# removing decals



## New Berlin RR

Ok I have a loco that im thinking of trying to reletter to my road, however all I want to remove is the current name on it which reads "Southern" so I want to just remove the name, but keep the road numbers on it, now when I run my hand on the lettering I do feel raised up letters so I assume they are not sealed or what ever, so I have some 50% and 91% alchol to use, so to make sure I do this right do I just need a small drop of either and let it sit for say a minute or so then peal off or whats the correct process to ensure the lettering is removed with out any issues??

pics of the engine in question can be supplied if needed.


Thanks for the help!

PS: yes im reading through the other threads that im finding on this but still unsure of the exact steps and timing things to make sure the paint is un touched!


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## NIMT

New Berlin RR said:


> feel raised up letters so I assume they are not sealed


Well there is a saying about "assuming"!
The "raised letters" means that it was heat stamped on the engine!
Your going to find out very quickly that removing the paint from the body will happen about twice as fast as the lettering!


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## New Berlin RR

NIMT said:


> Well there is a saying about "assuming"!
> The "raised letters" means that it was heat stamped on the engine!
> Your going to find out very quickly that removing the paint from the body will happen about twice as fast as the lettering!


ok what is the best way to not remove the paint, but still get to the lettering and get it off? or will I just have to remove the letters and paint? I don't have any other decals for this type of loco so Ill have to find a way to either make my own or have them custom made type thing...and no I don't know what shade of green was used on the loco...


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## NIMT

Yep, repaint is going to be your best option.


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## New Berlin RR

well drat, so I guess the best thing would be to remove all paint then and just renumber it then? I was hoping I could just remove the Southern bit from both sides and leave the number/paint as is...


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## New Berlin RR

would any type of heat gun/hair dryer help with the decals and getting them off?


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## NIMT

Well it will help turn it into junk!:retard:
A heat gun or even a hot hair dryer on a most models will warp them faster than a speeding bullet train!:sly:
And quit calling the lettering decals! They are heat stamped or printed letters not decals!


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## New Berlin RR

NIMT said:


> Well it will help turn it into junk!:retard:
> A heat gun or even a hot hair dryer on a most models will warp them faster than a speeding bullet train!:sly:
> And quit calling the lettering decals! They are heat stamped or printed letters not decals!


well its better then calling them stickers ain't it?  but the letters, there ill call them that LOL anyways im determined to find a way to get them off then do what I want to do with it...


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## NIMT

Simple... Take the body off the frame, stick it in a container with Purple cleaner and walk away, come back to it in about four hours with a tooth brush and brush the paint and lettering off, rinse and dry, then repaint and reletter, Done.


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## New Berlin RR

ok what is "purple cleaner" is that something I can find in the automotive dept or stores? what other names/brands would the purple cleaner be named as? I know theres a "Royal Purple" but im sure were not talking that...


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## NIMT

You can get Purple cleaner at most automotive and hardware stores, 2 names I know of are Castrol Super clean and Zep purple cleaner.


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## New Berlin RR

Ok cool, but I don't need that purple stuff, least right now I don't, but Ill still look for it when I make it to the auto store...

oh and to those who said what I was trying to do wouldn't be able to be pulled off with out any great results... all of 5 minutes with a friend called 91% rubbing alchol!!! WOO HOO!!



















just rubbed a bit on and just used the best tool I have, my finger nail...and boom off the decals came...and I don't think these were heat transfers either as they came off too darned quick...but hey ill take it  now I just need to find a way to make my own decals/transfers for my road!


ok now what did I do with that Jack Daniels of mine....


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## tjcruiser

Livin' on the edge paid off, huh?!?

That came out great! Green paint's all there, as hoped.

Nice looking loco. What's the wheel config on that?

TJ


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## New Berlin RR

yea it did what I wanted


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## New Berlin RR

my next step is to make decals for my road name and some logos (may reuse some BN type logos for that) and then try my hand at weathering it, and personially I kinda like how it looks now as it gives a slightly worn out look as if the paint has began faiding and what not and for this loco I want to try to go with the "aged but used heavially" looks...as in used by different rail roads and passed around a lot doing different jobs.


