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How to REMOVE HEAT SEAL FROM A JERSEY 101


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Ok, so after many of you have asked about removing heat pressed numbers from a jersey, here's a quick how to using a Cosby hem logo as an example.

ACETONE -

Solvent use - Acetone is a good solvent for most plastics and synthetic fibers. It is ideal for thinning fiberglass resin, cleaning fiberglass tools and dissolving two-part epoxies and superglue before hardening. As a heavy-duty degreaser, it is useful in the preparation of metal prior to painting. It also thins polyester resins, vinyl and adhesives.

**USE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA, AND/OR WEAR A MASK** ...unless you want to get high and burn some brain cells?

So, I started by filling my sink with some laundry detergent and slightly warm water.

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Using a pirex glass dish and some nitrile exam gloves ('cause rubber gloves would disolve) I poured enough in to submerge only the area required (not very big), and let the area soak in the acetone for approx. 20 seconds. To note - I only wore a glove on my left hand to hold the jersey in the acetone. Acetone won't kill your skin, it'll pretty much just dry it out.

After taking the jersey out, I started using my fingernail (bare right hand) to pick away at the logo, but I quickly recognized that the acetone was taking effect and I was only smearing the logo, so instead, I started rubbing the logo in between my thumb and index finger. The Cosby logo quickly started flaking up and coming off (while making my finger very dry and white - it was kinda neat 'cause I could see my fingerprint perfectly).

Here's the original logo -

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This is after the first session (which only took me about 5 minutes) -

2100758280105778501S425x425Q85.jpg

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**After each session, I would wash the area in the soapy water, thoroughly rinse, and dry it with a towel, then hang the jersey to fully dry on my shower curtain. It was only once it was fully dry that I would return to do it again**

After the 2nd session -

2143809170105778501S425x425Q85.jpg

This morning, after the 3rd -

2619153640105778501S425x425Q85.jpg

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Very nice thread Slim!

I've had a similar attempt at removing the hardened glue from a 1989 canucks jersey that had the 20th patch sealed onto the wrong shoulder.

One thing that worked for me with the acetone is after you dissolve the rubbery material, you may have a chalk colored outline or impression that remains. To take care of that "ghosted" image I used color restore fabric softener and used a SMALL amount and rubbed it over the area. Then threw it in the wash with some regular detergent after letting the softener sit for 10 mins. It seems to re-brighten the area that looked white and the image went away.

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Nice....I have a Nords heat pressed authentic I have been dying to make into a Sakic rookie jersey.....this will do the trick nicely.....time to get some acetone....

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Update (after 4th round), look up.

That's some good stuff right there. Have you tried attacking the remainder of the logo with some sort of soap/detergent?

I clean it with laundry detergent after each round. The acetone disolves/loosens the heat press, and the water/soap washes it away :)

One thing that worked for me with the acetone is after you dissolve the rubbery material, you may have a chalk colored outline or impression that remains. To take care of that "ghosted" image I used color restore fabric softener and used a SMALL amount and rubbed it over the area. Then threw it in the wash with some regular detergent after letting the softener sit for 10 mins. It seems to re-brighten the area that looked white and the image went away.

Right on. I don't think I'll need it considering how well this logo has disappeared so far, but that's definitely good to know! :thumbsup:

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  • 3 months later...

Picked up this '87-89 Islanders and followed the same procedure as above, but this time I soaked the area in a bit more/a little longer, and then used a very soft toothbrush to really work it out.

It worked really well (maybe better because it was Air-Knit and not ultrafil?), and only took two rounds of application/scrubbing to get the logo out completely :)

As always, I immediately cleaned the area with laundry detergent/water, rinsed, and hung it to try before starting again.

Before -

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After 1st round -

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After 2nd round -

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AFTER -

2502965000105778501S500x500Q85.jpg

*NOTE - the jersey's still wet 'cause I just finished doing it...

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Actually, yes, and probably quite well. I recently stripped my '89-90 Jets Hawerchuk (that was done up wrong), and it left some pink/red marks on the arms similar to waht you have there. I started with goof-off 2, and it worked ok, but then I decided I'd try the acetone, and it worked wonders!!!

There's some pics in my for sale thread of the blank jersey. They don't show it the best, but trust me, it came out clean as a whistle. I was quite surprised!

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Why exactly are you removing the cosby tag anyway?

Because the Canucks and Islanders jerseys never had 'em...the Devils had the Cosby logo in the early 80s, and the Rangers had it for a short bit in '87, but I think that's it.

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I know silly , i meant why would you take a chance using acetone ( now obviously you now it works) on a jersey? what if it had went wrong messed up the jersey? in essence i wanted to know what made you think you could pull this off?

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I know silly , i meant why would you take a chance using acetone ( now obviously you now it works) on a jersey? what if it had went wrong messed up the jersey? in essence i wanted to know what made you think you could pull this off?

I was doing research on different products and how they work/react to different materials (mainly to remove adhesive residue), but then I discovered how well the acetone works on rubber/vinyl/adhesive, and doesn't seem to affect mesh, ultrafil, or air-knit polyester at all.

That said, I didn't just start by dunking my jersey in a bucket of acetone; I took a toothbrush and dipped it in the acetone and then applied a small amount to the inside bottom layer of the hem and let it sit for a little bit to see how it would react (same as a I did with the peroxide on the Sutter Blues I cleaned).

In both cases there were no short term effects, but I also didn't let it sit too long before washing/rinsing...you can see what happened with the facecloth I used for the Sutter, after it sat for a while.

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Just finished the first attempt with acetone on the Rangers jersey. It seems to be working but takes a lot of acetone. I'm washing it now, second attempt tomorrow.

Pics, dude, pics!!!

When you say "takes a lot of acetone", do you mean you had to put it in a lot of acetone? Or just repeatedly soaking one specific area over and over because it's evaporating?

I just pulled an old Nords jersey out of my closet to show how I do it, in case it helps (don't worry, the jersey's long trashed) -

1 - To remove a fleur-de-lis, I put my hand inside the jersey around the area -

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2 - I tilt my pyrex dish so that the small amount of acetone pools into the corner, and using the jersey like a sock-puppet, I submerge only the area that needs removing -

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3 - After about 20-30 seconds of sitting in the acetone, I remove the jersey, grab a small toothbrush and start scrubbing -

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It's scary at first, especially with this example as you can see how much the blue spreads out and is seemingly staining the white jersey.

4 - I repeat this same procedure again almost right away - dip, hold for 20 seconds or so, and scrub

5 - I rinse the area slightly, and then pour some laundry detergent on, and start scrubbing again -

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6 - After it's fully rinsed, I hang it to dry, and then tomorrow I start the whole thing all over again.

This is how it looks after only 1 treatment, and it only took me about 10 mins to do -

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After a few treatments, it should come out completely, much like the Cosby logo did.

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Here's a pic taken after the first attempt. I had to repeat soaking certain areas like the JAGR letters. That's why it took a lot of acetone. I'm using white cotton t-shirts instead of a toothbrush because I wasn't sure it would be acetone resistant.

Project_Rangers_Home_02.jpg

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Try one of those Clorox bleach pens. It'll give you the power of the bleach but without the risk of it spreading to one of the colored stripes. They work pretty good. I use it all the time for stuff on white that just doesn't come out otherwise. You just have to make sure you wash it IMMEDIATELY after using it. Use a lot of detergent too.

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