Removing old graphics from acrylic sign!

[JFERG90]

Hey Guys,

Noticed a couple of you have mentioned using a hot water pressure washer, or steam wallpaper remover for graphics. I have a large acryic sign that needs to have the graphics removed. They are extreamly old and I was wondering if you would reccommend usining either of these to help with the removal.

Is it worth it?
Does it help significantly?
Have you ever used one? or either?

Just curious as I am willing to purchase one for the shop if it is worth the money.

Thanks guys.

JF.

 

[J Hill Designs]

use new acrylic

 

[TheSnowman]

Oh you'll hate that. I agree, use new if AT ALL possible. Seems like for what you should charge to remove the old, they should be able to justify new. I'd assume it has some slight "yellowing" going on too?

 

[SIGNTIME]

If it's one big piece and not all cracked

 

[Marlene]

never used one. I use a hair dryer as you don't want the heat too hot or all the gummy stuff comes off the vinyl and sticks to the face. do you do this a lot? if so, maybe making a purchase would be a good idea. I don't so the hair dryer is just fine

 

[MikePro]

Without seeing a picture, I can only assume that the price of new acrylic face will most likely be less than your shop rate to remove the old. No matter what tool/method you use.

 

[thinksigns]

My one and only experience with re-using an old face was a disaster. Yours will be to considering how old the existing letters are. There will be ghosting of the old letters. I actually printed on white translucent. It looks great in the daylight, but once the sign lights up at night, the ghosting shows up. If they still insist, make them sign something saying you warned them.

 

[Billct2]

A hammer.

Seriously, "extremely old" means extremely difficult and the acrylic will probably crack and haze.
By the way I don't think I'd use anything but a heat gun and adhesive remover on anything plastic.
The steamer/pressure washer technique is usually for vehicles.

 

[JFERG90]

Unfortunately, for this particular job do the the size and nature we were unable to order new acrylic.
We will be removing this existing graphics and doing it that way.

Just wondering if anyone has used either of these two tools to remove graphics and the benefits of either using one or the other.
Or if it will help at all.

Thanks guys for all the quick responses.

JF.

 

[Tone-Mark Creative]

Rapid Remover and a scraper from Home Depot-Heat gun

Its the age-old question "what is your time worth? These days...new plastic is the answer.
Rep is everything.

But that being said...I've been in that situation before... Do I shell out for new plastic?
Do I want my rep damaged when the client starts telling people who did their
new (old) sign?
Sometimes the client is oblivious to the yellowing or ghosting
of previous graphics or doesn't care, especially if you knock a couple bucks off the job.
I mean, hey you didn't buy much... just providing vinyl, labor.
Much of the time the new graphics cover most of this unless lexan
where yellowing is part of the product's feature, and new material is just plain necessary.


I would say, inform them that
there will be ghosted graphics or yellowing then go ahead with the cleaning
if they approve the work:

Usually laying the plastic flat and dousing with rapid remover
helps get the solution under the graphics in a day or so, if it is very old.
The "paint-stripping scraper" is for stripping of paint and will not gouge plastic.
Ask for it by name as there are many flimsy scrapers
and this one is rigid plastic.

Use heat gun sparingly. The hair dryer may be better if you are unfamiliar
with how a heat gun can warp (ruin) acrylic.


Old glue will come off like rubber cement. You can get most all this one to two passes.
Rapid tack and Rapid Remover are products that revolutionized the adhering
and removing vinyl. Before this I can't tell you how many projects I hobbled through
with varied concoctions. Final cleanup with denatured alcohol.

Good Luck!

 

[Billct2]

Just be sure you warn the client, in writing, with their verification, that
1. It is a certainty that the acrylic will have a ghost
2. It is a possibility that the acrylic will crack or just fall apart.

 

[JFERG90]

Absolutely,

Customer has been warned of both and is willing to accept the outcome.
Appreciate it guys.

JF.

 

[thinksigns]

In theory, the customer will accept the ghosting. Once he sees it, he may change his mind. Get 100% payment up front.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

Just removed some 20 year old vinyl ( ya know the all cracked & seriously baked in stuck kind ) on a acrylic face...with a steam wallpaper remover... worked like a charm the vinyl came off like peeling a banana with a single edge razor blade, ya heat it up enough & it just peels off, sometimes ya can hold the steamer handle & peel at same time as ya move along.

As for the face of sign if yellow, scratch up badly, cracked, crazed ( looks like a broken windshield ) lightly etc. even up sell them a new face.

Time in cleaning 8ft x 8ft set up equipment ( scaffolding ), heating of steamer, cleaning vinyl off, then glue off, then final clean ups, move to other side repeat, can easily run into a full day for one person if vinyl is old.

 

[Mosh]

I guarantee new plastic would be cheaper...been down this road before. How big is the plastic?

 

[JFERG90]

Thanks Craig, that was the response I was insearch of.
Appreciate it.

It is a complicated situation as far as process that needs to be taken in this particular case, not worth wasting the time trying to explain it but I definitely agree in most if not all cases a new substrate is the way to go and almost always cheaper.

Thanks again.

J.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

Here you see the distance shot of dirty acrylic face, ( this side was cleaner ) after vinyl was removed ...Rapid Remover was used to remove glue works like a suppose to & better.

The next is a close up of the face / border / wallpaper steamer.
Removal of that border about a 2 hours per side

Then a close up of how clean it looks.
After Rapid Remover final clean
..A dish soap & water clean. oh with cloth rags.

.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

Opps here

 

[sagesign]

I just finished removing old cracked vinyl from a box truck using a steamer for the first time. I couldn't believe how well it worked, I wish I had tried one ten years ago!

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

I just finished removing old cracked vinyl from a box truck using a steamer for the first time. I couldn't believe how well it worked, I wish I had tried one ten years ago!

+1...

I had to redo the graphics on the side of a water tank truck for a local fire company. When I looked at it, the thing was empty, so the corner came up super easy, so I thought that it would be a piece of cake. I ordered the new vinyl, and went back about a week later to do the job.

Well, they had filled it, so the cold water just made the vinyl cling like there was no tomorrow. I worked on the panel (30" x 25' long), with (2) colors layered on top of the panel. I was there, with a helper for about 5 or 6 hours, with a heat gun, propane torch, and little chisslers, and we only got about 1/2 the panel off.

I went and got a wall paper steamer, based on the reviews that I got, as well as talking to another member on here. I had the other half of the panel off in about an hour.

I won't peel vinyl with out the steamer. One of the best tools that I have ever purchased.