Primal Decals 621 Posted March 23, 2015 I have a up coming customer that has roughly about 60-75 Sq Ft of vinyl that needs removed from a Veterans 15 Passenger bus.They have offered to buy me the MBX Zapper Vinyl kit for trade for the labor cost and buy new vinyl from me as well.. Since im new to this still and i do know the costs to everything that should be charged, Zapper kit runs around 450-500 and the vinyl they want is gonna get me about $350. should i take this ? Dont laugh at me lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted March 23, 2015 I think you will be disappointed in the zapper. I used a similar (Snap-On) version and it did great on small stuff but once we got into larger coverage areas it really didn't work very well. Maybe the zapper is a lot better but I would be surprised. If the existing vinyl is old and nasty thats going to be one huge job. If it is new enough to pull up once you get an edge then probably not as bad. If it has cracks and weathering be careful. That being said, if you can get the removal done in 10 hours then your at least making a good return on your time. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Primal Decals 621 Posted March 23, 2015 Thanks Goose...the vinyl is really old and i did a test run with a heat gun and plastic razor blades. did so but adhesive is being a pain , a lot of cracks also, they are having it painted in a blue after the vinyl and adhesive is removed, i just need to get most of the sticky off so the shop cant say much about the residue left..so thats why they offered the new zapper since i brought it up...Ive seen the cheaper wheels used on a drill and if you dont keep the rpms just right then they wont work or it will burn the clear coat, the zapper is preset at the correct rpm, and needs just the weight of the tool to remove the vinyl etc, ive seen a few videos on it and it looks 1000 times better than the cheap version .. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybyrd 3,770 Posted March 23, 2015 For the adhesive there are hundreds of products that'll take it off but I usually just use a spray can of carb cleaner and wipe it off with a rag. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted March 23, 2015 I've not tried this product yet, but I keep meaning to - https://www.signsplusbanners.com/itemdetail.php?sku=104128-04&p=Removal+Storage+%26+Tools&c=Removal+Fluids&s=Vinyl+%26+Adhesive+OFF There is a video of it here - My big fear is that it might damage the finish on the vehicle, but since they're planning to repaint anyways... They have a companion product called Ghost Off that is used to remove the ghosting left behind by smaller decals... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted March 23, 2015 The orange citrus cleaner offered at USCutter works great on the adhesive and doesn't appear to harm vehicle paint I also sometimes use a brand called "Aircraft Decal and Adhesive Remover" that I pick up at the local auto paint supply store in an aerosol spay but it's $14 per can and doesn't go far. If they are re-painting the thing then you can probably chance using a real razor blade carefully too. I have not had very good luck with the plastic blades but depending on the application I use regular razors often. I am more commonly doing a piece of heavy machinery so it's less of a risk and do occasionally gouge the paint with a corner. Plastic blades work great for adhesive with any adhesive remover you decide to use. Withe the orange peel stuff I spray a small area and within a few seconds it sort of soaks into the adhesive and they you have a couple minutes to use the scraper to get it up and off. If you wait too long it goes back to being a pain. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Primal Decals 621 Posted March 24, 2015 Did the clean off today,Removed the old vinyl with my heat gun and the residue was left of course.Tried the carb cleaner and it wasnt really doing the job.I found a interesting video and figured why not,it worked for this guy.So i bought a can of WD-40. I sprayed enough to put a light coat on the junk,and let it sit for about 10 seconds. took a plastic razor blade and holy cow , it came off like cutting warm butter.Nothing was left .WD-40 doesnt evaporate like carb cleaner does so you can take your time on it..Took some cleaner and cleaned off the Wd-40, and finished. Very impressed with WD-40 plus it is less aggressive on paint cause it s a lube. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
signyouup 178 Posted March 26, 2015 I use WD-40 all the time for adhesive removal. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
