Stick on letters and their after effects...

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ex-Gladys

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SWMBO removed the old name from Gladys whilst I was parent visiting this weekend, and we have a strong shadow left, together with what "feels" like raised gelcoat. Any ideas?
 
Brasso ... or T-Cut ... but it's often the case that if its been on for some years .... you will never remove the "shadow" ... even if you paint over .... sun will strike it and blooming hell - names back again !

I have a special rubbing compound given me by a Car shop - they use for cutting back paint / scratches etc. ... but it needs to be used with care !!
 
Excellent timing.... am just about to do the exact same thing on mine... the old lettering is starting to peel off, so the advice here will deffinitely help.

P.S. can anybody reccomend a good lettering company??
 
Had same problem on with mine --- covered it up with much smarter new letters large enough to cover the old ones shadow and they look great.
 
This definately works, there were more decals on Monkey than is natural on an Englishman's yacht:

1. Assuming there is no cracking of the gel coat in the affected area - first heat with a hairdryer (not heat gun).
2. Pick and peel off the offending lettering and in our case stick on pictures of birds of prey (why birds of prey damit?)
3. Then use acetone to get rid of the raised bits and sticky residue. This can damage fibregalss but NOT gel coat.
4. Then use the best darned gel coat polisher known to man - "Astonish", supplied by Wilkinsons and other cheapy shops for about £1.50 a pot.
5. Wash down (Astonish leaves a milky residue)

Decals now a thing of the past. Monkey had several ones that had been on for years and I guarantee you couldn't find where they've been now.
 
I think that the protection the old stickers have given the gel coat against weathering, chalking and polishing, is the reason for the raised area.

Mine is the same, and you will have to polish a lot to get rid of the evidence.
 
I used Signsexpress They have franchises all over the country. I think there are a few down your way. Best to go and see them tell them and what you want. Very reasonably priced too
 
Talbot said:
T Cut on white gelcoat is definitely not recommended as it can cause a slight yellowing to the pigment. Use Farecla.
Click to expand...
Interesting - did a small rectangle on the hull of the "new-to-us" boat which is slightly chalky and see what you mean. However I downloaded the Farecla pdf and haven't a clue which one(s) we would need. Any ideas ? or experience of certain products ? Obviously want the best job for minimum effort !!!! There's a lot of gelcoat on an 11M cat !
 
The only effective solution is to cover the whole hull with vinyl and cut out the area exactly where the lettering was. Leave it for the same time as the age of the boat and then remove the vinyl, when the lettered section will match the rest.
 
I found the same even after cutting compound and polish but to my surprise after a few n months sunlight the yellower signs of the old lettering had all but disappeared. This was on white gelcoat - on more fadeable colours, esp red or blue you might ot be so lucky!
Time may well be the answer.
 
As a modest 'aside', some years ago several Jester boats mounted 18" decals on their bows. Several skippers commented later they'd found their anchor lockers had filled up with water and wouldn't drain....

T'was only after discussion and 'brain storming' that the solution was found to be a pencil, poked through the decal film that was blocking the drain holes!

A recent fascinating interview with Pieter Heerema


discussing the Vendee Globe Races, elicited the view that a required characteristic of VG skippers was the ability to solve a constant flow of unanticipated problems....

Perhaps not only in the Vendee Globe....!

:oops:
 
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