That blue stripe has gotta go....

[robert claus]

Okay, GGoat is busy adding blue accents to his 19' Winick, but I want to get rid of the blue stripes on my 19' Bambi. The newer trailers don't have them, and the vintage trailers don't have them, so it really kinda shows its age. I like the clean look of the newer units. I'm thinking of using a hair dryer to soften/loosen the adhesive and working from an end. I think that will work without damaging the clearcoat. Has anyone else removed an old stripe?

[ggoat!!!]

When you remove it, you're going to see a ghost shadow on the aluminum where it was. The vinyl reacts slightly with the Alcoa clearcoat; it may not be that noticable, but when looking at the clearcoat up close you will see what looks like a slightly "raised" area in the clear. The same thing happens to automotive pinstripes when removed after being exposed to alot of sunlight. Also, don't be surprised to find that the clearcoat is a bit lighter under the stripe; clearcoat gets a tiny bit darker with exposure to sun over the years.

Of course I would leave them...or replace them with the same style but matching your tow vehicle.

[robert claus]

I'll just tell people that I put them on that way as racing stripes, but I wanted them to be subtle, so as not to draw attention from the law. Reminds me of my Shelby Charger that was black with a big silver stripe down the middle that made it stand out, while going down the road, from a mile away.

[ggoat!!!]

When removing pinstripes from cars, you use an "eraser wheel" that really is what is says...a giant pencil eraser that you put on a drill. You'd think it would DESTROY paint but it amazingly hardly marks it at all. I restored a Caravan once that had pinstripes all over it that I had to remove. I removed the ones around the windows 1/128" at a time with my fingernails over countless hours over several days when I found out about the eraser wheel...so I ordered one.

I was skeptical...but it removed an entire 1/2" wide 15 foot long pinstripe from the entire side of the van in about 5 minutes, old glue and everything. And the factory paint was not harmed. I felt like an idiot for all those hours I wasted scraping off flea-sized bits of pinstripe with my poor fingernails. But anyhoo...I DO think that the eraser wheels eat off lacquer however. But on the Caravan, it didn't even mar or scuff the paint. Once removed, however, is when I saw all the ghost marks and shadows from the previous stripes. So, I re-did the stripes in better colors and styles. But as far as the eraser wheel...amazing product.

I know they work, and don't harm paint...but I would NEVER use one on an Airstream's clearcoat or aluminum corners. Who knows what it would do to them, and I'd never want to test it to find out.

Here is a link: Amazon.com: AES Industries 4" Smart Eraser Pad for Pinstripe, Decal & Adhesive Removal [Made In USA]: Automotive

[danlehosky]

I've seen ghost flames but never ghost stripes. You may be trending here.
Dan

[robert claus]

Well, the stripes are gone! The hairdryer on high softened the adhesive, and I was able to slowly pull each piece off. The thinner stripe was harder, as it break every couple of inches. The thicker stripe would go a foot or so until it broke. A citrus based adhesive remover took the glue off. Looks very good, just a bit of ghosting on the street side -none on the back or curb side. Looks much newer than with those period-specific blue accents. Now, I want to take the Bambi letters off. I'll have to get up some courage, really heat a letter up with the hairdryer, and pull on it. I'll try an i first.