Help Removing Digital Vinyl & Laminate off a Van

[Neil Davey]

Hot air gun and then adhesive remover. We sometimes use proprietry brands or Avery surface cleaner. You can use Cellulose thinners but be careful and test in an inconspicuose area but really only suitable on a factory finishes. Probably get slated for this but it works for us.

Don’t heat the decals too much, if your lucky and get it just right the glue will also come off.

[Chris Windebank]

heat the panels not just the decal. You get more glue off this way.
Use tar and glue remover from bodyshop supplies or rapid remover from All Print Supplies.

You will then need rapid prep or IPA to clean up again.

Do a search, loads of threads including some ideas with wallpaper steamers

[Stuart Miller]

Just a small point that I have noticed is that it makes a difference what angle you pull off the vinyl.
Once you have warmed the panels, I find to pull the vinyl at 90 degrees to the panel lifts more glue than trying to pull the vinyl sharply back on itself at 180 degrees. This may be different with different vinyls and temperatures so really a bit of experiment is worthwhile.
This is actually different to what I first expected as I thought peeling back would lift more glue. Anybody else noticed this?

[John Singh]

quote Stuart Miller:

Just a small point that I have noticed is that it makes a difference what angle you pull off the vinyl.
Once you have warmed the panels, I find to pull the vinyl at 90 degrees to the panel lifts more glue than trying to pull the vinyl sharply back on itself at 180 degrees. This may be different with different vinyls and temperatures so really a bit of experiment is worthwhile.
This is actually different to what I first expected as I thought peeling back would lift more glue. Anybody else noticed this?

Yes! the idea is to lift off as much vinyl with the glue as possible
This will reduce the clean up time afterwards

[Jim Airey]

seriously dont even bother with a heat gun or wallpaper striper!!!!! use a kettle and boiling water miles easier gets the van the glue and vinyl to the same temp together and 99 percent of the time leaves no glue! been stripping vinyl since 1999 and will not attempt taking anything off without the trusty kettle!!! started a at a new company 4 month ago showed it them as they were using guns and wall paper striper! i striped a full side on my own while 2 people did half the other side!! as far as glue remover goes! use easy off!! it does exactly what it says on the tin!!! WARNING!!! hot water can scold!!! i did it last year and it F*&^^$G HURTS LOL!

[Nicola McIntosh]

quote Jim Airey:

seriously dont even bother with a heat gun or wallpaper striper!!!!! use a kettle and boiling water miles easier gets the van the glue and vinyl to the same temp together and 99 percent of the time leaves no glue! been stripping vinyl since 1999 and will not attempt taking anything off without the trusty kettle!!! started a at a new company 4 month ago showed it them as they were using guns and wall paper striper! i striped a full side on my own while 2 people did half the other side!! as far as glue remover goes! use easy off!! it does exactly what it says on the tin!!! WARNING!!! hot water can scold!!! i did it last year and it F*&^^$G HURTS LOL!

never tried this method jim, one to try in the future 😀

nik

[Jim Airey]

go for it nicola :lol1: you will be amazed at how easy it comes off!! it works for any vinyl on cars vans fascias etc!!! please be carefull tho as hot water scalds!! i did it to myself last christmas and was in agony! use a little common sense tho and alls well! i normally pick a little corner off first before pouring the hot water on that way you have somethin to get hold of!!
enjoy as vinyl removal becomes easy! 😀
jim

[Jim Airey]

striped a side of a caddy the other day for card factory! 40 mins start to finish with 10 min meeting inbetween so 30 mins full strip no glue to remove thats the power of the kettle!!!!!!!!!!!! will upload pics to prove it!! (:) (hot)

[Jon Marshall]

Doesn’t prove anything. Some vinyls strip easily and cleanly and some don’t.

[David Hammond]

We stripped our customers flood coated Transporter long wheelbase the other week using a heat gun.

First time removing something like that. Came of very easily, with very little glue left on the surface. Nothing a little bit of meths didn’t remove.

Don’t think the customer would have liked us pouring boiling water all over his unit.

[Ian Davies 2011]

If you want a good product for removing tar and glue, try Autosmart (they come to you in van if your area is covered), have a product called TARDIS, is £15.00 for 5 litres, spray on to glue leave a few minutes and then scrape off with teflon hard card (window tinter type) or old credit card, completely lifts the glue and it all congeals into a big lump as you scrape, then just rinse with water. We have used on cars, vans, motorhomes and caravans with no issues and is quite a bit cheaper than most products out there.

Ian.

[Tobias Redig]

Wouldn’t it be easier to use a wallpaper steamer instead of a kettle with boiling water?

