How to Remove Logos From Your PDA / Cell Phone With Sugar

Please don't try this if you are unsure about putting you phone in slight danger... i can't repair phones... (Although there should not be any damage as it is quite easy)

updateNOTE: This does not work with plastic covers! The sugar will leave scratch marks on it. (if you are careful only vary few)

This instructable is to show you how easy it is to remove some unwanted logo's from cell phones and other plastic / metal products. The logo has to be of the type glued onto the surface rather then etched in (which generally is the case 90% of the time) as we will scratch them off. There are many ways which you can go about this from fingernails, to pin, but there is one trick, which i have tested and will show you...

sugar.

The key is to scratch of the logo without leaving and marks on the surface of the phone (in my case PDA). Sugar works perfectly. The idea of using sugar is admittedly not my own. I first came across it on the following forum. Yet, I was not sure whether it actually works, and how to go about it. So I just decided to do it: and the results are good. Apparently the sugars -crystals are strong enough to remove the logo (sticker) but too soft to scratch the casing leaving it thus unscathed.

Whatever the reasons: it works!

Note: I edited the pictures so that important parts stand out.

Step 1: The Utensils:

Really all you need is

• Your logo infested cell-phone, pager, whatever
• Several cubes of sugar: I hardly used one, but according to other sources they need up to twelve, so a few extra can’t hurt [you can eat the leftovers ;)] )

Additional things which might be useful:

• TAPE!! It is important as you don’t want sugar getting into your phone
• a newspaper: you might want to limit any mess by using a newspaper as protection for your desk/workstation.
• a pin to remove any sugar in niche
• cloth to wipe off the sugar

The tape really is essential as you don’t want sugar in your phone. Having that said, I did not get any hands-on experience of any device malfunctioning because of sugar in the mechanics, but it certainly is not a good idea. Especially the spaces between the buttons provide excellent sugar traps. So in case you are extra picky (like me) you might want to have a pin handy in case you see some sugar trying to get in. I was extra careful and put on new tape ever so often. Firstly some sugar might just sneak under it, and more importantly my continuous rubbing did not leave the tape unharmed, so I replaced the tape a few times to be on the safe side.

Step 2: Applying the Tape

The point of the tape is to stop sugar from getting into the phone. So I have applied it all around the area of the logo. Even further where there were obvious slits where sugar could easily enter.




As one can see in the picture, there is still some slits exposed, (I covered them up afterwards).

Make sure that right at the logo, the tape is applied firmly so that nothing can slip through. On the other ends it is not so important to have the tape as tight. (you can see that I even just let it stand over the edge)

Step 3: Rubbing the Sugar

Now, it’s time to get rid of the logo by firmly rubbing it with the sugar. I made a video just to show how strong you can be with it. The main concern is actually not that you scratch the casing but that you scratch off the tape.

This actually takes a long time until you actually see results. It is easiest to use the corners of the sugar cubes. As they provide more control. It is easiest to scratch with one hand and hold the phone steady with the other. (it should just come naturally)

Periodically you will have to remove the tape, and put new tape on as you might have damaged and loosened it with too vigorous rubbing. This should not be a problem if you make sure before you put on the new tape the all the sugar is wiped off using some cloth. (fingers might get sweaty and make the sugar sticky)

Once the whole logo is off, you can use the cloth (my t-shirt) to wipe of the sugar as some will inevitably stick. Now you might get the impression that there are several scratches in the casing. In my case that was just ‘leftover’ of the logo (the glue I believe). This means some more rubbing with the sugar.

The tapes may have left a mark but with some dry cleaning with cloth and continuous use these should disappear quickly.

Step 4: The Results

The results are excellent with no trace of the logo, and no trace on the case.

Comments

[brettmich]

thanks, works good for me

[Adithyaa Designs]

i like to dip sugar cubes into my coffee and eat them. thats why hotels hide their sugar cubes when they see me comming in. :)

[xinistrom]

does normal sugar work? just putting some on and rubbing?