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## Carl

Have you tired a "Pink Pearl" eraser?


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## Sawdust

tjcruiser said:


> Livin' on the edge paid off, huh?!?
> 
> That came out great! Green paint's all there, as hoped.
> 
> Nice looking loco. What's the wheel config on that?
> 
> TJ


0-0-0 :laugh:


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## Sawdust

Worked out nice....I like the color.:thumbsup:


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## New Berlin RR

TJ: the configureation is a 0-4-0 its a basic shunter type, but still a good candidate to practice on I figure...as for the color I do like it but im going to try to do a distressed and worn and used look on it...



Carl said:


> Have you tired a "Pink Pearl" eraser?


no I haven't, never heard of pink pearl, where can one be picked up at?


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## Carl

Pink Pearl can be purchased at any office supply house, Wally Mart might even have them.


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## New Berlin RR

cool, ill look into getting one then! anyways right now im just looking for a inkjet decal transfer sheet type thing to try and print my own lettering and logo(s) for my engines


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## NIMT

Well I would say your a lucky bugger! Or... blame it on cheap euro craftsmanship!


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## New Berlin RR

well the loco is a low cost unit that was a "free" item with my collector subcription...but hey its still a good unit to test painting and things like that with out distroying one of my better units


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## callmeIshmael2

Although the start of this thread was about removing decals, it morphed into realizing that the gentleman's "decal" was actually heat-stamping, etc. For those interested in just removing decals, simply go to your local hobby supply (or order) Microscale Industry's "MICRO SET" setting solution for decals. It also removes decals; directions on the little bottle. Best of all is the price at under 3 bucks...


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## New Berlin RR

callmeIshmael2 said:


> Although the start of this thread was about removing decals, it morphed into realizing that the gentleman's "decal" was actually heat-stamping, etc. For those interested in just removing decals, simply go to your local hobby supply (or order) Microscale Industry's "MICRO SET" setting solution for decals. It also removes decals; directions on the little bottle. Best of all is the price at under 3 bucks...


not sure about your post here, but it is now kinda morphed into a applying decals instead, anyways thats in another thread I believe, if not I will be making another thread here about the decals and making my own designs...


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## Wagons Lits fan

How 'bout sanding or scrapeing the heat stamped "Southern" lettering then repainting and decaling.


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## sjm9911

Just for thought, try at your own risk, I recently tried to strip paint with oven cleaner. As others have posted wallmart brand works well. I tried to go cheaper then that with dollar tree oven cleaner. Since it was only a buck i used half a can and let it sit for 24 hours. After a rinse it only removed the number from the train and gave it a nice weather ed look. Not what I was looking for but some one might find it useful. After that i bought easy off. The easy off striped the eng in 4 hours.


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## New Berlin RR

sjm9911 said:


> Just for thought, try at your own risk, I recently tried to strip paint with oven cleaner. As others have posted wallmart brand works well. I tried to go cheaper then that with dollar tree oven cleaner. Since it was only a buck i used half a can and let it sit for 24 hours. After a rinse it only removed the number from the train and gave it a nice weather ed look. Not what I was looking for but some one might find it useful. After that i bought easy off. The easy off striped the eng in 4 hours.


the easy off stripped it as in all paint plus the decals or decals only? as for the dollar store stuff which brand/dollar store did you get it from? I may try using that trick my self. I will look at my Dollar General later for some...not sure if we have a Dollar Tree here though...


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## sjm9911

The stuff I bought at the dollar tree was " the home store" oven cleaner. Yellow can with English Spanish label. I used it on a 1950s lionel engine I wanted completely stripped of paint. It only took off a little of the paint and the engines numbers. The easy off stripped off all the paint in four hours. Which is what I wanted. Test some on a junker at a lesser time frame maybe. After learning of oven cleaner to strip paint I mentioned it to an friend of mine who is about 68. He said he used it years ago to strip painted lettering off his work truck. The lettering was on the truck for 30 years. The paint on the truck was unharmed. I do not know how long he left the oven cleaner on the truck or how he applyed it.


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