Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion removing paper marks

do you guys have any idea how successful it is in trying to remove paper marks off of painted signs? thanks scott

Sometimes they will come off but most of the time you have to live with them. I have yet to see a clean Nichol Kola Soda sign and I have seen hundreds of them over the years.

The acid in the cardboard or paper etches the surface over time. Same on globes. No way to fix it that have found.

thanks guys I thought I remember reading somewhere that wd40 might work too.

Oddly enough, I bought a Nichol Kola sign from someone on the site that was covered in paper. He said he was able to scrape it off with a credit card. I tried that, but it was taking some of the paint off and I figured I will die before I finished it. I tried to soften it with damp paper towels and that made the paint peel as if I was using zip strip. I tried WD40. It didnt peel the paint, but really didnt soften up the paper enough to matter.
If anyone knows a way, I'd like to know too.
Wayne60, any idea why all the Nichol Kola signs are like this? Its a shame as its a cool looking little sign.
John

From what I have heard the signage was made but never used and there was a truck load found. I have seen stacks of the signs in Pa. in the past. With the paper still on them. I don't know if the product was ever sold or made. If anyone knows the history I am sure it would be interesting?

I have found the one with the stick man is not as common but they show up. I have not gotten one yet. The small signs are common and you can find them in descent shape. So throw yours out and find one with the paper already off with just the paper lines. I bought several one time for 3 to 5 bucks each kept the best one and got rid of the others for 15 to 25.

I have the one with the bottle on it. They show up in the 60 to 100 range. Fairly common.

I have had several signs with the paper still on them but be careful when buying them. Some will clean off perfect with work others won't. I bought a Bubble Up drink sign under the paper one time and spent days picking at it with a razor blade. If I had known I would never have paid 125 for it.

The one I have is also the one with the bottle on it. I bought it here in an "auction" to benefit Oldgas,and he disclosed the paper on it, so I wasnt upset that I couldnt get it off.
Thanks for the info.

I am reviving this thread because I finally had good success removing the paper from my Nichol Kola sign. It has been bothering me because I think its a cool little sign and it had been staring at me in my garage. Well it started to rain this afternoon, so I grabbed a beer and decided to give it another shot.
To review: I had tried scraping the paper off dry with a credit card. I tried WD40. I tried paint thinner. I tried acetone. I tried dampening the paper with damp paper towels and then scraping. All of those methods were ineffective. Surprisingly, the damp paper towels started lifting the paint from the sign. That's what caused the damage you see in the pics.
Some time ago I posted here that I was now using "green" paint thinner and was happy with the results. I had used traditional paint thinner on the sign and it didn't have much effect. It was still raining, and I wanted to drink another beer, so I decided to try the "green" paint thinner. I brushed it on and let it sit for just a couple of minutes. I then scraped the paper off with a wooden stick (shim actually) and it started coming off! I got most of it off with this method and then dipped 0000 steel wool in the thinner to take off the remainder of the paper. I also tried magic eraser, but it started removing the paint from the sign. A Scotch Brite pad would probably work, but I didn't have one. I then rinsed it, dried it and put some car wax on it. Turned out pretty good. If anyone has one they want to sell, I'd like to try this again now that I know what will do the trick without damaging the sign. John

Before


Kleen Strip Paint thinner


after

Great job at removing the paper, John!

After doing such a great job; It might be time for some Nichol Kola:

http://www.amazon.com/Retro-Nichol-Kola-...rds=nichol+soda

http://soda-emporium.com/FRESH-12oz-Nichol-Kola-P2150186.aspx

Yep, it is being produced and bottled.... Here in the Pacific Northwest.... From looking on the 'net, a number of places are now selling the soda...LOL

Thanks Bob. Have you tried it? Pretty pricey, maybe I will stick to beer, though I would give it a try.

I have not... But, I did buy 2 bottles... One to try and one to display in my bottle Collection... (if it tastes good, both might "go in my belly" and colored water in the bottle(s)... LOL)

I am sure that success in removing old paper depends on age and other factors. However, I have had excellent results with a product called Citrol. This is a citrus based areosol and should be available on the internet. I had an NOS Mission sign with stuck paper. I first soaked it in warm water and dish detergent for about an hour. I then gently patted the sign dry and sprayed on the citrol ON A SMALL AREA of the sign. I let the citrol soak in for a few minutes and then gently began clearing away the old paper. The sign looks new! The citrol did not harm the paint. Again, not every sign is same or even has the same type of paint. If you try this, be sure to try a small area first.

Good Luck,