I appologize for the O/T but I'm desperate. I just scored this highway billboard and I'm hoping to uncover the Shell logo from under the blue paint. The blue paint is NOT latex and laquer thinner wouldn't touch it, this blue paint is very shiny and hard. Tonite I got to this point with varsol (in a windex bottle) and a good hour of scrubbing with red scotchbrite then green scotchbrite when I got to the logo. The logo looks very patina'd after this process and by the looks of the edge that wasn't painted this logo looked brand new when it was painted over and is in great shape under the blue paint. From what I can find online this style logo is pre 1967
what about mineral spirits, denatured alcohol, or even gasoline, or goof off sounds like enamal paint, you might try the grafity removal stuff just try a small spot at a time
If the sign is porcelain then you can do like I did, I used Citrisstrip brand stripper from Home Depot. Its an orange gel and I put it on and let it sit, then I used a razor blade to gently s****e the paint off. It didn't attack the porcelain at all. Here's some pic's. I would test first if your not sure......
CITRISTRIP SAFER PAINT & VARNISH STRIPPING GEL is the best.. used many times like Ol 55 with a plastic or thin metal s****er
I had an old "AAA Approved" sign that was coated with paint. I could work with it over the kitchen sink. Very hot water softened the paint, and a whole box of SOS pads took it off. The soap in the SOS acted like a lubricant, so it didn't hurt the enamal painted sign. Along those lines, maybe try a high-pressure steam cleaner? -Brad
Here's a long thread on the subject - some good info & techniques (non-Hamb vehicles though) http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76072&highlight=paint
I'm wondering how in the hell one scores a highway billboard in the first place? Did you buy the land, or truck it over to your place?
Like they said before ... Is it a PORCELAIN Shell sign ? If it is, Just use good 'ol Paint Stripper to remove the Blue. I jave a Dodge Plymouth Dealer sign that was painted over, Paint stripper was the easiest to get it off. PORCELAIN is like a gl*** coating, Stripper wont hurt it.
This sign is handpainted plywood. This piece had probably been face down in the sage brush for 10/15 years alongside a now very secondary highway.
It looks to me like you have the right system for the job. The important thing is not to destroy the desired image. It may take a lot of time and elbow grease but it's better than a quick fix that ruins what you want. Sometimes it just takes hard work. JMHO
Any chemical that will remove the paint on top, will also remove the paint on the bottom. Basicly,you have to carefully sand off the color you don't want,then clear it when finished. It was probably originally painted in 1-Shot,or similar. I would consider 1-Shot Sign Restoring Clear when you get that far. Definately NOT 1-Shot Speed Dry UV Acrylic Clear.
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