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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Delete gas tank stickers
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Message started by Nightrain on 04/18/05 at 09:42:00

Title: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by Nightrain on 04/18/05 at 09:42:00

Finally got around to deleating those pesky gas tank stickers under the clear. The process wasn't that bad at all. I used the girlfriends hairdryer and a few of those plastic, disposable spoons. Took about an hour to do both sides. looks sooooo much better. I was thinking of sanding down the tiny ridge of clearcoat with some 600 grit and the trying to cover the spot with some rattle can clear. Does anyone know if a rattlecan clear will be o.k. for the factory paint & clear?

thanks

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by sluggo on 04/18/05 at 10:11:55

i did the same thing and was not satisfied with the results, but, i'm not that good at that type of work.

with the purple color of mine the line is barely noticacble.

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by Nightrain on 04/18/05 at 11:24:32

You were not satisfied with the removal of the sitckers or the re-clearcoating of the tank? If you tell me that doing a rattlecan clearcoat is defianately going to look like sh*t, then I wont do it. I can easily live with the small white line. ;D

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by Savage_Rob on 04/18/05 at 11:28:11

I didn't use sandpaper or rubbing compound to feather the edges of mine but I added new decals and then rattlecan clearcoat and I think it came out okay. You can still see the lines from the old decals but less than before and there is a slight orange peel to the clearcoat but it's not bad. I may do another couple of coats then rub it down. However, right now I'm more concerned with the bolt broken off in the cylinder head so the tank will have to wait.

I believe I used Dupli-Color clearcoat and was pleased with the performance of the nozzle - far more so than I thought I would be.

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by sluggo on 04/18/05 at 11:40:44

Nightrain wrote:

i loved the removal, i was not satisified with my clear coat work. i'm sure with more practice i could do better.

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by Nightrain on 04/18/05 at 16:00:35

I think I am going to try and do it while it is still on the bike. I will most likely try that dupli-color. Thanks for the advise guys.

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by Derek on 04/18/05 at 17:14:24

Perhaps I can make a suggestion about getting rid of sticker line edges.
While I was playing with my CDI (refer to subject: Derek doesn't have an ignition problem anymore) I repainted my fuel tank. I did not remove the Suzuki stickers on both sides of the tank. Instead I taped them up but with 3/4" overlapped greater piece of tape after a thorough sanding down to 1500 grit. Then, after each successive coat I retaped, but moved the tape 1/8" smaller (toward the sticker). So, 2 coats primer, 3 coats flat black later, the tape was right at the outer edge of the sticker. Then a fine sanding of the original clear koting on the sticker, then clear koted the whole tank twice. With each successive coat I taper the edge of the edge around the stickers. Now, the tank looks like new and the edges around the side stickers are not noticable and I did not have to buy new stickers. It blended very well. The point of this is that you can taper sand the edges of your removed decals before your coats of clear are applied. I'm sure it will work...if you can decipher the jist of this description. Good luck.
Derek

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by sluggo on 04/18/05 at 17:31:16

Nightrain wrote:

I think I am going to try and do it while it is still on the bike. I will most likely try that dupli-color. Thanks for the advise guys.

you need to remove the fuel from the tank before using he hair dryer. if not the fuel inside doesnt allow the tank to get warm enough to remove sticker. i tried it with fuel in tank and that was the result. it was not till i removed fuel did it work.

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by savagethumper on 04/18/05 at 17:59:37

I wish I still worked in Dallas. We had an enclosed parkerizing machine. Glass bead blaster. You could smooth anything out. You could bring that tank to bare metal in about 5 minutes. I used to do parts on my little Ranger pickup when they got rusty.

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by WD on 04/18/05 at 18:29:43

Dupli-color clear isn't fuel safe...neither are Krylon or Rustoleum.

Wet sand the old clearcoat edges down to 1500 grit. They should disappear, but, where the paint was covered by the sticker, you're likely to have a different paint color than the rest of the tank. Paint on the 95-99s isn't very UV-stable. At least the solid colors aren't.

My orange 98 was yellow-orange-pinkish within 2 months of purchase, brand new off the showroom floor. So I repainted the whole thing.
-WD

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by Savage_Rob on 04/19/05 at 06:39:44

The black on mine was the same color underneath. It's just the hairline edge of the original clearcoat that is barely visible.

WD, any suggestions on a rattlecan clearcoat that is fuel resistant?

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by Nightrain on 04/19/05 at 08:33:44

actually I already took the sticker off. I just need to take care of the clearcoat ridge. If 1500 grit will do it, then fu*k it. I wont bother with the rattle can. ;D Mine is an 01, so hopefully the black paint wont fade too bad.
thanks for all the tips.

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by rkutzner on 04/19/05 at 17:20:47

So what kind of sticker are you guys talking about? My 05 had some safety sticker dead center under the speedo but it was applied over the clearcoat and came off fairly easy with the hairdryer method....no edge at all. I'm guessing it's some other kind of sticker?

Took a while, but every sticker on the tank, frame, chrome has been removed. Why do they junk the bikes up like that?

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by sluggo on 04/19/05 at 18:25:14

rkutzner wrote:

we be talking about the savage logo sticker on the sides of the fuel tank, under the clearcoat.

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by WD on 04/19/05 at 21:05:42

Fuel safe bomb can paint? Regardless of what it says onthe can, there is no such thing. Even wheel paint can wrinkle, blister, melt off or "streak out" if gas gets on it and isn't cleaned off right away. It's the alcohol in modern fuels that truly kills the paint, not just the gas itself.

I like bomb cans because it is cheap to repaint the bike if it gets dingey or i get bored with the look. If you want the paint to last, go to an automotive paint store and ask for a "project pack". That is real car paint, pre-mixed, ready to spray. Usually in a bomb can that they fill in front of you. You'll have MAYBE 12 hours before it becomes unsprayable.
-WD

Title: Re: Delete gas tank stickers
Post by Mr 650 on 04/21/05 at 02:13:23

Cool, Have an auto paint joint around the corner, they have matched and mixed "bomb" cans for me on occasion.
Just ordered some old Clay Smith Cams stickers http://www.claysmithcams.com/ProductImages/accessories/c15.jpg
and "Moon Eyes"
http://69.20.111.53/ProductImages/parts/Dm001.jpg
I might not need to remove the old stickers if I can make these work on top of them.