Cleaning up Silicone Caulk

[MetalMiner]

Newbie here! I have just finished building my first teardrop and also just discovered the forum. I wish I had found it sooner - I probably would have avoided a couple of pit falls - Oh well!

Question - I have an aluminum skin and I used GE Silicone II caulk on the trim. I am now having a devil of the time trying to remove the excess! I have been using Lacquer Thinner but it just seems to smear a film over a larger area.

Does anyone have any tips to remove slicone caulk film?

[Steve_Cox]

Newbie here! I have just finished building my first teardrop and also just discovered the forum. I wish I had found it sooner - I probably would have avoided a couple of pit falls - Oh well!

Question - I have an aluminum skin and I used GE Silicone II caulk on the trim. I am now having a devil of the time trying to remove the excess! I have been using Lacquer Thinner but it just seems to smear a film over a larger area.

Does anyone have any tips to remove the caulk film?

MM,

Welcome to the forum. Glad you found us.

There is almost nothing that removes silicone after it sets up. You might try naptha to get rid of the film. Ace Hardware has something called MCKANICA SILICONE CAULK REMOVER GEL. I've never tried the Ace product myself. I usually use a razor blade, dry paper towels and lots of rubbing.

[kennyrayandersen]

Newbie here! I have just finished building my first teardrop and also just discovered the forum. I wish I had found it sooner - I probably would have avoided a couple of pit falls - Oh well!

Question - I have an aluminum skin and I used GE Silicone II caulk on the trim. I am now having a devil of the time trying to remove the excess! I have been using Lacquer Thinner but it just seems to smear a film over a larger area.

Does anyone have any tips to remove the caulk film?

MM,

Welcome to the forum. Glad you found us.

There is almost nothing that removes silicone after it sets up. You might try naptha to get rid of the film. Ace Hardware has something called MCKANICA SILICONE CAULK REMOVER GEL. I've never tried the Ace product myself. I usually use a razor blade, dry paper towels and lots of rubbing.

+1 once that stuff is on it's the devil to get off. I've never heard of the product Steve is talking about - sounds like it would be worth a try.

[halfdome, Danny]

"Stainless Steel Magic" applied all over the aluminum after washing it down with lacquer thinner makes it look very nice. I finish up with "Sprayway" Glass Cleaner, "The worlds best glass cleaner". Use Micro fiber cloths for non scratch cleaning. Danny

[Prem]

Hey, it could have been messier and worse: It could have been butyl caulk.

Prem

[Frosteez]

Lowes has something called Silicone Remover in the paint section by the paint thinner. It comes in a can like PVC cement w/a little brush in it. It costs around $10.00 but goes along way and well worth it. It actually works!

[halfdome, Danny]

I've found that if you can resist the temptation of wiping it off it will easily peel off the aluminum in a couple of days.
Wiping just smears it & makes removal difficult. Danny

[MetalMiner]

Thanks for all the advice. I will try one at a time until the caulk is gone!
By the way - I finally got to camp the first time with my teardrop (took 2 years to make). Boy was that nice! It is great when you find out that the things you "made your best guess at" really worked!
I wish I had known about the forum while I was building it!

[Miriam C.]

Thanks for all the advice. I will try one at a time until the caulk is gone!
By the way - I finally got to camp the first time with my teardrop (took 2 years to make). Boy was that nice! It is great when you find out that the things you "made your best guess at" really worked!
I wish I had known about the forum while I was building it!

to the playground and we would love to see some pictures.

[kennyrayandersen]

So let us know if it works, enquiring minds want to know!

[S. Heisley]

I have used Goof-off to remove bathroom caulk. It will also remove the paint, though.

Perhaps you could put some of the offending product on a piece of scrap that mimics your tear. Then, try the methods suggested and see how they do.

[Prem]

Try acetone with a Q-tip. Works great.

Prem

[johnson814]

When applying silicone caulk try to get as little ooze out as possible, after attaching your trim and before caulk skins over spray your caulk line with 50-50 mix alcohol and water, spray alittle o your finger tip and wipe off caulk. Use a clean paper towel to clean your finger tip, spray a little ore on your finger and smoothe again. Just do a short section at a time and keep your figer tip as clean as possible. Takes a little practice but well worth the effort. CAUTION don't get alcohol were you want caulk to stick, alcohol keeps it from adhering to anything. May not work on bare wood, but will work on glass, metal or shiny painted surfaces.

[Prem]

Slick application technique for silicon caulking on an RV:

My buddy Joel, an RV shop manager, showed me this!

1. Run a line of 5/8" masking tape just below and just above where you want the silicon caulk to go and press the tape down well.

2. Run a fine, uniform bead of caulk.

3. Quickly mist the line caulk with a spray bottle containing water.

4. Run your index finger down the bead of caulk.

5. Remove the masking tape immediately and let dry.

Looks PRO!

Prem

[48Rob]

Prem, nice mushrooms...you gonna eat 'em all?


<img src="http://tnttt.com/images/avatars/12814211934a9e0a81b542b.jpg">

Rob