A friend of mine was trying to remove the name of a sailboat that was hand painted. My guess is that it was most likely One Shot. I suggested he sand it off but he didn't like the idea. It is his 24' race boat that was built very light and therefore has a thin gel coat surface.
But I can't think of any alternative to sanding.
Appreciate any ideas?
Posted by Bill Lynch (Member # 3815) on :
Easy Off has worked for me, but I would always test first. It does usually leave a yellowish haze.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Easy-Off oven cleaner has always worked for me. The yellowish haze can be removed with a buffer and some mild rubbing compound.
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Interlux Paint remover.
Follow the instructions explicitly. Do not use in the sun.
Great stuff.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
I think ya gotta be more specific Bill and Dave as its the original formula of Easy-Off oven cleaner in the yellow can which works for that method.
Am I not right?
Posted by Bill Lynch (Member # 3815) on :
Right Joey, I forget that now there are other flavors.
Posted by Jim Moser (Member # 6526) on :
Since it is gel coat you can also use lacquer thinner or even acetone, followed up with a buffer and compound. In any case use proper safety gear. I would use plastic to mask around the lettering to keep the overspray and mess to a minimum if using Easy-off. Easy-off will work on painted surfaces also, but it is always a good idea to do a test somewhere to be sure it won't attack the substrate.
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
Don't get the heat activated kind, the yellow original is the one to use as the guys suggested. Spray on and leave for a few minutes, then wipe, rinse repeat.. maybe a few times.
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
Yellow can Easy-Off, the haze can be removed with a clorox wash, but it will fade by itself after a few days in the sun. If the lettering has been on for a long time, the paint will have "etched" itself slightly into the gel coat, in which case you'll need to get some black 600 grit sandpaper and wet-sand it.......
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Sonny....I have never figured out why, after removing One Shot, the gel coat is "raised" where the lettering was???
Any ideas?
And yes, original Easy-off, in the yellow can is the only one that works. For some reason none of the rest do and no other brands of oven cleaner seem to either.
An additional tip, thanks to the late Mike McCloud.
If the paint is really heavy, use masking tape to attach Saran Wrap below the lettering. Spray the lettering then flip up the Saran Wrap and "smear" it over the Easy Off. It will keep the fumes from dissipating and make the paint removal more effective.
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
Yellow-can Easy-off is the only formula that contains lye, which is the active ingredient. That's why it works, and others don't.
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
That's interesting, Dave, about the 'shadow' of the old lettering. I've noticed it too; not just on gelcoat, but other paints too.
My cousin bought a '57 Chevy in 1965 that a guy had bought new and ran on the drag strip for several years. It was all lettered up when he bought it. Wanting to make a street car out of it, he stripped it to bare metal, primed and painted it ( acrylic lacquer). After it was done and buffed out......if you'd look at it in just the right light from the right angle, you could still see a faint 'ghost' of the old lettering. ......wierd.
Posted by Dan Beach (Member # 9850) on :
quote:My cousin bought a '57 Chevy in 1965 that a guy had bought new and ran on the drag strip for several years. It was all lettered up when he bought it. Wanting to make a street car out of it, he stripped it to bare metal, primed and painted it ( acrylic lacquer). After it was done and buffed out......if you'd look at it in just the right light from the right angle, you could still see a faint 'ghost' of the old lettering. ......wierd.
Had the same thing happen.
[ March 20, 2009, 06:56 PM: Message edited by: Dan Beach ]
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
We use the waterless hand cleaner made by ICC. I've squirted a generous portion on my hand and slapped it onto the boat and rubbed the lettering off and then washed my hand and the hull with water.
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
A plastic scrub brush will hasten the removal of the lettering when using Easy Off.
Posted by Dave Kleinman (Member # 4007) on :
Thank you very much for all of the help. I used to do a lot of airbrushing and I thought it was easy off but then (I thought?) I remembered something about vinyl removal using it. In any case, thanks again!!!!
