How best to remove painted pin strip names and symbols

FuzzyWuzHe said:

Dang Paws ... totally forgot about that ZEP stuff.

I used it on my little trailer and the Toyota.

This is the stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PNEVK6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

View attachment 77871

It did work well on the overspray ... not sure how well it would have worked on long dried pinstripes and other things. At less than $20 it is worth a try.

Click to expand...

This works better than anything I've tried and it wont harm your paint. I use it often. If this doesn't get it all off, use a light compound and buff it off.

Removed pinstriped names

Thanks everyone. I chickened out on trying the chemical methods, but thanks for the input. I found a local pinstriper, Painter John, here in Jacksonville, Fl. He carefully used 1,000 grit wet sand paper and two compounds, to remove the names from the trunk, then polished the areas. There are no shadows visible (you can not tell they were ever there)—a really great, if expensive job. Anyway, no one calls me Joe anymore.

I’m going to wait until after Christmas to see if I can tolerate the graphics. If not, he’ll take them off too.

Again, thanks for the help and the Welcome,

Bill P

gator1606 said:

Thanks everyone. I chickened out on trying the chemical methods, but thanks for the input. I found a local pinstriper, Painter John, here in Jacksonville, Fl. He carefully used 1,000 grit wet sand paper and two compounds, to remove the names from the trunk, then polished the areas. There are no shadows visible (you can not tell they were ever there)—a really great, if expensive job. Anyway, no one calls me Joe anymore.

I’m going to wait until after Christmas to see if I can tolerate the graphics. If not, he’ll take them off too.

Again, thanks for the help and the Welcome,

Bill P

Click to expand...

That probably was the best way to go. That is what I used to do back when I pinstriped and lettered and someone wanted something removed from their ride.

William... thank you for bringing us “the rest of the story”... interesting about using the sand paper. Glad it worked out for you.

Great news!

This is why I always "cringe" whenever I see folks getting their bike/car pinstriped, at a rally..... I'd have to think that it would be number one way to decrease the value of a vehicle....

Ronnie

Burnerboy said:

This is why I always "cringe" whenever I see folks getting their bike/car pinstriped, at a rally..... I'd have to think that it would be number one way to decrease the value of a vehicle....

Ronnie

Click to expand...

Only for the next owner' Ronnie.....I always did to my toys what made me happy, I never worried about what the next guy would think...Its like putting plastic seat cover's on car seats...

You sat on hot sticky seats in the summer, And cold crinkly seats in the winter....And then the next guy rips them off and rides on nice new comfortable seats that you saved for someone else to enjoy.....:xzqxz:...

Yeah, if we are talking $400 difference to remove pin-striping, it would depend on my mood. But I'd probably tell the prospective buyer to pound sand. Good pin-striping normally enhances the looks of a bike. I would never have my name added anyway. That's too much I think although I've seen it done a lot. I just wouldn't do it.

On the Gold wings, back in the ‘80’s, maybe some 90’s, it was VERY common to add names to the backs of the tour pack as well as some nice pin striping and LOTS of chrome. Every rally we went to we knew who was there by checking the names on the bikes in the parking lots!

In 2007 I remember seeing our old 1981 Gold Wing sitting on a parking lot - you could still see the names on the trunk... Jim on the left, Carla on the right.... and I didn’t even ride passenger seat on any of our bikes. I was surprised to see that bike still out and about after all those years... I parked beside it for a while to try and talk to the current owner but wait time for him to appear became too long so I left.

After those era bikes I swore I would never put chrome, pinstriping, or names on a bike ever again and have kept that promise to myself.

rhino 2 said:

Only for the next owner' Ronnie.....I always did to my toys what made me happy, I never worried about what the next guy would think...Its like putting plastic seat cover's on car seats...

You sat on hot sticky seats in the summer, And cold crinkly seats in the winter....And then the next guy rips them off and rides on nice new comfortable seats that you saved for someone else to enjoy.....:xzqxz:...

Click to expand...

Love it! Good-comeback! :clapping: I never thought of it that way (yes! I do have my seat s covered in my car) now I'll laugh everytime I ride in my car.. thinking of your commit!

Ronnie

Burnerboy said:

Love it! Good-comeback! :clapping: I never thought of it that way (yes! I do have my seat s covered in my car) now I'll laugh everytime I ride in my car.. thinking of your commit!

Ronnie

Click to expand...

Yea....My Old Man would buy a new car and drive it right to Rayco and have the seats coved in plastic ......And when he traded it in the first thing the dealer would do is to rip it off.....So those hot sticky and cold crunchy seats are imbedded in my memory [Ass].:gah:.

I bought a used 62 Cadillac once that had 120,000+ miles and was headed to the junk yard for $25. I rebuilt the engine and I put another 100,000+ miles on it. But the seats when I first got had that plastic crap on them so I removed it and except for a few wear marks on the door window ledge, I had a brand new Cadillac. Was a damn tank too. Some woman backed out of her parking spot once and ran into my bumper. Zero damage on me but she had to call for a tow because she pushed her rear paneling into the rear tire making it unmovable. I laughed as I drove away.

gator1606 said:

Thanks everyone. I chickened out on trying the chemical methods, but thanks for the input. I found a local pinstriper, Painter John, here in Jacksonville, Fl. He carefully used 1,000 grit wet sand paper and two compounds, to remove the names from the trunk, then polished the areas. There are no shadows visible (you can not tell they were ever there)—a really great, if expensive job. Anyway, no one calls me Joe anymore.

I’m going to wait until after Christmas to see if I can tolerate the graphics. If not, he’ll take them off too.

Again, thanks for the help and the Welcome,

Bill P

Click to expand...

Welcome! … :wave4:

… Glad it worked out for you Joe, definitely the safest way, but I have friends who swear by the "Easy Off" oven cleaner … but I'd not try it on mine either.

rhino 2 said:

Yea....My Old Man would buy a new car and drive it right to Rayco and have the seats coved in plastic ......And when he traded it in the first thing the dealer would do is to rip it off.....So those hot sticky and cold crunchy seats are imbedded in my memory [Ass].:gah:.

Click to expand...

But then, on the other hand, was that 1950 Ford Custom Buisness Coupe I looked at in Georgia, dark blue almost black, Fenton cast iron headers, Edelbrock heads on the F-head V-8 with two '97s on a Offenhauser intake, 3 on the tree & OD, twin Smithy's glasspacks, moons & rings, nice stance, and clear plastic still on new looking OEM seats. Suweet.