posted
The letters are ones the customer put on three years ago and curled up to look like Fu Man Chu, you know the look! I thought she was going to clean it, although it eventually fell upon me to do. (she's a cool customer, though). Taking rapid remover three times and scraping gently still won't get them off. It's just a small area but stuck for life on that plexi. I have been reapplying rapid remover and doing this two ways: I let it sit for 20 min. the first time, then scrape gently; didn't work, then I put rapid remover on a few more times and let it sit longer, still stubborn, then flooded it well with rapid remover and tried two more times. They're just letters! (I have had great success with rapid remover even taking up bathroom tile, what's the deal here? Can anyone help me? hmmmm. I am skeptical to use a kitchen green scrubby, or any other chemical since it is a backlit sign. These are two 2 by 8 ft. signs, which will go with two more 4 by 8 brand new signs which are already finished. Thanks ahead of time!
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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Hi Deb... Have you tried heating the letters with a hair dryer & scraping them with a L'il Chisler or plastic razor blade? love- JILL ps a heat gun is too hot for this...get plastic razor blades @ your local auto supply store & don't forget to charge extra for the removal
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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that's a great idea, Jill. My son broke our hairdrier last year,(drying a football shirt), but, even if I had one, I would be afraid to apply heat after the rapid remover was on there. Wouldn't it cause a reaction? If I were to thoroughly wash it off, there may be some residue under the remaining letters. What do you think?
The stuff is on so tight, thinking the sun melted the glue in. (these are letters she got from the craft store, dang she did a great job with them, she should be in the sign biz instead of beauty salon!
I wondered if I would scratch the sensitive (backlit sign) surface causing scratch marks...but, I am up to suggestions and will try the razor blades first. I tried the lil chislers too but of no avail.) I guess lil chislers will be back on the market again, as I need some more from Dave-( shared a lot of time together at the tomahawk meet).
Maybe that's what it would take. It's got to be a simple remedy, you would think. again, THANKS!! I'll post how it goes!
[ October 18, 2003, 12:08 PM: Message edited by: Deb Fowler ]
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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I have used the brake fluid trick before to get paint off of acrylic. Worked good. Might be worth a try. Remember to always try a inconspicuous test spot first.
-------------------- Robert Graham Grahamsville Signs 1120 E McReavy Road Union, Washington 98592 360-898-2260 Fax 360-898-2262 e-mail:gvs@hctc.com Posts: 135 | From: Union,Washington - USA | Registered: Oct 1999
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With the amount of time you have spent cleaning this piece of material, you could've got a new piece of material.
We rarely strip anything off of plastic. It just isn't worth it. Time costs more than material.
Just a thought.
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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Using a hairdryer is a pretty good idea, as Jill mentions, if you really have to do it. I share that information with the customer and let them try it for a while. By the time they get 2 or three letters off, they are a lot more agreeable to replacing the piece. If not, explaining the labor involved is already a cinch. They know by trying it that, although is seems easy at a glance, it can be very tiring and a test of patience.
Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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I'm totally agree with Jill. That is the best method to remove vinyl from acrylic, but be very carefully. You must warm vinyl first and than remove it slowly. After remove vinyl you will need to clear that surface from the vinyl glue. Sorry for my english!
-------------------- Catalin Dretcanu TIPART GROUP Ltd www.tipart.ro Address: Bucharest, ROMANIA Phone: +40 722 621 512 E-mail: catad@yahoo.com
"Do or do not...there is no try" Posts: 83 | From: Bucharest, ROMANIA (Europe) | Registered: Sep 2003
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Deb...If I am reading you correctly, you are trying to remover the actual vinyl letters with the aid of Rapid Remover?
If so...that is not what RR is for. You have to do what Jill suggested then use RR to clean off the remaining adhesive.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
We don't recycle old substrates unless we have to. Check the time factor and effort to remove one letter ... multiply that by what's left and you will probably find it is cheaper to buy a new sheet.
Also, however well you clean it off, you are going to have a "ghost" image of the letters left where the surrounding acrylic has started to "yellow" off. You say there are two new sheets in the job. The old sheets are going to look like "chalk & cheese" alongside the new ones.
posted
I agree that buying new plexi is quicker and cheaper in the long run than removing the old lettering. I once had a guy that wanted his van re-lettered. I quoted a price for removing his old lettering. He said that he could save the money and remove the lettering himself. He was back the next day with one letter half peeled off and ready to let me remove the lettering at the quoted price.
it is way cheaper to replace the panel that the hourly rate to remove the old stuff
as was also said brake fluid for removing paint is too easy but with vinyl it's a whole other set of rules
I have seen not only the ghost effect that bushie talked about but also a desernable indent where the vinyl has almost etched itself into cheaper acrylic panels...bizar I know but I have seen it for my self and figured it had to do witht he age and the adhesive used
sorry i't not better news mate but the 'warm it n scrape' is the only way I know of
good luck
cheers gail
-------------------- Gail & Dave Hervey Bay Qld Australia
gail@roadwarriorproducts.com.au
sumtimes ya just gota! Posts: 794 | From: 552 O'Regans Creek Rd Toogoom Qld 4655 Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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Now wait People! A 3 year old panel is easy refurbish. Any vinyl on there only need some heat to soften it. Break a nail or two picking it away. Next clean residue with Rap or any other agent,. Gum Cleaner.
Got some ghosting? Try a mixture of pumis SPL?...Hand Cleaner with a drop or two of Achol. Rinse and dry with water and clean rags...
-------------------- Stephen Deveau RavenGraphics Insinx Digital Displays
Letting Your Imagination Run Wild! Posts: 4327 | From: Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada | Registered: Jan 2000
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Option 1 step 1: hand customer a lil chizler. step 2: tell customer "When all the letters are off it, bring it to me and we'll see if it has ghosted too much to re-use"
Option 2 step 1: insert panels into dumpster step 2: call supply house & order a new sheet of acrylic
If Option 1 does not work, revert to Option 2.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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well, I was away all day preparing for hosting a baby shower, cooking little quiches and cutting fruit thinking of the orange stuff doing it's final job. I didn't spend too much time on it really, it was lapsing a day or two between, as all I did was really spray and go away every other day. Today, after thinking about Jill's post, I came back from being out and pulled out my trusty heat gun,and in one min. found out that the letters would pull off with a little heat and my fingernails. If there is a ghost, I will talk to my customer and she will provide either money for my time and new polycarb (which this was). I did want to give it one more try. In the past, I NEVER clean an old customers sign. I have ordered plenty of polycarb and acrylic and wood in my days, and I totally agree!!! This just didn't have a ghost when I looked at it at night when it was lit up around the remaining remnants of the letters. I did check that months ago, and that is why I thought we would try. However, I will try the method (test patch) of the above remedy as it would be interesting. And THANKS again as you know I would rather have you all spending precious time also sipping on drinks with umbrellas or watching the Ohio State Bucks whip Iowa, instead of answering posts that could prove to be mundane. I am off to watch the World Series with my 15 year old now while I peel the letters!
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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The letters are ones the customer put on three years ago and curled up to look like Fu Man Chu, you know the look!
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