Removing deacals under clearcoat?

[tuscanyswe]

I have a fork i want to remove some stickers from. Then i want to have a gloss finish instead of todays matte.

Decals are under clearcoat as best to my knowledge as i havent gotten the fork yet. Its an easton ec90 sl fork if that helps.

What would be the best way to go about removing the stickers?

Thanks for help
B

[Dave]

First clean the fork with Naptha, odorless mineral spirits or a special wax and grease remover solvent made specifically as a pre-sanding and pre-painting prep. The stuff I have is a mix of naptha and mineral spirits.

Sand through the clearcost with 400 grit, then switch to 600 when you've sanded through most of the decal. The sanding must be done carefully and feather-edged to the existing clearcoat. Don't dig a rut into the finish that will be visible after repainting. Sand the whole fork with 600, clean with Naptha again, tack rag to remove dust or lint and then apply 2-3 coats of clear gloss coating.

The problem is deciding what clear gloss coating to use. Spray lacquer can be found easily, but it is not very durable. You can buy a spray can of chemically hardened urethane for about $20, but it's a one shot deal. Once the hardener in induced, you have a certain number of hours to use the can before the paint begins to harden.

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

There are different types of matte finish products. Some may not produce the clear gloss look you want, just by recoating with a high gloss clear. If that's the case, then all of the old matte finish would need to be removed and that is a lot of work. You can test a small area by just applying some spray lacquer or perhaps even a bit of nail polish.

[tuscanyswe]

Thanks Dave. Good info as per usuall!

Im debating doing this or having it painted gloss black at a shop. Think its about time i learn to do stuff myself so maybe i should just give it a try.

Cheers
Björn

[whforrest]

I just recoated my serotta ottrot.

This was tricky and i did much due diligence. Not to dispute the above posts, but I would recommend only using 800 grit to sand down clear into the carbon. It will take you a little longer, but worth the result. (got the 800 at Kragen auto parts) 400 grit is fine, but when the clear coat meets the carbon that's when having 800 grit is better. I became an expert at this stuff last summer. after I finished the project I thought I would make a good painting apprentice at serottas factory. lol.

[tuscanyswe]

So i removed the decals from one leg of the fork.

After using 600 first and then 1000 i still get difference in clearcoat apperance. Should i need to do the entire fork in 600 and then 1000 to get the same colour / shade in the appearence or will the difference in darkness fade away once i clearcoat the fork again?

Thanks
B

[Dave]

One way to get an indication is to wet the surface with mineral spirits or naptha. Even water might be good enough. If the two areas look distinctly different when wet, that's the way they will look when clearcoated. That's a risk when the fork has a matte finish rather than gloss to start with. If the matte look is created with particulates in the clear, then it all has to come off. Better start with something coarser than 600.

I've removed the decals from carbon bottle cages and used 400 for the whole process.

[tuscanyswe]

Thanks, thats a good tip.

Looks good with water on top so makes sence that would be a good indication of final result.

Its very time consuming btw.. my fingers been cramping and i only did 1 fork leg yet :)

[tuscanyswe]

So none of the photos show the fork all that well but it looks better than i hoped for. Im pleased and kind of picky so thats a good sign it went well.

Finish very much matches my new handlebar that showed up today. Thanks to the forumite who sent me this in such great shape (rlee1612)

Getting the frame on monday! :)

My camera skills sucks but u get the idea!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4387828754_eb83350d57_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4387068761_0c6fd42605_o.jpg