How to remove stickers from tank and gas staining?

My stickers are yellowed on my 1984 Inter's white tank. How do I remove them without affecting the paint? Not too keen on holding a hair dryer over it and f'up the paint. Looks like previous owner already tried to do this as the stickers are "chipped" on the edges.

And I have gas stains around the cap on the nice white tank too! Best way to clean that off?

Thanks!

 

:kaboom:
Try WD40? good luck.

 

heat with heat gun or hair dryer. Heat them up until they are pretty hot to the touch. And don't point it an inch away, a few inches.

Once its warm, peel up an edge and remove very slowly. You might have to reheat it a couple of times. Once you can peel an edge slowly peel it off. Let it cool back down and use WD40 to get rid of the glue residue.

 

I gave the op suggestion like you but then went back and edit my post seen he doesn't like heat gun ound:

 

A heat gun like a Milwaukee is not necessary to remove adhesive vinyl graphics. A hair dryer is fine. The adhesive needs little heat to soften.

Work slowly keeping the stream of warm air directed at the junction of the graphic and the substrate.

If the paint on the substrate is "factory" , another method is creating loose edge and applying standard paint thinner with a small brush to soften the adhesive. On repaints, both methods are in the category of "ya takes your chances."

Make sure that the graphics are not buried under clearcoats like the tank graphics on some Honda tanks. This is a whole nother can of worms.

Never tried the WD40 method. Good stuff..

The fuel stains might be removed with ultra fine rubbing compound if the paintjob is factory.

 

Paint got soft with Goo Gone, though I was able to remove the stickers. One of them is "fused" with the tank - 30 years seems to do that, LOL.

 

Goo Gone is a trade name for a shitload of different mixes of solvents in a citrus or soy base. There is a "sticker lifter" just for yep, lifting stickers. Some of the product line will remove paint. For an unvarnished list of the line, see "goo gone msds" .

Even more there are hundreds of adhesives starting with a paste made from wheat flour used in the wall covering trade to stuff used to "glue" the ablative ceramic tiles to re-entry vehicles. Since most of us will not be re-entering except maybe as cockroaches, toss a bit of aluminum sulphate in that wheat paste or it will be food for roaches and all other six legged critters looking for lunch or love.

Aluminum sulphate or sulfate is common alum. Used make pickles crispy. Not for topical application just in case somebody asks.

Bottom line here? RTFM and try some of the softer solvents on that tank. Softer solvents are those that do not smell like your sweet thing's nail polish remover.

 

Use the edge of a credit card + Goo Gone to lift the edge of the sticker.

 

The best way is to use a cutting torch. Works every time. Them suckers come off like right now.

 

That bitch is factory clear coated and the only answer is sandpaper and a repaint of the tank if it's that important to you. $$$ Just learn to ignore it.