Removing side art

[helpmebuild]

Hi there everyone,

I am new to the boards/fourm and have spent the last few days trolling around and looking for answers to questions I have before posting. One of my main concerns I still have about my cabinet is the side art/vinyl. I recently purchased a Midway 2 on 2 Ice Hockey cabinet - it looks identical in shape to the NBA JAM or Blitz cabinets. I love the shape of it and it already has a great looking 4 player control panel and the cab itself is in really good shape.

My main concern with this cab as this is my first time trying to do anything with one, is that the side art is starting to fray around the edges and is attached to the particle board VERY well. As I am looking to turn this cab into a MAME arcade, the side art is just not cutting it. I was hoping to remove the artwork but am concerned that in trying to do that I am just going to ruin the cab all together and get myself into more trouble. Should I just try and paint over the vinyl artwork somehow? I know others have mentioned a hair dryer for laminate but these Midway cabs seem to use a thin vinyl type sticker almost, will this work? I was reading that using a heat gun or hair dryer and warming the glue underneath would allow for easy removal but am a bit hesitant to try this without some foreward from you guys first. So, whats the deal guys? You all seem to be very well educated when it comes to this stuff. Whats the easiest and best way for me to end up with a great looking cab? I would like to end up with the cab being all black with some clean new T-molding. I can take and post pics of the cab if anyone is intersted, but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[shardian]

A heat gun and working in a warm room to start with works wonders on vinyl.

[TelcoLou]

If you're planning on painting the cab, just use the hair drier and carefully peel it off, then sand down the area and paint it. That's the exact method I used, and it came out looking like new; 2 coats of satin enamel paint using a foam brush 

[csa3d]

Be warned, (I too used a hairdryer)... you might want to invest in some "Ove Gloves" or something.  My fingers blistered up after stretching and pulling hot vinyl for hours.

-csa

[sstorkel]

I've had mixed results with hair dryers. Some of them seem to produce enough heat, some don't. I've had more consistent results with heat guns... which are just glorified hair dryers, but seem to have a higher maximum temperature. In any event, I'd give it a go with a hair dryer first. Just keep the hair dryer moving. If you notice the paint starting to bubble, you're overheating the cabinet!

Once the sticker is removed, there may still be glue left on the cabinet. Goo Gone typically works well to remove adhesive residue.