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Getting rid of adhesive residue

T

Tango Mike

Well Known Member
Looking for suggestions about how to remove tape residue from exterior painted surfaces. I've heard there's a product (or products) that can do that without damaging the paint, but I'd prefer not to use a trial and error method and end up with a visible error that's far worse than the residue. :)
 
Got some orangey goop at the hardware store made for just this purpose. Called adhesive remover. Works fine.
 
Thanks, I've tried both of those. It may have to do with how long the tape was on there, maybe, but lighter fluid and Goo Gone soften the residue a bit, so that scraping at the stuff with a fingernail is a little easier, but they don't let me wipe it off.

I've heard that 3M makes an adhesive remover, but I don't know anything about it.
 
Canopy

And what about from the plexi canopy. Any dos or donts with removing adhesive residue from there. I have goo gone and goof off, works good on painted surfaces and metal and such but not sure I should take it to the plexi.
 
Dbro172 said:
And what about from the plexi canopy. Any dos or donts with removing adhesive residue from there. I have goo gone and goof off, works good on painted surfaces and metal and such but not sure I should take it to the plexi.
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I use mineral spirits on plexi. Work slow and use a teri type towel so you don't scratch it.
 
For plexi you might try Meguiar's PlastX. I use it with rags cut from cotton flannel that I think is little softer than even terry cloth.
 
WD-40 has removed every adhesive i've tried from various surfaces. Plastics, glass, metals, painted or not. The only exception is that I haven't tried it on plexiglas.

I spray it onto a paper towel, and hold the wetted towel against the adhesive residue for a few seconds to let it "soak" before wiping.
 
3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner

No one mentions the purpose made product in the Title. Available at your local automotive store.
 
Low Pass said:
I use mineral spirits on plexi. Work slow and use a teri type towel so you don't scratch it.
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Absolutely - mineral spirits - if too slow acting and more rubbing is needed, then wet a paper towel and lay it on the patch, let it sit for a few minutes then wipe. Wet works, damp does not.

It is not the fastest, but you can take an old oily wooden screwdriver and soak it for a couple of days and it will look nearly like original wood.

Two things I try for adhesives, mineral spirits, and rubbing alcohol. 99% of the time, if one does not work, the other will. But not do all brands.You know what you are using - - no magic components to cause trouble - like xyelne or toluene or some very aggressive ingredient. That last 1% is another story.
 
+1 for Goo Gone

I've scraped yards of baked-on duct tape residue off of Tony Boy's fuselage using Goo Gone and a scraper with a sharp sanded edge made from a bit of plexiglas (easy to find when you have a shattered canopy bubble). Let the Goo Gone soak in for a few minutes, then scrape it. The gel version works best for vertical surfaces. The Plexi is sharp enough to cut the residue but doesn't scratch the paint.

The duct tape held the tarp that protected the avionics and interior while it baked in the Georgia sun in the salvage yard for a few months. I didn't get to all of it for a couple years, but the Goo Gone still took care of it. The paint is DuPont Nason Fulthane car paint, and the stuff is like armor. The Goo Gone and scraping didn't hurt it.

I just recently used Goo Gone to remove fresher duct tape stickum from the edge of my new canopy bubble as well. It does leave a thin residue, but I'm sure most solvents will too, and at least this stuff smells better.
 
I would never have thought that scraping with a piece of plexi wouldn't damage the paint, thanks. This is Jet-Glo/Acry-Glo, which I've been told is also armor-like?
 
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3M Remover

The 3M Adhesive remover mentioned above:

Don't know if its the best thing for tape residue or not, and don't know about using it on plexi/canopy but I have used it with no damage to paint and it has removed everything I've asked it to.

I suppose its a matter of opinion but I think it smells awful (maybe a different product) and the smell seems to persist like diesel fuel, doesn't go away, I have to throw the rag outside so I don't have to smell it, but it does work with no damage so far.

Beware: I have used a similar aerosol can adhesive remover called "Aircraft Adhesive Remover" from the auto parts store. I think the can has a lot of blue on it and maybe even a picture of an airplane. It has damaged every paint I have applied it to, some worse than others. Fortunately I've only tried it on junk.

To remove any ambiguity, the product I have used with success is in a red and white can from the auto parts store, is called 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner and it has a product code of 08987
 
Fastwind67 said:
The 3M Adhesive remover mentioned above:

Don't know if its the best thing for tape residue or not, and don't know about using it on plexi/canopy but I have used it with no damage to paint and it has removed everything I've asked it to.

I suppose its a matter of opinion but I think it smells awful (maybe a different product) and the smell seems to persist like diesel fuel, doesn't go away, I have to throw the rag outside so I don't have to smell it, but it does work with no damage so far.

Beware: I have used a similar aerosol can adhesive remover called "Aircraft Adhesive Remover" from the auto parts store. I think the can has a lot of blue on it and maybe even a picture of an airplane. It has damaged every paint I have applied it to, some worse than others. Fortunately I've only tried it on junk.

To remove any ambiguity, the product I have used with success is in a red and white can from the auto parts store, is called 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner and it has a product code of 08987
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Xylene 30-60% by weight - can cause immediate crazing of plexiglass- read MSDS
 
Remover

The 3m adhesive remover is miles better than the orange/goo gone products. Let it sit for a couple minutes and the adhesive wipes right off.
 
I tried some Frog Tape on my last fiberglass project, it stuck well and peeled off way easier than duck/masking/packing tape with little to no residue. Perhaps I just got lucky this time, the tape was only on for 5 days. The Frog Tape was expensive but if I had to pay for my time and cleaners I'm $$ ahead.
 
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WD-40

Snowflake said:
WD-40 has removed every adhesive i've tried from various surfaces. Plastics, glass, metals, painted or not. The only exception is that I haven't tried it on plexiglas.

I spray it onto a paper towel, and hold the wetted towel against the adhesive residue for a few seconds to let it "soak" before wiping.
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Yes, I also use WD-40. It won't ruin any finish. All those other solvents will ruin the finish. WD-40 dissolves the gooey stuff.
 
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