Looking for adhesive remover ideas

[nevadatear]

Need to replace the weatherseal on the bottom of the hatch. Thought i would ask the excellent minds here before trial-and-error-ing it. Used standard home stick-on weatherstrip, plus some contact cement in the areas it came unstuck. Now it is really unstuck and needs full replacement. Solvent/remover ideas?
Deb

[GerryS]

Depends on what materials are around it. Be careful with solvents and plastics....plexiglass for example.

I've used denatured alcohol as a mild agent, but also have had good use of goof-off as well for heavy duty ick removal.

Just be sure that you don't get this stuff near anything it can dissolve.

[GerryS]

Wd40 has also been used in my arsenal.

[angib]

A nice one I heard recently was how good cola is for removing roofing tar.

For anything with a commercial adhesive (ie, a peel and stick product), I find gasoline is worth trying.

[goldcoop]

Deb-

I've used a heat gun with great sucess...

Cheers,

Coop

[Lonnie Mac]

I discovered years ago in the space and aviation industry. (If you are removing just stuck on adhesives such as tape or decals would leave.)

AVON Skin so Soft.

[Wanna Be]

Try "Zippo" lighter fluid.

Much safer than gas !!!!!

[Mikka]

I would try my luck with acetone. Can be found in Paint aisles in hardwarde store/department.

[dmckruit]

Acetone is rather strong to use. I would spot check first as it may remove the finish. Stick with milder solvents such as isopropyl alcohol or ethanol. Baby oil and wd40 will also remove stickyness. Mineral spirits should also work.

[Mary C]

Try cooking oil I use it to remove the stickie off the dogs paw when stuck it in a mouse glue trap. Also use it on some labels on jars.

[GerryS]

Zippo fuel is just naphtha. If you have white gas, or Coleman fuel it's the same stuff...except I think Coleman fuel has rust preventative in it.

[campmaster-k]

Right here on this forum I Learned last year that Naphtha is the feed stock for car engine gasoline. Goof off is also closely related to Naphtha.

Just as it has already been offered I always recommend to my customers starting with Alcohol then graduate to reg oily paint thinner then Naphtha or Xylene.

When you go beyond that level of solvency the thinners tend to become removers so not just the glue comes off but everything under it also. Lacquer thinner is a blend of thinners and a good next step then acetone and methyl ethyl keytone aka MEK. MEK with melt just about anything and you can taste it your mouth if your hand is in it too long. It is not good for you. Just sayin.

[eamarquardt]

I've called 3M and asked them what to use and they were "less than helpful" and couldn't explain why they haven't developed adhesives that can be easily removed. I'm sure they could if they wanted to. I hate buying items only to spend a lot of time an energy getting the price and other stickers off w/o damaging the surface of my brand new purchase.

Gus

[Shadow Catcher]

I have a good supply of various solvents (all of the ones mentioned above) plus MEK and my usual method is to try a small amount of the solvent of choice on a small area and see what dissolves some of the goo and Gus, Goo Gone works really well in removing sticker stuff. And the reason you do not want a sticker to come off easily is so that it can not be switched. Goo Gone uses a soybean based oil and citrus (d-Limonene). Goo Off however is basically ethylene glycol and alcohol based.
When I bought the Unisolar flex 140W panel it had a bunch of glue used to hold it on a roof, I tried most everything and what worked was alcohol, slow but soak paper towel and cover it with tinfoil to keep it from drying out too quickly.
Orange cleaners (Goo Gone) often work well.

[S. Heisley]

Orange cleaners (Goo Gone) often work well.

Shadow Catcher is correct. I use Goo Gone on all kinds of price tag glue and other sticker glue, on all kinds of materials without problems. Read and follow instructions and test inconspicuously, before using somewhere that will show, just in case, though. Do not use on silk, satin, wool, leather, suede, or vinyl. If any stubborn spots are left, follow with dish soap and a moist sponge, the kind of two sided kitchen or bath sponge that is reported to not scratch. Wipe dry with a soft cloth or towel. As far as the contact cement goes, you know what you used for that and I would call that manufacturer and ask them.

Also, being in the medical profession, you probably know that baby oil will help remove some sticker glues, like medical tapes. If you are nervous about it, you could try that first and see if it works for this but you will need to wash and rinse it well before putting new weather stripping on.

Many people leave the old stubborn sticky weather stripping residue there and just put the new over it. You can rub and roll a lot of it off, so that there aren't any bumps built up.

Do NOT use Goof Off to remove sticker glue. It WILL remove the outer layers of your finish, especially paints and some other types of finishes.
If you have the old fake marble sink counters and they have any of those cigarette "toast" burns on them, Goof Off will remove the discoloring and smooth over the burns to blend it all in like it never happened. (A tip from my fixer-upper days.)

Regardless of what you use to get the old residue and glue off, wash and dry it well afterwards. Then, follow up by cleaning the area with alcohol or window cleaner and dry with a clean cloth. I have found that cleaning an area with either window cleaner (eg. Windex) or alcohol often removes properties that keep weather stripping from sticking. However, in areas that rub, all bets are off on keeping the weather stripping stuck, unless you tap in a hidden brad or screw with a washer near that spot.

Please let us know your outcome. Thanks.