Removing painted sideart

[dennis808]

Don't worry, it's a generic cab, not an original 

I want to remove the rather bland sideart on my cab.
The cab sides are covered in black formica, and the artwork is painted/silkscreened on top of that.

here's  a pic of exactly the same cab I have:


What kind of solvent should I use, without the black formica turning grey/dull?

Oh, and I live in Europe, so things like Goof-off are nigh-on impossible to get here.

[Rook3]

I've never encountered this problem, and the one time I tried doing so, the formica did get a dull coating after completion. I'd almost suggest just using some high gloss black paint and roller it on.

Russ

[TurboC--]

Yes, with my (limited) experience, I can't imagine any process of removing that silk-screened art that would actually leave a shiny nice finish when it was done.  A dry rag and about 2 years of rubbing?  Heh.  I second the vote to simply paint it over.  Only reason to take off paint is if you are trying to rescue artwork underneath, or get to bare wood.

By the way, is Goof-Off banned in Europe?  The solvents listed in it are the same that are listed in spray paint, so I didn't think they were that deadly if used properly...

[dennis808]

A dry rag and about 2 years of rubbing?

Ah! How could I oversee that option!? Thanks for the tip 

By the way, is Goof-Off banned in Europe?

no, but it's a US product that's not imported to Europe I believe. We probably have something similar that I don't know of yet.

Since i'm living in a small apartment I'm trying to avoid painting (I also hate it, don't ask ). And I really like the black textured finish of the formica...

I'll try some solvents on the back of the cab to see if it gets dull...

[Rook3]

I re-read my post and it seems like I'm offering ideas after saying I've never done it.

I've never tried removing silkscreened artwork, but I have tried removing glue residue from side art over formica. And all the solvents I used left a white-ish... haze on the formica. And nothing would get that white crud off. I tried glass cleaner, soap & water, nothing. Test your cleaner/stripper on a small area first.

Good luck!

Russ