need to increase your rates. If it's old, no matter what you do, as soon as the sign fails, it will be your fault (& reputation).
Posted by Steve Barba (Member # 431) on :
Been there- Done that. When I 1st moved into my new building the guy next door was very new,(and broke), too. We stripped 2 pieces of lexan with laquer thinner and alot of rags. Never again- I gotta learn things the hard way.......
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Walk away or get a new piece of Lexan on this one. I have never found a way to get rid of the haze of an old lettering job. I got close once polishing it with TOOTHPASTE, but what a waste of time.
Si, Cam and Chris...I'm with you on this.
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
Lexan is very prone to being attacked by solvents. There is a Grip Gard solvent manufactured by Akzo Nobel designed for Lexan. It may clean the paint off without crazing the substrate. It should be available from your sign supplier. The cost may be $20.00 per gallon.
All that being said, I agree wholeheartedly with everyone else, it is NOT WORTH IT to clean off the mess. The cost of a new piece of plastic is far less than what you should charge for your labor, frustration and the health risks of being that intimately associated with those solvents for the time it will take to do the job.
Posted by GARY CULY (Member # 3130) on :
now this aint a high tech way but try putting a piece of duck tape on letters {small 6 in or so} and rip it of real quick.it should take it off in hunks..then clean small places with brake fluid..rinse with water{its the only thing that disolves brake fluid} repaint
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Steve Barba,
I am surprised that lacquer thiner didn't reduce those faces to a puddle of goo. GripFlex T-1000 plastic cleaner is what I use when I absolutely have to clean plastic.
To Corey,
Two hours of labor, not to mention the hassle factor, is going to more than eat up the cost of a new piece of plastic.
New plastic, double your price, or tell the customer to take a walk.
Posted by Brad Ferguson (Member # 33) on :
Polycarbonates are a pain in the neck. Stripping them is never satisfying, and often unprofitable. Alcohol is the accepted stripper. Grip Flex Polycarbonate Stripper is an alcohol mix, nothing more. Brake fluid works probably because it is in large part an alcohol. But it evaporates slower, giving more wet time to strip.
Try this: Cover the plastic with rags, saturate with alcohol(s), then cover the entire piece with plastic sheeting to prevent the mess, and I do mean mess, from evaporating. Now walk away from it and do something profitable, letting it strip itself. After lunch, check it. If the paint practically falls off you may make some money. I don't know how to keep polycarbonate from clouding. That's like trying to keep old bread from molding. Better to buy fresh.
Brad in Kansas
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
Denatured alcohol works good and is what we always used when I worked in electric sign shops. We always wet a small area , then wipe after a few seconds, discard paper towel. wet again, rewipe. Then do another section. We never wet the whole thing. The longer it stays on, the more prone you are to clouding and cracking.(Yes, you can have microscopic cracks all over a used face). You need lots of ventilation and a big garbage can....and preferably rubber gloves. The goo that comes off will color your hands and stay there for days.
I am with the others though, 100%, about getting a new face instead of going through the stripping process.I might add that the paint normally used on sign faces is regular Gripflex or Lacryl signpaint. If your faces have latex of other unknown paints, the removal process will undoubtedly be more difficult and lengthy.
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
it will work But I don't want to hear about you getting Hurt.