Hi all,

I have wateslide decals under a clear coat on my composite surface. would like to know how I can remove these waterslide decals without damaging the bare surface?

Thanks.

You need to sand with some 220 until you just break through the clear coat, then switch to 320/400 until you ALMOST break through the decal. At that point, I would use wet rags to wet the area down until the decal can be removed.

will there be a color difference in the end? is there any other method I can use?

There should not be a color difference PROVIDED the clear coat has not yellowed. Any paint under the clear coat USUALLY does not have change color because it is protected from the air and dirt. If the clear coat has yellowed, you will see a difference when you put the new clear coat on the area.

The only other way I am aware of is to use a chemical to remove the clear coat. The primary problem with that is finding a chemical that will remove the clear coat, but not damage the composite piece.

i have a "smoky" surface after sanding and the color is gone, how can I solve this problem?

I am not sure what you mean by "smokey". If you mean faded/scratch marks, use progresively finer paper ending up with 1,500 grit. That will remove the scratch marks from sanding. If you mean the area is not glossy, the new clear coat should solve that.

Have you thoroughly cleaned the area with alcohol and clean rags (not paper towels ) ?

If the missing color is from paint, then you will need to match the paint (unless you have some left from when you painted it ). If the color is from the gel coat, try the alcohol cleaning and progressively finer paper. If that doesn't do it, the people in Composites, Fabrication and Repair forum should be able to tell you how to match up the gel coat.

Hope this helps solve the problem.

hi yeah that should do the trick, thanks man!