[blackbeardrrr]

Does anyone think that this would work on a vehicle? For those dealership/carmax brandings?
http://www.cartype.com/images/page/carmax_2.jpg

[green0green]

When buying from a dealership I always ask for the stickers to be removed or no deal unless they are willing to pay a $6,000 advertising fee for the sticker to stay for one year. Needless to say, they remove the sticker.

[spinach_dip]

I always used a heat gun to remove them when I spent a summer working for a car dealership. Worked very quickly. Then just use some goo gone or similar thing to remove the leftover glue after the decal peels off once hot.

[Whatnot]

Some WD40 will also remove the glue, and can be used to get rid of stickers although obviously it will have to get under it if it's waterproof so other methods work quicker.
WD40 also nicely removes pricing-labels if they are a bit too clingy.

[smallblockcandy]

3M makes an eraser wheel that attaches to a drill, works great for getting 'badges' off your vehicle too! but be careful, i once got pulled over because the officer didn't think my car was what it said it was when he ran my plates : /

[AskSteve]

The carmax branding is just a sticker, carefully peel it off and deal with any residual glue in the normal manner, roll it off, pencil eraser, goof off (tested first), etc. It was put on after the car had some miles and was cleaned, so the paint underneath should be pretty close to the color of the rest of the car, and the sooner you get it off the better.

[kday]

Dude, I got my car from carmax, and I had those exact some stickers. You can just peel those stickers off. just use your finger nails. The oly thing you have to worry about is scratching the paint wiht your finger nails. They put about 3 or 4 different markings on my car. There will a couple on the windows, and one on the back is I remember correctly. They should all come off by using your fingers and finger nails. They might be a little hard to peel back at first, but as soon as you get an edge up, it comes off easily. There was no residue left behind with my stickers. They only thing there was were my finger prints.

[RDAC]

No, but go get some 3M wax and grease remover and give it a try. A little goes a long way with that stuff. Also, go down to your local automotive store and ask for a 3M Stripe Off wheel. Mount it to a drill and go to town on that pesky decal. Remember, the key is to take off as much as you can without burning through the clearcoat, so take your time, don't stay in one spot too long and don't get the surface too hot. Some of the wheels smell like butterscotch as they remove the decal. Look for the brown thick ones if that's important to you. Otherwise, either the solid block or the cheaper finned multi-wheels will work for you.

[coniosis11]

Yeah I know that before...

[inicholson]

Will this method work to remove the logo from my phone? The logo appears to be some kind of fruit but it's obviously been applied badly as the fruit looks as if it has a bite out of it. The phone appears to be made of some kind of glass (though it's metal around the edge). Anyway, it's kind of embarrassing so I'd like to remove it.

[curious youth]

LOL witty. i like it.

[Awesome-aniac]

Haha, I like what you did there.

[locknload1]

You're kidding right durgledoggy, did you see chenboyu's photo? What you trying to do scare the pretty ones away?
It's okay darlin, you ask all the questions you want! And, I'd like to add BEAUTIFUL EYES!

[KyleofAsgard]

Thats a man.....
:D have fun

[locknload1]

See what happens when you spend all your time in science class and zero time in health class?
That person in the photo I referred to is in fact a female of our species, and they happen to be lots and lots of fun!
Now the registrant, THAT may or may not be a female I agree... at least I hope that's what you mean. At any rate, I believe in an analog world I could probably tell the difference... again, I hope!
:D

[KyleofAsgard]

Oh, wow, Thats fantastic that you read my school report, You would also know that I am one of the top physical performance students?


In addition to that, I am just admiring the part of "her" profile that says

Web Site
http://chenboyu.com
Age: 27
Gender: guy

I am all for being charming and charismatic, but if it was a woman, then your comment would just make her feel very awkward.

[locknload1]

"person in the photo I referred to is in fact a female"
"THAT may or may not be a female I agree"

Yeah, and if that WERE A REAL WOMAN she'd be totally comfortable discovering that a guy who likes dressing up like a warlock checked out her profile to verify if she were really a girl or not.

LOL! We'd probably both be out of luck!?!?!
I was just playing with you thund3rcock , I mean you no harm. In fact we'll probably never cross paths in real life, right?