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06-12-2013 18:48:08  #1


Dealer Stickers

With respect to the dealer stickers that you find on very old machines, I would never consider removing them, For the most part they look really good and are an important part of the machine's history. However, when you start looking at typewriters from the 1950s onward, the idea of keeping or removing a dealer sticker isn't so cut and dry for me.

Take for example the sticker on this Erika Model 10. It's a real eyesore and dominates the front of the machines, it even overwhelmis the Erika badge. I can't stand looking at it, but the thought of tearing it off the ribbon cover seems sacriligious. What would you do in this particular case? Tear it off or leave it on?


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

07-12-2013 23:07:34  #2


Re: Dealer Stickers

My 1920s Underwood portable has a dealer sticker on the side. It's about 1/4 peeled off over the years, but I still keep it there. 


"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
 

08-12-2013 10:13:04  #3


Re: Dealer Stickers

You could likely work out a way to move it somewhere less obtrusive ...

 

08-12-2013 15:30:36  #4


Re: Dealer Stickers

For what it is worth, I'd remove it.  After all, the machine didn't leave the factory with the sticker attached.  It might not even belong to the dealer who originally sold the machine.  It could have been added later by a firm that had it in for a service, or bought and sold it secondhand.  So don't feel bad about getting rid of it !

 

09-12-2013 12:27:16  #5


Re: Dealer Stickers

This is a dilemma---on one hand, it's not original, pristine; on the other, it's history. Depends on which you are trying to preserve, I guess. The unobtrusive ones are easy to leave alone, but the garish ones...!

The problem for me is that often removal damages the finish and that might be more jarring that the label. And you don't know before you try whether it will cause damage and by the time you know, it's too late. Well, with experience you can get a feel for which labels come off OK, but until then... 

​This one I'm leaving on.
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/dust_my_broom/11292358063/

 

11-12-2013 18:02:50  #6


Re: Dealer Stickers

I'm pretty sure that any attempt to remove this label will destroy it, but I'm tired of looking at it, so I'm going to carefully remove it. If I beat the odds and it's still in one piece, I might stick it back on the back of the machine. Thanks to everyone for the comments and suggestions.

Here's another gaudy sticker that HAS to go!


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
     Thread Starter
 

12-12-2013 13:51:24  #7


Re: Dealer Stickers

Try soaking the label first with some white spirits on a rag.  This will soften the glue considerably and hopefully prevent the enamel underneath from lifting when you pull the label off.

 

01-1-2014 20:59:25  #8


Re: Dealer Stickers

Hi Uwe

The other trick to easier removal of dealer decals (not water slide transfers) is the use of heat. Use a hair dryer on high or a heat gun on low. If the metal to which the decal is adhered has no backing insulation, apply heat from the back until the metal is as hot as you can comfortably touch it, about 45ºC to 50ºC. If there is sound insulation behind the decal, heat should be applied more slowly from the top side.

At this temperature, the adhesive will have released much of its grip and the plastic of the decal will hopefully be flexible enough to carefully peel off without breaking. Any remaining adhesive can then be removed with varsol available from the hardware store.

However, it should be noted that even if a decal comes off completely and cleanly, the paint colour under where the decal was may be a different shade as it has not exposure to light like the rest of the surrounding paint. Let us know how you make out. All the best,

Sky


We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
 

17-5-2015 20:59:29  #9


Re: Dealer Stickers

I'm opening this old thread about dealer stickers as I have a sticker on the front of my Olympia SG3 that really detracts from the machine's looks:


While I believing in preserving the history of my typewriters, I sigh everytime I see that huge sticker. I'd like to remove it and if possible re-locate it to another, less obtrusive spot on my typewriter.

My questions:
- What method have you found most effective in removing dealer stickers?
- Was the area beneath the sticker a different shade?
- Was the finish beneath the sticker damaged when you removed the sticker?
- Were you able to successfully re-locate the sticker to a less obtrusive area?

 

18-5-2015 05:45:44  #10


Re: Dealer Stickers

Be aware that there are many different kinds of sticker material and adhesives. Some may come off cleanly, some may be destroyed, and some may damage the paint. Collect a wide range of advice on this before you try it. It will be easier if you give up on trying to save the label. For instance, it looks like yours may be foil (can't tell from the pic) and they are notoriously hard to get off without wrinkling. Paper ones often tear suddenly. Heat may help with some, others may loosen with water. I find a product called Goo Gone does a great job loosening adhesives and removing residue but it distingrates some kinds of paper.

I agree with your assesment of the aesthetics. HTH and Good Luck.

 

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