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PET case restoration - safely remove the label?

JonB

JonB

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
Messages
1,652
Location
South Herefordshire, UK
Now that my 3016 PET is up and running (with a MASSIVE 32K RAM upgrade!) , I am looking at the case and thinking it needs restoring. There's quite a few rust spots and although scrubbing it with Jif (a mildly abrasive bathroom cleaner) has tidied it up I think what it really needs is a respray. I reckon Plasti-Kote Antique White would be a good choice.

The problem is the label on the front of the machine. It's possible to mask it, but I am concerned it will look a bit rough at the edges after respraying.

Is it safe to remove, and if so, what's the best way of doing it that avoids any damage? Is the label's adhesive affected by heat? That's the only thing I can think of. Has anyone tried to remove a PET label?

Thanks

JonB
 
Adding a lame +1 to this thread, in case someone with ideas/experience might have missed this when originally posted. I've been too busy to do much Vintage Computer-y things lately, but I did happen to spend a moment this last weekend looking at my 2001 and thinking I really should do something about the rust spots. I'd really hate to ruin the sticker but I can't imagine being able to do better than a mediocre paint job without temporarily detaching it.
 
I have exactly the a same problem on my blue bezel/gold stickered 2001. Lots of rust spots. I was thinking that the only way to do it was to very carefully mask off the sticker then paint. I don't think removing the sticker would be very successful.
 
I think the 2001 stickers are thin metalised film - at least, the blue ones are. My 3016 label is black and a good deal thicker than the silvered label. I may attempt removal with a hair dryer (that is, moderate heat applied to the inside of the steel case that should soften the adhesive) and I will let you know how I get on. But I would not recommend trying this on a metallised (thin) label as I believe they will be very fragile and prone to tearing after ~35 years.

I'm surprised no one has any experience of PET label removal...
 
I am in the process of doing a PET 4040 drive case as a "prototype renovation" before looking at my PET machines, but as a part of this I am getting the white top part of the drive and the black bottom part of the drive taken back to bare metal, zinc coated, and then powder coated in the right colours.

Obviously as part of this I am working with my local graphic design and printing specialist who have been examining all the labels (front and back) with a view to recreating them. We cannot match the original materials 100% but for example in the case of the thinner mirror back signs, we can use a modern mirror effect vinyl (almost like a foil), and for the thicker silver backed ones, a heavier grade of vinyl.

If the project is a success, and it will be fully documented on my website, I will look into making replacement stickers for the PET computers, and drives, including those on the back such as serial numbers etc available to order.
 
Has anyone made any progress? I have the exact same problem with a very poor condition 2001-8. In fact, since I've got to de-rust and respray it to such a degree, I'm thinking of 'converting' it to the earlier blue model instead (providing I could find a Sanyo cassette deck... maybe a bit optimistic :) )

The label itself is so simple in design, I'd think someone with the right equipment could knock these out all day long. You see loads of PETs without the label so it could be a profitable venture for the right person.

The font used as you will know is Microgramma D Bold Extended, so along with a vector graphics program it could be possible to recreate a pin-sharp 100% accurate repro.
 
RobertB said:
I'm doing the same thing to re-create the front label for my VIC-1020 expansion chassis.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
Click to expand...

Let me know if you need any measurments or photos of the label.

About the removal part, i usually remove labels with petroleum (the bottle says it's chemically pure, so it's a clear fluid). However, you should try it on a small area with a white cotton q-tip first , just to make sure that it doesn't dissolve the paint on the label. C64 labels work fine. It also does magic removing tape from original boxes, price tags, stickers etc.

I haven't tried this on any PET yet, but i'd be surprised if it would cause any problems.

Regards
//Rs
 
You would have to get it under the label to loosen the adhesive. Fine on a paper label as it would soak through. A plastic label? I'm not sure, but I intend to try.
 
You can also just use liquid mask. Apply, let it dry, cut around with a sharp razor and peel. This is how I do labels I can't remove. If I can remove the label/plaque with waxed dental floss, then all the better. FYI: I haven't done any commodore systems yet, but done quite a few others.

