Decal removal

[OV10]

Hey all,
I thought there had been a discussion on a method to facilitate easier removal of factory installed decals on the FMS and/or Freewing models but for the life of me I'm having a chemobrain moment and can't find it. Anyways, I want to peel the tail livery off my A6 and install the Callie Graphics she made me of my squadron when I was assigned to them in the early 70's. Have been fussin and just getting frustrated trying to get them off without digging up the foam, any suggestions??
Thanx,

[doctormike]

RE: Decal removal

Hi,OV10.  Place packing tape (Gorilla is good) over the decal and then lift it. In most cases it will lift right off. Trouble is, it will also pull off paint and might require touch up. Good luck. Doc

[OV10]

RE: Decal removal

Hello Doc,
It had been 4 days until you responded whereas I was beginning to wonder if any one out there changed up the livery on their foamies.  I did try packing tape but to no avail but thanx for the idea with the Gorilla packing tape. I totally forgot about reading somewhere about its unbelievable stick power that it possesses. So far I have spent 4 hrs just picking and fussing the decals off the port vertical stab. Gonna go grab some of that Gorilla from the big box store ( Lowes :) ) and hopefully end this madness.
Best Regards,

[doctormike]

RE: Decal removal

Good luck!!! Been there done that. I wish it were feesable for them to offer unpainted models! Really, who wants FMS plastered all over there model?!!! Doc

[Grossman56]

RE: Decal removal

Boy am I with you there doc!  I just went through peeling off decals from my FMS Pitts.  I found through trial and error that if you peel them off at 180 degrees, so that the peeled off part literally drags over the unstuck part, they come off fairly well, it still required some filler to repair the damage.  When I tried to peel the Iron Ass decals off the Mustang, well, just forget it, it was easier to paint over them and cut out the body lines.  (They do a great job on the insignias, especially the wings, which is fine if you want them there)  If and when I do another Mustang, I'm seriously considering getting the replacement fuse and wings, if you look at Big Beautiful Doll, the replacement has no decals on it!
Oh what a perfect world it would be if only they would put out a 'factory finish' variant.  PLEASE!!!!!!!

Grossman56  

PS, I'd even consider paying a little more just to save the pain and frustration of removing them.

[Grossman56]

RE: Decal removal

Was just watching a Don Rice video.  He's building a huge corsair and was applying decals in the cockpit.  Anyway, he was show a product called Microset.  It softens decals so they lay flatter and will relax around things like rivets and hinges etc, it also can be used to help remove decals.  I haven't used it but it seemed to help in the removal, possibly??

Grossman56

[rc-eflyer]

RE: Decal removal

Microset is great stuff. I've only used it to apply decals on 1/72 plastic models but it works great to make them suck down and adhere to painted surfaces. I know this doesn't apply to your proposed use but it also makes the clear area around the outside of the decal disappear so it looks like it's painted on. About $4 an ounce so kinda pricey for large areas though.

Steve

[John R]

RE: Decal removal

OV10,
To remove water slide decals you could use Acetone. It will also remove the paint. It will not hurt the foam. I did this to my Freewing B-17.

[Grossman56]

RE: Decal removal

Hey John, first of all, welcome to the forum.  That's a good tip, I gather it works for removing the mold release agent from the foam as well.

Grossman56