Suggestions Best solutions to removing old vinyl

[AGinVT]

Does anyone have any effective go-to techniques they use for removing old vinyl from vehicles (5-10+ y.o.)? We have several techniques we use, but I'm always looking for better ones. When we bid on vehicle or fleet jobs that include removal, this part seems like the riskiest part of the job to estimate on time... Sometimes it goes smoothly, and sometimes we get burned.

 

[Billct2]

No price, only guesstimates and charge by time is my go to technique

 

[brentjosker]

I usually use a map gas torch to heat the surface, not to hot but where it is uncomfortable to touch, then keeping my fingers close to the edge of the vinyl that is being pulled from the surface i pull slowly in a backward motion, not at 90 degrees but around 70 degree pull, once my decals are removed, i spray on some good ole rapid remover, then i wash with warm water, wipe dry and whammo.
biggest issue out there today ive noticed is alot of guys are using some pretty cheap vinyls, and it shreds no matter how slow or delicate you are. so in short i would tell the customer either they can remove or you will leave an open ended invoice with a not to exceed amount.

 

[Stacey K]

If I'm struggling with the heat method I use the rubber wheel. It works pretty well although if it's a big job it's hard to sit there with a drill and wheel for hours on end so I tell the customer I need the vehicle for a couple days and I do things in between to give my hands/arms a break. Even if it's coming off well with heat, bigger jobs I keep the vehicle a couple days so I can take a break.

 

[weyandsign]

Hair dryer, rubber wheel, mineral spirits, lacquer thinner(for impossible to remove glue), simple green, windex

 

[signheremd]

We end up removing a lot of Intermediate vinyl that our competitors have used - cracks when it gets old. But the worst vinyl to remove, ever, is old burgandy. That stuff is super thin and breaks easily. We use hot air guns, MBX stripper wheels, and sometimes a steamer. Rapid Remover and Alcohol for adhesive. Windex to clean afterward. I like the vinyl about as hot as fresh cookies from the oven - hot enough to burn you if you go too fast, but warm enough to strip a whole area before the heat is gone.

 

[mcclaysign]

That is the worst part about the sign business. I have decided that any long-term vinyl I do will be on wrap vinyl so that if they come back, I can remove it a lot easier.

 

[Retro Graphics]

i use a steam cleaner to remove old chipped vinyl, friend had a hood wrap that was flat black and was to the point of cracking through the wrap. steamer helped me get it off in under an hour, i was expecting 4+ if i didn't have the steamer.

 

[Scotchbrite]

I think reflective is the worst! Although removing full prints from sign faces are pretty bad too.

The hard stuff tends to end up getting the eraser wheel. We try really hard to avoid removals. We definitely don't do removal only jobs. Frankly I don't have the manpower to have someone spend several hours just removing vinyl. About the only people we do removals for is long time customers. If we do quote removal, it will be really high. We like to ask, "Do you have a teenager that needs a lesson in hard labor?". Haha

If it's for a sign face, we just do entirely new faces. The only exception would be if the graphics hadn't been on very long and it was a sign we made so we know what vinyl was used.

As the owner, one of the big reasons I avoid removals is because everyone hates doing them. If I have our employees doing a bunch of shitty removals, they're not going to be working for me very long. I have trouble with new sales people selling jobs with removals, guess who gets to do the removal? It helps motivate the sales person to try really hard to avoid removals.

We do remove vinyl from our own stuff occasionally . We just retired a bucket truck with 20 year old vinyl lettering on it. Of course since it was our own stuff, we lettered the boom and everything. Took 10 hours to remove everything, mostly with an eraser wheel.

 

[Bradley Signs]

I never hear of anyone using Goof-Off to remove the glue. That's all I use.
As far as removing the vinyl, it's a whatever works for the situation type deal for me.
There is no one particular tool or method.

 

[VinylWorksLLC]

I never hear of anyone using Goof-Off to remove the glue. That's all I use.
As far as removing the vinyl, it's a whatever works for the situation type deal for me.
There is no one particular tool or method.

3M adhesive remover in the aerosol can is by far the best method to removing adhesive in my experience. Had a fleet of Concrete trucking needed old reflective door decals removes. Literally tried everything we have in our bag of tricks to make it more efficient than the one before. And when I landed on these 3M cans it was an absolute game changer. (and only the aerosol - from some reason the liquid doesn't seem to work the same). The vinyl was the same fight we all fight with old reflective. It also works great for the gunk left behind when using the removal wheel.

Goof-off just stinks so bad, is oily and leaves a residue. For small simply jobs, it works great. But for professional use, there are just lots of better choices.