Removing decals from a set of carbon cranks...

[SoCalSteve]

Hi all,

I have a set of FSA K-Force Light cranks that I have installed on my Colnago Carbonissimo...and, the red and silver decals on them look pretty bad in comparison to the nude carbon and gold decals of the Colnago.... I'd much prefer just nude carbon and no decals whatsoever and then glossy clear coat.

Is this something I can do myself? If so, how? Will I be able to put a coat of clear glossy something or other after I remove the decals? Or, is this a job for a pro?

And, if it is a job for a pro, where would I send them?

As always, thank you all in advance,

Steve

[SoCalSteve]

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller???

Thanks!

Steve

[Charles M]

You can... Sand it with medium grit through the clear and decals. fine when done. Be carefull to go even and long strokes.

Or you can take it to just about any paint shop and have them do it (there are a zillion in your area.


You may have to take em to a paint ship to have a flat clear put on to even out the finish... Or just standard clear if you want the finish to match your Colnago.

You may also have a simple set of decals put on, or if you're me, ask someone to airbrush a simple clover or something to make em match up your bike.

[Louis]

Steve,

How long have the cranks been on the bike?

Sometimes I think something doesn't look quite right when I first put it on (say, a particular color tire) but after a while it grows on me and I get used to it. Eventually it looks perfectly normal.

If you're not dead set against it, you might consider giving it some time. That's certainly the easy way. Plus you sure don't want to sand past the various coats and do something to the CF - that would be risky.

Louis

[avalonracing]

Isn't great that if you want a decal to stay nice washing it will cause it to peel but if you want it gone you have scrape down to bare metal or carbon to get it come off (with ghosting)

[Louis]

You can't always get what you want
But if you try some times
You get what you need...

[soulspinner]

You can't always get what you want
But if you try some times
You get what you need...

Every time I get a lotto ticket this song is playin............

[alancw3]

#1.contact fsa and ask the question. there customer support was pretty good in responding to a question i had a couple of years ago.

#2.if they are truly decals, and not painted on logos, then perhaps a heat gun or hair dryer might soften them up enough to peel off. i have used this method to remove decals in the past albeit not on carbon fiber.

depending on how good you are with a paint can, i would think you could do a pretty decent job. it may take more than one coat to get a deep luster look in which case you would probably want to sand in between coats with XXXXX steel wool. several clear coat finishes available from satin to high gloss. i have had great results with spray cans. i have found the trick to be multiple thin coats versus trying to do it in one coat. recently did a project where i used a spray can of lacquer versus enamal. great results. i think the lacquer was something new, at least i hadn't seen before. got it at home depot. don't know if the lacquer was available in clear though.

[Charles M]

I'm not guessing. I've done what Stevie wants to do to the same cranks he's doing it. The Logos are under the clearcoat.

Sand em and they'll be fine.

[Dave]

I've been doing quite a bit of this on a number of items. Norton 3X (yellow) sandpaper in the 320 grit to start and 400 toward the finish does a great job, used dry.

To do a proper job, the entire crankarm should be degreased with a special solvent, usually called silicon wax and grease remover, prior to sanding. Naptha also works for this purpose.

It would be a lot easier to just clearcoat the front half of the crank. I'd mask off the backside, but be sure to scuff any part to be clearcoated with 1000 grit sandpaper.

Spray can lacquer is fine for parts like headset top sections and headset spacers, but not as durable as the urethane that a pro would use. For a crank, urethane done by a pro might be wise, although you can get a spray can of urethane, that is only good to use once. When the hardener gets mixed in, you have 24 hours to use it.

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

[SoCalSteve]

Thank you all so far for the great advice!

If I wanted to send the crankset (maybe 2 of them) to a bicycle refinisher, does anyone have any recommendations (besides Calfee) of someone who does this kind of work with carbon fiber?

Thank you again!

Steve

[Charles M]

Send em to Joe

Joe Bell Bicycle Refinishing
www.joebell.biz
3735 Kenora Dr., Suite C
Spring Valley, CA 91977
(619) 469-4312



But really, you could walk em to any of a dozen car shops in your area and they could whack em and coat em easily...

[Lance Armstrong]

do not remove it....get them to pay you for having it there.

[Jeff N.]

Send em to Joe

Joe Bell Bicycle Refinishing
www.joebell.biz
3735 Kenora Dr., Suite C
Spring Valley, CA 91977
(619) 469-4312



But really, you could walk em to any of a dozen car shops in your area and they could whack em and coat em easily...JB has done this kind of stuff for me on many occasions. Might be a wait though. Jeff N.