Cheers,
Corey
 
Corey986 said:
You can also just use liquid mask. Apply, let it dry, cut around with a sharp razor and peel. This is how I do labels I can't remove. If I can remove the label/plaque with waxed dental floss, then all the better. FYI: I haven't done any commodore systems yet, but done quite a few others.

Cheers,
Corey
Click to expand...

In my case at least, simply masking the logo won't work because the rust is all the way underneath it (even some places it looks slightly raised...) , so if I respray the rest then leave the bit underneath, it will likely spread again :(
 
JonB said:
You would have to get it under the label to loosen the adhesive. Fine on a paper label as it would soak through. A plastic label? I'm not sure, but I intend to try.
Click to expand...

It should be about the same as removing plastic tape. Just apply it generously at the edge with a q-tip and it'll dissolve the glue at the edge which allows you to lift the edge, hopefully enough to get a q-tip under there with some more petroleum. You can't use too much of it.

This should probably be done outdoors, or in a very well ventilated area.

//RS
 
Well, I bit the bullet and began peeling. Mine was in rough shape, a bit crinkled to begin with, and someone had already attempted to remove at the corner once before, with so I had nothing to lose.

I applied a tiny amount of WD40 at the corner of the label and the whole top layer of the label peeled away, leaving a thicker glossy white card/plastic layer still attached to the PET.

On one hand, this was good, it's finally off without tearing it asunder! But it presents a new problem; the foil I've removed is incredibly fragile - as thin as, if not thinner than kitchen foil. I don't know how on earth I would be able to re-affix it - perhaps some kind of ultra-thin spray on glue? :mad:

Click on the below images for some high-resolution amusement / horror (note : none of the creases are my doing... it would have come off perfectly without a previous cack-handed attempt) :

DSC01489.jpgDSC01490.jpgDSC01491.jpgDSC01493.jpg

Perhaps at this stage I should continue trying to find somewhere that can print me a nice new one on foil, or maybe even a thin metal.
 
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Ah! I definitely feel your pain, but I think you should be OK. If I were you I'd stick it to a sheet of thicker plastic first. Maybe roll it round a rolling pin and apply by unrolling. Then cut it out of the backing and apply to the PET.

My label isn't foil though - it's plastic, about 1mm thick and it has a matte finish. Well, I don't think it is anyway. Doesn't look laminated.
 
simplex said:
Perhaps at this stage I should continue trying to find somewhere that can print me a nice new one on foil, or maybe even a thin metal.
Click to expand...

If i were you, i'd scan it and clean it up digitally before contacting someone who can print a new one. I think the font on the label is either Microgramma or Eurostyle. These two are quite similar if i remember correctly.

//RS
 
OK I've been working a little on this (when I say "a little", I mean a couple of hours in photoshop!)

I scanned the original beat-up scratched label in 600Dpi. My original plan was to vectorise it but to be honest, when you look at the original label printing up close, it's not perfect by any stretch so I don't feel the need to make it razor sharp.

Even though Microgramma is clearly the same font, there are some minor variations in the length and thickness of certain characters (particularly on the PET logo.. perhaps this was a creative design choice or simply an example of the 1977 version of the typeface.) - I am still working on this and the one uploaded here is very much a Work In Progress. I don't think I'll ever get the thickness and kerning just right, but seeing how many variations on the PET logos there were, I don't think C= did either.

I'm really not very artistic or creative so this is not the best effort, but at least soon I'll have something I could take to printers. OK, it's not going to be a 100% replica, but it's better than nothing, right? :D

I'm thinking of ditching the TM, because I see most of the earliest PET models didn't actually have that. It would also be easy to adapt this to the other colour / design variations of PET.

If there is anyone who is handy with vector graphics, or simply a better artist than I (not difficult) get in touch and I'll send you what I've done so far, and you are welcome to clean it up.

PET2001-wip.jpg
 
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JonB said:
That looks great... :)
Click to expand...

Thanks Jon!

The "easy" part is almost over, it's proving a lot harder to actually find a printer who will produce and cut something that will look right :mad:

I won't give up though! I'm guessing many printers would require a batch to be produced, in which case I'd probably try and sell on all the ones I didn't need.
 
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