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Conference unifix::sailing

Title:	SAILING
Notice:	Please read Note 2.* before participating in this conference
Moderator:	UNIFIX::BERENS

Created:	Wed Jul 01 1992
Last Modified:	Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2299
Total number of notes:	20724

1645.0. "Sail Number Removal" by CSSE32::BLAISDELL () Wed Dec 26 1990 12:33

Recently I had occasion to remove the previous owner's sail numbers from a
used sail purchase. I thought I'd pass along my experience and a "sailmaiker's
secret" kindly provided by a local sailmaiker.

I recently acquired a used Shore DN sail and did not want to sail with the
previous owner's numbers. Following the previous owner's suggestion, I first
tried to remove the numbers using heat provided by a hair dryer. This proved
to be a bad idea because it left much more glue than just cold stripping. 

The part that the sailmaker helped me with was removal of the residual glue.
They advised using Ronson lighter fluid and I can confirm that it worked
perfectly. It may have helped that the sail I was working on was relatively
new (1988, about 2 dozen uses) but no trace of the removed numbers remains. 

- Bob

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1645.1	It's snowing 0-9 plus emblems ;>)	AKOCOA::KALINOWSKI		`Wed Dec 26 1990 18:23`	18
	I have taken off numbers without even trying. How may you ask? Well, I always wash my sails and then hang them up to dry off a block affixed to the top of my house. Although done 1-2 times during the season, there is always one final cleaning. Last year, I got to this chore a bit late in the year. It was near freezing (maybe below, but I could scrub them suckers with soap and water without icicles). I then hosited them up for their final hosing. They started to freeze up a bit so i gave the main a snap or two to get the water off, and to make it dry faster. Well, it sort of started snowing a fine snow of water droplets followed by the sail numbers falling to earth. In conclusion, one may try icing the numbers down and then peeling them off. the corolary is never wash you sails in the winter time unless you wish to make it snow! ;>) john
1645.2		HAMPS::JORDAN	Chris Jordan, London Technology Group, UK	`Thu Jan 10 1991 08:40`	3
	Having removed the numbers, and left the glue... I found that sprinkling talcum powder on the glue is a good way of preventing the gle from sticking to other parts of the sail.
1645.3	informatic do spreads informations!	ROMOIS::DEANGELI	Abbasso tutte le diete!!!	`Tue Jul 09 1991 08:58`	6
	Only in this moment I found this note and I wish to thank all the contributors as my problem (changing numbers on my Snipe's main) seems to have been solved. Tks & bye. Arrigo
1645.4	ex	JUPITR::KTISTAKIS	Mike K.	`Thu Oct 08 1992 14:19`	17
	There is another way to do it which is writen in the Bacon & Associates catalog.You know,the sails people.I have not try it so I don't know if it really works. I quote without permission " Trying to remove stick on sail numbers?? This is how we do it on dacron or Nylon sails.First work in a well ventilated area.Spread sail with numbers down,now saturate the number area with Z-spar # 10 thinner,this will loosen the adhesive.Next turn the sail over and apply more thinner to each number.Now remove the number and clean the remaining glue with more of the Z-spar # 10 thinner.Supplied in quart cans,usually enough for 2-3 sails. cat. no. XFC-Z10 $ 6.50" Unquote.By the way the Z-spar # 10 thinner can be bought from any marine supply store or thru the discount marine catalogs. FWIW