From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Sprucing up a large decal II
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:22:48 -0400
Message-ID: <rbqqv3td9n4hlif028g6ngdbt0dnh8vbui@4ax.com>

On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 13:58:21 -0700 (PDT), "Hustlin' Hank" <ninebal310@aol.com> wrote:

>On Apr 9, 9:53?am, "Mike Simmons" <mike...@yhti.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> While WD40 may add a temporary sheen, the petroleum distillates will
>> accelerate the againg process. ?Use 303!!
>>
>> Mike
>
>Isn't vinyl made from petroleum products?
>
>I have used WD40 on my dirt bikes for years and haven't had any
>problem with the vinyl decals. But, they don't sit out in the sun
>much.

My concern would be with the WD40 (or any volatile petroleum distillate) penetrating
the vinyl and degrading the adhesive.  Decal peel would soon result.

I haven't had a lot of experience with decals on RVs but I have with vinyl signage.
Since they both use the same materials and have similarly tough environments, my
experience should be relevant.

Good quality cast vinyl decal material ages primarily by surface oxidization.  This
is what causes them to chalk and lose color.  The chalk and surface oxidization can
be removed by CAREFUL application of automotive polishing compound followed by
automotive wax.  I would not use a wheel and would hand-rub the compound with the
general direction of the decal, trying to avoid adjacent painted surfaces.  Paint and
gelcoat tend to pick up the tiny color particles removed by polishing and they're a
bitch to remove.

It is usual practice to coat vinyl intended for long life applications with a
sealant/UV blocker.  There's a sign product called "Frog Juice" that's made for the
application but I've never been able to tell the difference in it and Krylon Crystal
Clear with UV blocker.  Most sign guys I know use Krylon.

The whole surface of a sign is usually coated but I'm not sure how well that would
work with the large area involved with an RV.  My approach would probably be to coat
only the decals by carefully masking around the decal(s) and spraying only the vinyl.
Krylon is pretty amazing stuff.  The sign industry discovered it about 10 years ago
and learned that it is better than most of the propriety stuff they'd been using.

As far as streaks, I'd continue with the bleach before I tried anything else.  It has
worked well on my 82 model MH.  The decals are oxidized enough that the color is
getting thin but the streaks still disappear.

John