question.. How do you remove decals

Good luck !!  I asked this question at the train show this past  Sat. when I was talking to a couple of guys who restore trains. No good answer-really.  I thought heat might work. I want to take it off an engine. If it is plastic  I would try a strong alkaline of some sort.

As long as you haven't overcoated  them with anything, use some warm soapy water letting it soak in, you may be able to save the decal.  Or, let some Solvaset soak on it for a while. I would not try using a "strong alkaline" as it will probably attack the paint.

If you didn't seal the decals by overspraying them with Dullcote or something similar then you should be able to remove them using Walther's Solvaset.  Paint it on the decal, let sit for 10 minutes or so, then lightly use a wooden toothpick or a Q-tip to dislodge the decal.  If it doesn't move, add a little more Solvaset and wait another 10 minutes.

Bob, it would depend (at least by my experience) on any clear coating you put either on top of the decal only, or the entire car.

I've had some positive results by using a small piece of Plastruct or styrene plastic cut like 1/4 inch wide and carefully scraping it off. You might even have luck by using a small straight head screw driver.

Your success will depend on several variables: Is the car in question painted or a molded plastic color? Different manufacturers use differing paints and application techniques. Also the he type and amount of spray coats you did with a clear coat spray. If you didn't use any kind of clear coating, you will have the best results by trying what Bob mentioned above. 

I used to use Dullcote exclusively, but found it does slightly yellow over time. So when you scrape off a decal, you will see a slight color difference between the rest of the car and the spot where the decal was removed. I've since switched to Krylon Clear Coatings.

There's never any real guarantee for success. If you get paint loss, you might have to resort to custom mixing a paint color to match the car. The key there is to keep track of how you mix the color, brush some on paper - or better yet, someplace on the car like the inside or bottom - and see how well it matches when dry.

Rub Masking tape over it and pull it off.

Scott Smith

Thanks everyone !! I'll try tonite

Testors used to make a product called Easy Lift Off for removing decals. 

Might e usable with a Q-tip, but once Dull-coated or sealed you're going to have to remove that seal and that step will probably put your paint in jeopardy.