Badge Removal Damage?

[Dadsquatch]

I’m thinking of removing my Archetype Racing script badges. If you all remember from a couple years ago, these took forever to get and were claimed to be of such high quality, but then Archetype Racing went out of business and now I’m left with faded badges. I’m thinking of removing them and replacing with another badge type from Etsy.

What damage to the paint do I risk when I remove them? They are rather large and have 3M VHB adhesive behind them. They are stuck very well. I’m aware of the basic procedures to remove them (heat gun, floss, etc) so not worried about the process but rather the potential paint damage from the adhesive. Will my clear coat be stripped and left with a “ghost” script on the paint?

Thank You

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[MilesTeg]

There's a potential for damage, but also the paint under that badge is going to have aged differently than the exposed paint. The paint under the badge will be less faded. Will the difference be visible? Depends...

 

[VehicleNanny]

If you are comfortable removing the emblems, you are most of the way there. There are products to remove the remaining adhesive residue...just make sure it is safe for automotive paint. A detail supply shop near me sells a Gum and Tar Remover that works great.

If there is any paint fading (unlikely), use a light polish. Good luck!

 

[Lej512]

I would think it depends on how long they've been on. I removed some badging from a Jeep I had and the paint was bleached enough you could see the difference.

 

[CalvinT]

There's a potential for damage, but also the paint under that badge is going to have aged differently than the exposed paint. The paint under the badge will be less faded. Will the difference be visible? Depends...

Blue fades under the sun, but it will be less noticeable with light blue.

I think the OP should try to find an emblem that's a close size match to the Archetype emblem. It's a shame Archetype didn't use better coatings, it's a nice design.

If it were me, I'd look into to refinishing the emblem with more durable coatings. It all depends on skill level and if you bend the emblem when removing it. Or try refinishing the emblem in place.

 

[Thatguylegit69]

With that type of adhesive, I believe floss would break easily. You might be better off grabbing some braided fishing line and using it.

 

[VirginiaHeritage]

Plastic razor blades are a thing too. I’ve used them for removing decals from fiberglass side boxes on trucks.

 

[CalvinT]

With that type of adhesive, I believe floss would break easily. You might be better off grabbing some braided fishing line and using it.

That's what I used when I removed the Bronco emblem from the tailgate. That and Goo Gone and patience.

 

[24GTBadlands]

An old one used to be Lighter fluid, or if you do the line method lighter fluid, and let it soak the adhesive for a few minutes, or toss a little bit in-between the emblem and let it soak, obviously clean up the dribble that will always fall.

It's not instant, but it used to be faster than the safe removers, and I have never had it hurt paint.

was also excellent for road tar back in the day.

 

[DarthLincoln]

I agree with @CalvinT that you could try to refinish them. The script was originally black, right? Get a bottle of Mothers Back-to-Black and rub that into the emblem after cleaning them. You probably would need to use a Q-tip or something to apply. I’ve been impressed at how well it works to restore plastic to black color after its faded to gray.

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