[Jim Airey]

indeed they do however boiling water gets the vinyl and glue to the same tempreture!!!! try it for yourself instead of writting comments on here about things you obviously have had no experience in!!! boil your kettle next time you have vinyl to strip!!! that what i took off was kpmf`s none laminated and normally its a nightmare for splintering when removing and leaves loads of glue!!! (hot)

[Jim Airey]

look all im saying guys is its way quicker and easier than a heat gun pour it from the top and strip it off! only trying to share a tip for everyone to use that makes a bad part of the job a little easier! tried wall paper steamer before it works but you only heat up a 1 foot square @a time try it with boiling water 30 mins to strip a caddy outside in the cold!!! cmon no heat gun can match it! if ya dont believe me how easy it makes it next time you got a van to strip give me a shout ill bring me kettle and come and show you! and you do one side ill do the other! if i win you give me my days wage+fuel! IF you win! (note big IF) you get my free labour! 😀 :lol1:

[Simon Worrall]

I have used boiling water for stripping panels flat on the bench and it works better than anything else Ive tried.
Ive Never used it for a vehicle though.
Some sort of hands free applicator would be good to get it where its needed. I imagine pouring it down the sides would be a bit random.

[Jim Airey]

quote Simon Worrall:

I have used boiling water for stripping panels flat on the bench and it works better than anything else Ive tried.
Ive Never used it for a vehicle though.
Some sort of hands free applicator would be good to get it where its needed. I imagine pouring it down the sides would be a bit random.

at last someone else who has used a kettle!!! it works full stop!!

[Martin Pearson]

Jim no one said it didn’t work. just that they had found other methods like heat guns, wallpaper strippers, cleaners etc etc.
I personally don’t believe there is one method that works best for every application (or this case removal). The kettle may be great for removing a wrap under the circumstances you use it but not so well when removing cut vinyl lettering from a van especially if the van is in a unit under cover and you can’t pour water everywhere.

[Karl Williams]

Used the kettle method in the past and yes it works well. But if you are outside in the cold as it is at the moment the panels will cool down quickly. Just be prepared to send the kettle into overdrive! 😉
For me though a heat gun is my preferred method.

[Steve McAdie]

I’ve used a kettle before in fact it was a customer who told me how he used to use one in a previous job to remove vinyl. About the only time i use it is if a vehicle pulls up and needs just a little decal removing as its more convinient than getting the heat gun and extension out and the kettle is always hot.As others have said drawbacks are water everywhere, in the winter it could turn to ice outside on the ground and become a hazard, panels cool quickly in the winter air, backwards and forwards to fill/boil kettle, i would also expect it to be less energy efficient than a heat gun. Also the kettle method is no good for warming your feet up when their freezing. 😀

Steve

[Harry Cleary]

quote Steve McAdie:

Also the kettle method is no good for warming your feet up when their freezing. 😀

Don’t come running to me when they are covered in chilblains! 😉

[Martin Pearson]

quote Harry Cleary:

quote Steve McAdie:

Also the kettle method is no good for warming your feet up when their freezing. 😀

Don’t come running to me when they are covered in chilblains! 😉

And remember to keep your feet moving or you will find yourself literally stuck out in the cold :lol1: :lol1:

[Toby Lanham]

Hi all,
Been a while since I’ve been on here. I have just read the discussion about removing old vinyl with great interest (as I have one to do and have never actually removed vinyl before), The friend who I’m doing it for has an industrial space heater which I plan to blast into the back of the van, and if that’s not fast/hot enough, I will try the kettle method which seems to be gathering support..
As for any leftover glue, I have a can of label remover spray (it smells like oranges) has anyone used this stuff? It does an amazing job but I’m not sure if it will leave anything behind that could effect the application of the new (cast) vinyl I’m putting on.
My plan is just to wash it with soapy water, then rinse and dry the panels.
Can anyone see a problem / better way of doing it? I am doing it tomorrow in Cornwall so don’t have time to order anything fancy..

Thanks in advance,
Toby.

[Chris Hansen]

+1 to the steamer here.
@Toby, I find that the citrus cleaners tend to leave a residue that vinyl doesn’t wanna stick to, so just make sure you wipe down good with isopropanol afterwoods.

[Ian Davies 2011]

Just thought would add that we remove a lot of window tint and the best way is one of the £20 hand held steamers with long spout (rubbish description I know), never tried on vinyl but works amazingly well with tint, tint lift a corner and spray between film and glass and away you go, strips a back window in under 2 minutes. Just need to find some vinyl to remove to test it now.

Ian.

