dreadful reflective tape

[ol trunt]

I'll post a few under ol trunt's toad.

[musigenesis]

I have to cast my vote for this stuff: https://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-13-o...9848/308681892 available at Home Despot. The tape came off easily with a scraper and a heat gun, then I sprayed this stuff on the glue and let it sit 5-10 minutes (longer than the 1-2 minutes in the directions on the can) then scrape it, wipe it with paper towels, spray this stuff on it again and let it sit, then another scrape and wipe with paper towels. Then clean with soap and an abrasive sponge pad and the glue is all gone.

[Native]

Sothat makes two solvents that work on *THAT* glue.

[Harleymsn]

We just stripped off all the lettering and reflective tape. Don't have a heat gun, so used a blow dryer on low, with a razor scraper. For that tape it took off the strips quick and pulled a lot of the adhesive with it. Followed that with Goof Off and the razor for almost all of the adhesive left, then goof off with a shop rag to finish cleaning. I've used the 3M adhesive remover before, but it evaporates too quick, the goof off stays liquid much longer.
For the paint, I used a Harbor Freight HVLP machine $114 (got on sale for $84). Did the painting on the cheap, used Majic tractor paint from TSC, used a 1.0 nozzle on the gun.

[Elliot Naess]

What about leaving this wonderful safety feature right where it is?

[HazMatt]

Not to niggle details, or bisect bunnies, but

Originally Posted by Elliot Naess

What about leaving this wonderful safety feature right where it is?

Did you..?

[Elliot Naess]

Millicent did not have any such reflective tape.
Then, on Albatross, my fool buddy painted over the tape.

I once watched a lady drive her car straight into the side of a trailer that was making a left turn. This was a goose-neck car-hauler trailer -- the kind that carries two cars on the deck and one on top, pulled by a dually pickup. The pickup was easy to see. But the trailer was black.

The lady obviously saw the truck and was on course and speed to pass behind it. And she just as obviously did not notice the trailer. No brake-lights at all. The impact was a complete surprise to her.

This was in full daylight, so the reflective property would not have helped much. But something high-visibility -- almost anything other than black -- along the side of a long vehicle... just might be a good idea.

Sure, this was an extreme example, with that black trailer. But being easily seen is surely a sound concept regardless.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Elliot Naess

Millicent did not have any such reflective tape.
Then, on Albatross, my fool buddy painted over the tape.

I once watched a lady drive her car straight into the side of a trailer that was making a left turn. This was a goose-neck car-hauler trailer -- the kind that carries two cars on the deck and one on top, pulled by a dually pickup. The pickup was easy to see. But the trailer was black.

The lady obviously saw the truck and was on course and speed to pass behind it. And she just as obviously did not notice the trailer. No brake-lights at all. The impact was a complete surprise to her.

This was in full daylight, so the reflective property would not have helped much. But something high-visibility -- almost anything other than black -- along the side of a long vehicle... just might be a good idea.

Sure, this was an extreme example, with that black trailer. But being easily seen is surely a sound concept regardless.

Sounds like an accident I was involved in. I had a G30 Chevy van pulling a 16' trailer with a "Days of Thunder" flourescent green/yellow paint scheme I was in the right lane when it merged. The guy in the left lane hit my left rear trailer tire with his minivan front right tire. Said he didn't see the trailer, WTF. Legally I am to yield. The court agreed that the point of impact showed I had the right of way. The judge laughed when I showed him a pic of the race car the guy says he couldn't see.

[Mountain Gnome]

I almost took out a low flatbed trailer once. Tight fast traffic on the interstate around Greenville/Spartanburg. I was in the 3rd lane from the left, trying to get to the left lane to exit, while the lane to the left of me was going much faster. As a truck passed, I saw an opening, and started to merge into that lane, and saw the the trailer the truck was towing at the last second in my sideview mirror.
When I got my next trailer, the first thing I did was get steel brakeline, and L-shaped compression fittings. I drilled holes in the rear of the sides of the trailer, screwed in the L-fitting pointing up, installed the (semi-flexible, yet stiff) brake lines pointing up, and got those new-fangled LED light strips, colored red, with factory stick-on tape on the back, and stuck them to the top section of the brakeline, and sent the very thin long wire to power the LEDs down through the tube, through the fitting, and into the clamshell trailer. Then I took 1/2" inner diameter clear vinyl tubing and cut lengths just longer than the LED strips and capped them with factory plugs (tubing and caps from HD) and slid them down over the tube/LED strip to keep the rain out of the hole, and keep the LED strip from peeling off.
They stuck up to the average height of a vehicle's window, and glowed red all the way around, but in the back the LEDs shone through like tail lights. They were totally awesome markers, and I could back that trailer into any spot even in the dark.
But driving the trailer cross country at night, I felt so much safer. Very visible to all.
I would put LED markers on the side of my long black bus. I could turn them off in the woods and hide. But my bus will not be black. Too hot in the summer, shows too much dirt. I had a black truck. Not again by choice.

I HATED my reflective tape. Can't hide in the woods as well. And it was falling apart and peeling, and half the reflective stuff was just gone, and it looked terrible (yet the aluminum/fiberglass backing and adhesive were still going strong). I got tired of using the erasure wheel (time and cash - I ate 6 of those things so far (eBay at $12 a piece) to take it all off, and sharpened my wood chisel and started scraping. Took off some paint that I regret. Then I found out the heat gun and knife work best for that part. I finished the glue off quickly and simply and cleanly with an erasure wheel and hardly wore the wheel down at all.
Heat gun / putty knife and then erasure wheel is the way to go, methinks.

