removing Vinyl Lettering

[Aaron Gregg]

Seems I hit the wrong button. I posted a poll Instead of a topic.. Again, any ideas products etc... on removing vinyl lettering. thank you...

[bjmansfield]

use a hair dryer on high setting or a heat gun (for stripping paint, etc.) on low setting...
this will release the adhesive and the letters will peel right off.

[beang]

You can also use a razor blade and acetone to peel it off.  We taped over the ends of the razor blade to prevent gouging.  Use the acetone to clean off the remaining adhesive.  The area under the vinyl lettering will be raised as the surrounding area has eroded slightly due to oxidation.  Under certain light conditions, you'll still see "ghost lettering" of the former name.  Remove this by sanding the entire area with 600 grit wet/dry sand paper, then rubbing compound and finally wax.

[Mark Wey]

Just went through this process. Worked well as George described on 9 year old lettering. I used a hair dryer and it worked great. Keep the heat to the vinyl as you peel it off. The only thing I would add, is to take your time as you peel off the old lettering. It allows more glue to be removed with the old vinyl and leaves less residue glue on the hull to remove with the acetone. All in all not a bad job and now that I have done it I could do it a lot easier and faster next time. Like so many things on a boat!

Mark