diff --git a/gpgmymail b/gpgmymail
index 84fefb4..41f6813 100755
--- a/gpgmymail
+++ b/gpgmymail
@@ -60,8 +60,7 @@ def decode_email(message: email.message.Message) -> email.message.Message:
     # this is a kinda hacky way to do this by manipulating the message as a
     # string but i couldn't get it to work any other way
     # decoding needed:
-    # as_string() gives us str, encode() gives us bytes
-    decoded_bytes = message.as_string().encode()
+    decoded_bytes = message.as_bytes()
     decoded_bytes = quopri.decodestring(decoded_bytes)
 
     # replace any instances of the Content-Transfer-Encoding header
@@ -82,11 +81,12 @@ def decode_email(message: email.message.Message) -> email.message.Message:
         for part in quopri_decoded_message.walk():
             if not part.is_multipart():
                 if part.get("Content-Transfer-Encoding") == "base64":
-                    b64_str = part.get_payload().encode()
-                    decoded_b64_str = part.get_payload(decode=True)
+                    new_part = part
+                    new_part.replace_header("Content-Transfer-Encoding", "7bit")
+                    new_part.set_payload(part.get_payload(decode=True))
                     decoded_bytes = decoded_bytes.replace(
-                        b64_str,
-                        decoded_b64_str
+                        part.as_bytes(),
+                        new_part.as_bytes()
                     )
     else:
         # TODO