Removing old decal ghosting

[Dariusz Salomon]

I'm thinkin polish the panel too. Try Peek-even by hand and it should disappear. Or any other polish.

 

[Hipster]

I taking this as the glue is already off.

This is not always successful. One aspect is color fade. Color doesn't fade under the decal and if that's what your seeing surrounding the decal no amount of buffing will fix it if it's under clearcoat. Oxidized/dull clearcoat around these shiny spots I may or may not hit with some 2k wet paper before buffing depending on what I'm looking at.

The second thing is the ghosting that the adhesives creates. On my own 19 Silverado I pulled the letters off the fenders a couple days after I brought it home new. The emblems are almost eye level on those. After the glue was off I buffed with 3M compound and compounding pad, then 3m machine polish and polishing pad, then machine with 3m glaze with a pad for glaze and you could still see the letters in the paint. Then to 2000g wet sand paper and repeat the 3 step buffing process, Still there 1500g then 2000 and buff again. Nope still there albeit faint. Nobody else sees it but I see it everytime I walk past it.

Use the least aggressive materials to try and get it done. It doesn't take a whole lot to break through into basecoat or worse. You have to know when to stop. 3m is what at most shops. I use Meguires at home. Swirl remover 2.0 Compound is either #85 or #105. Harbor freight carries Mequires.

I don't know what causes it but I can pull the signage off the side of a van, do whatever repair I need to do, prep for paint, and if I don't prime and block where the signage was it can ghost through new paint. A little emblem or decal that goes back on in the same place is not much of an issue.

 

[TechNova]

I have seen it many times. If the decal has been on a few years you will see and even feel where the were no matter how much you buff. Wet sanding does not even work very well.
Try buffing, it might make it good enough for you.
Never use lacquer thinner on paint you want to save. Use wax and grease remover to remove any adhesive. Also do not use metal tools, a putty spreader works well, fingernail is the best pln ahead and let them grow.
I painted about 100 semi doors one summer after the decals were removed. If you don't sand enough it will show thru new paint.

**looks like Hipster was posting similar info the same time a me

 

[Hipster]

Damn sure was lol

 

[Hipster]

I have seen it many times. If the decal has been on a few years you will see and even feel where the were no matter how much you buff. Wet sanding does not even work very well.
Try buffing, it might make it good enough for you.
Never use lacquer thinner on paint you want to save. Use wax and grease remover to remove any adhesive. Also do not use metal tools, a putty spreader works well, fingernail is the best pln ahead and let them grow.
I painted about 100 semi doors one summer after the decals were removed. If you don't sand enough it will show thru new paint.

**looks like Hipster was posting similar info the same time a me

Yeah, when I was young I painted Greyhound type buses, a whole fleet of wreckers including Kenworths red and white moving stipes around, several of the cities garbage trucks before the owner stopped them from coming in. All kinds of fleet stuff/box trucks

Binks 62 pressure feed on a 3 gallon agitator tank and bleeder seal were my two favorite things.