Tip: Removing Vinyl

[Mel]

A friend had the white plastic on the aileron skins for his HiperBipe for about 12 years. The only way he got it off was to soak the skins in gasoline for almost a week. Not fun OR safe.

[longline]

I have a pretty well stocked hangar, and have not found anything that seems to touch the adhesive on the white plastic protective film. I can scrape it off, with heat, but the adhesive, or remains of the sheet, simply are not reacting to any of the stuff I have tried. Plastic scraper is doing good, but there is a residue that is not going anywhere.
I do not think I have a container large enough for the fuselage to be submerged in gasoline?.
Does the Brain Trust have any further suggestions?

[spark68]

I used paint stripper to soak and then scotch-brite. It wasn't great, but did help.

[longline]

Thanks for that hint, I had not tried stripper. This is a 2002 kit, and the original owner left this stuff on. It cracked and lifted/lifted a little, but the majority is FIRMLY attached and will not respond to anything, especially heat. I will try the stripper.

[longline]

worked very well. I found that the white stuff would scrape off after letting the stripper sit for about 15 minutes. Have no idea if it would bubble up like paint does over a period of time. Most of the adhesive came right along with the vinyl, too. Very little detail clean-up was required after the film was removed.

[doug_rv7]

Wow, this stuff is just coming off in tiny flakes. I'll try paint stripper.

The blue came off just fine.

Hindsight, I'd taken it all off right away.





Doug
RV-7
The last 90%