[ol trunt]

I keep coming back to this discussion I love the OP's description " that dreadful----- and I get it if you are trying to remove it. On the other hand, it sure makes your rig stand out even in low light situations. I'd have left it on my little bus if it had come with it. As it is I did highlight the word Superior stamped in the rear bumper and the slide out. Love the stuff.
Jack

.

[Mountain Gnome]

Pics of the trailer - on the back corner you can just see the marker light sticking up.
Also the day when the bumper blew out. I picked up a 250+lb hitchhiker, and he stepped on the trailer tongue to get in the back. Another week or three, and that might have happened on the highway at 50mph.

[Elliot Naess]

Quote;
"As a truck passed, I saw an opening, and started to merge into that lane, and saw the the trailer the truck was towing at the last second in my sideview mirror."

I used to teach truck drivers, and one thing I always told them was... "Before you change lanes behind a passing vehicle of any kind... make sure you have seen WHAT KIND OF TRAILER HITCH HE HAS. Is the ball shiny chrome, or rusty? Make sport of counting shiny ones versus rusty ones."

Some of them were even bright enough to understand what I meant.

[Mountain Gnome]

Originally Posted by Elliot Naess

Quote;
"As a truck passed, I saw an opening, and started to merge into that lane, and saw the the trailer the truck was towing at the last second in my sideview mirror."

I used to teach truck drivers, and one thing I always told them was... "Before you change lanes behind a passing vehicle of any kind... make sure you have seen WHAT KIND OF TRAILER HITCH HE HAS. Is the ball shiny chrome, or rusty? Make sport of counting shiny ones versus rusty ones."

Some of them were even bright enough to understand what I meant.

Trucks (and buses) need the space ahead. I was driving a pickup or minivan (forget which) in bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic on a main-line highway connecting the south to the north (the Application Mnts restrict routes), trying to get out of my lane for a mile or two, as my exit was approaching. What could I do? City life requires that kinda s*** sometimes. I remember 30 years ago entering the Chicago area at the border of Indiana on I80/I90, scared s***less, as traffic was doing 85MPH, bumper to bumper, with 1/2 a car-length between cars. If I stretched the space out, a car would fill it. I was white-knuckled. Twas just another morning commute for the locals. Now that is spreading everywhere to every city. Just another day on the road for me. I try to keep the space open in front of my bus. The school-bus yellow helps. But some don't respect the heavy vehicles (or maybe don't value their life!)

[tugboater]

Originally Posted by Elliot Naess

Quote;
"As a truck passed, I saw an opening, and started to merge into that lane, and saw the the trailer the truck was towing at the last second in my sideview mirror."

I used to teach truck drivers, and one thing I always told them was... "Before you change lanes behind a passing vehicle of any kind... make sure you have seen WHAT KIND OF TRAILER HITCH HE HAS. Is the ball shiny chrome, or rusty? Make sport of counting shiny ones versus rusty ones."

Some of them were even bright enough to understand what I meant.

love it...this is an awesome thread.

ever seen one like this?

Reflective tape removal solution alternative:

My wife has been traveling for the last few weeks. She came home and was excited to see the progress I made on the bus while she was gone & asked what she could do to help. I handed her a heat gun and knife & pointed at the reflective tape. She’s smart...& will probably hand it back to me soon to go work in the garden. I’m hoping she is so smart she figures it out faster than the most of us.

[PNW_Steve]

I am a bit confused......

How many have had success using some kind of solvent to get the tape off?

It sounds like some were able to peel the tape off and only needed to clean residual glue.

On mine, I am having a "B" of a time getting the tape off.

I have gone through 1-1/2 of the eraser wheels, an 80grit flap disc and tried heat gun and scraper.

The eraser wheel is functional but HORRIBLY slow. I spent about 90 minutes and had done a great job on one foot of the 74 feet of tape I have to remove.

Who is having success with some kind of solvent applied to the tape to loosen it up?

Thanks.

[tugboater]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

Who is having success with some kind of solvent applied to the tape to loosen it up?

Up higher on this thread there are a couple that people say worked for them. MEK & Zep 13. I’m going to try to find the MEK, and if not get the Zep...I’ve seen that at HD.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by tugboater

Up higher on this thread there are a couple that people say worked for them. MEK & Zep 13. I’m going to try to find the MEK, and if not get the Zep...I’ve seen that at HD.

I'm going to give it a try.

Anyone have any thoughts on scoring the tape first with one of those gizmos that you score wallpaper with before spraying solvent on it?

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by tugboater

Up higher on this thread there are a couple that people say worked for them. MEK & Zep 13. I’m going to try to find the MEK, and if not get the Zep...I’ve seen that at HD.

be aware - MEK will strip the paint off your bus

[tugboater]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

be aware - MEK will strip the paint off your bus

sounds like just the stuff...I’ll make sure to be PPE’s up

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

I am a bit confused......

How many have had success using some kind of solvent to get the tape off?

It sounds like some were able to peel the tape off and only needed to clean residual glue.

On mine, I am having a "B" of a time getting the tape off.

I have gone through 1-1/2 of the eraser wheels, an 80grit flap disc and tried heat gun and scraper.

The eraser wheel is functional but HORRIBLY slow. I spent about 90 minutes and had done a great job on one foot of the 74 feet of tape I have to remove.

Who is having success with some kind of solvent applied to the tape to loosen it up?

Thanks.

I tried a variety, even gasoline soaked rags.
I've had the same luck as you.