[Mark van Dam]

Having stripped a fleet of 150 buses plus numerous cars vans aeroplanes and boats, I think Ive tried almost every metod known to man. The key is to get the vinyl to be removed at a constant temperature, or it may be Liable to snapping. The angle of removal is Definately important as well as the speed of removal. Glue will be left in different quantities or not at all in varying methods. I own 2 steamers, run side by side, I also knife the prints into strips, and No cutting of paint is done. If I have vinyl cut letters that are crazed or cracked, I use a Scraper Blade to remove it. If the blade is prepared properly, eg, honed on my car windscreen vigorously, back and forth and slightly rocking at between 30 and 45 degrees, It glides across the Duco. DO NOT TURN OVER the blade, always use same side. Then use the blade in a decent holder, and slide it across the vinyl at 30 degrees or less, not pushing into it, Depending on how hard you push, glue may well be removed at same time. I do find the Kettle method is a bit slow, but that as well as a good steamer, get the vinyl off for me very well. Having said tha, any method that works is great,

For a large Semi Trailer that has had vinyl removed, and has a lot of glue, I spray Turpentine on it, let it soak, then blade off the glue. It it is soaked enough most glues come off easily. If they dont, soak it longer.

I do buy a local Product for glue removal called here OOmph, spray it on, wait, falls off. I removed a failed Silver metallic van wrap, fully crazed by just soaking it over night. Vinyl was then Squeegeed off next day. Pity I had done the two other vans the slow way before that, :D. I do suggest you try all the methods mentioned, as all removals vary. If you think its taking too long, then it is, try something different.

[Mark van Dam]

PS, my steamers have a rectangular head, 300 x 250 mm, slide across the surface slowly and it covers a huge area faster than a kettle, great on the buses and trucks I work on.

[Stuart Miller]

quote Ian Davies 2011:

Just thought would add that we remove a lot of window tint and the best way is one of the £20 hand held steamers with long spout (rubbish description I know), never tried on vinyl but works amazingly well with tint, tint lift a corner and spray between film and glass and away you go, strips a back window in under 2 minutes. Just need to find some vinyl to remove to test it now.

Ian.

I use the same sort of steamer for window tint but would recommend always using the steam ontop of the film, never between the film and the glass.
Direct the heat right at the crease where the film is lifting and pull at 90 degrees to the glass and all the glue lifts with the film. Use the steamer between the film and glass and the glue gets wet and often stays on the glass and has to be cleaned separately.
Obviously it works for you but may differ between film types & brands and I have found ontop of the film to work best.

[Jill Marie Welsh]

I am going to try the kettle idea.
Took me 2½ hours to strip one truck door the other day.
I still need to do the other side.
Love…Jill

[Martin Pearson]

Steam wallpaper stripper still gets my vote, did try the kettle after reading some of this thread but has to many drawbacks for me personally. Firstly I don’t want that volume of water on the workshop floor so has to be done outside. This time of year that defeats the object of me having a unit to work in most of the time. I also found it cooled very quickly, again probably down to the fact that it’s outside.
With the wallpaper stripper I can work using two hands, one holding the wallpaper stripper plate on the next bit to be removed & the other removing the vinyl I have just warmed. I have trouble working like that with a heat gun as I am to worried about burning the paint by leaving the heat gun in one spot for to long, silly really because I could just dial the heat down on the heat gun :lol1:

[Mark van Dam]

Funny Heat gun story. I employed a labourer to help strip a wrapped helicopter as I installed the new livery on the other side. He decided to heat the glue off the paint. Kept heating and waiting for it to fall off. I have never seen a bigger Bulge, over 10cm, in a more expensive Carbon Fibre Panel. Could have been made of Gold as it cost $8000 or there a bouts. 😀 I was told when I showed them, that I was mistaken, it was the exhaust pipe that did it, as it didnt fit right, wink wink. I was Lucky. Funny now, not then LOL.

[Toby Lanham]

Thanks for all the tips guys,

The Kettle worked quite well, though it did leave allot of glue behind which I ended up removing with white spirit, and then a bit of T-cut,, not the quickest method I’m sure (about 5 hours in total).

The space heater didn’t do anything but it was handy when drying off my trainers after a few spills with the kettle!

I tried a heat gun but had the same concerns about the paint (and my fingers!)

I think I’m gonna try a wallpaper stripper/steamer next time, so.. any suggestions of a decent good priced one? Do the standard ones you might find in B&Q cut it, or are is a more hardcore one needed?

Cheers,

Toby.

[Chris Wool]

quote :

I think I’m gonna try a wallpaper stripper/steamer next time, so.. any suggestions of a decent good priced one? Do the standard ones you might find in B&Q cut it, or are is a more hardcore one needed?

my third b&q one is fine.

just as they are running out of water they glow a bright pink then go BANG the second one was more of a fut really.
haven’t a clue how i know that 😳