Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

It seems in an effort to protect my alum. skin...I might have ruined the skin finish..I bought alum skin with that clear pvc protective plastic on it and left it on for the last few months thinking it would help keep the exteiror skin from getting scrathed while I worked on the inside,and when I went to peel it off today, it would not come off...It seems to have baked on in the sun...What can I do to remove it??? Any help or ideas are welcome PLEASE!!

Had that problem many times working for Boeing. If you can get an edge started; drizzle a bit of naptha between the plastic and AL. It's slow, but it works to dissolve the adhesive.

Brock I had a similar issue with our as well and I used a hair dryer to get it off. Time consuming but I got it off.

thanks for the ideas...Is NAPTHA the same thing as COLEMAN stove gas? Can I use a hard plastic card to scrap with or will that scratch the alum? What do People use To clean there Aluminum??

Ive use aerosol brake cleaner before, it is basicly alchohol. and easily softens the adhesive
steve

Heat gun/hairdryer or if you want to go the chemical route oven cleaner will work.

Brock wrote:thanks for the ideas...Is NAPTHA the same thing as COLEMAN stove gas? Can I use a hard plastic card to scrap with or will that scratch the alum? What do People use To clean there Aluminum??

Naptha is lighter fluid.

NathanL wrote:

Naptha is lighter fluid.

In that case, I wouldn't use the heat gun or hair dryer in combination with the Naptha!!!! (...Not that you would.)

Brock wrote:thanks for the ideas...Is NAPTHA the same thing as COLEMAN stove gas?

yes - basically - see the coleman MSDS sheet for all the details
Light Hydrotreated Petroleum Distillate (Naphtha)

http://zenstoves.net/MSDS/Coleman.htm

The pvc cleaner for glueing the plumbing maybe ? We know it softens the pvc pipe.

MEK Methyl Ethyl ketone (the main ingredient in paint stripper) ?

Acetone (the main ingredient in finger nail polish remover) ?

Just a few thoughts. Report back and let us know what finally worked

I think you'll find that oven cleaner will etch/discolor the finish on the aluminum, they're pretty caustic. It might get off the plastic, but I'd plan on painting it afterwards. Doug

I have the same issue but perhaps not quite as bad as your situation. Denatured alcohol has worked pretty well for me. I'm also using the "non-abrasive" (white) Scotch pads if the alcohol alone doesn't work. If you go this route, I'd test it on some scrap aluminum or in an inconspicuous area to make sure it doesn't scratch your aluminum. (The aluminum I'm using is anodized and that is probably what prevents the scratching with the pad.)

Lacquer thinner? Perhaps B-12 Chemtool? Test on scrap first.

You might try rubber cement thinner too. It dissolves just about any adhesive and doesn't seem to effect any surface I've used it on.