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What Works Best to Remove Adhesive from Aluminum Skin?

bacstabber

bacstabber

Well Known Member
Friend
I used packing tape to prevent epoxy from adhering to the skin while I worked on my canopy skirt installation. It was a big mistake to use packing tape! The removal of the packing tape is an ugly job! The tape tape is very hard to remove and there is a large amount of adhesive residue left behind. I have since discovered that a better tape to use on the skins is the 3M 471 Vinyl tape. It is much easier to remove and leaves virtually no adhesive behind. As a bonus, the tape provides better surface protection from accidental scratches.

I have tried Goof Off with limited success. It removes adhesive but for the amount that I have to remove, it will take longer then I really want to spend on this task. I'm reasonably sure that MEK and Acetone will remove the adhesive but I prefer any other method that is less toxic. I have Permatex Fast Orange and GoJo Hand Cleaners, both with Pumice. They work great as hand cleaners to remove tough to remove matter from your hands but I don't know if they would they be safe on aluminum. If anybody has experience with either of them on aluminum, I'd be interested in hearing about your results.

My question to those that have gone before me and have experienced the mess of using packing tape, what method and materials worked best for cleaning the skin of the tape and adhesive residual?

My thanks in advance,
 
Remove as much tape as possible. Then open a window and use nitrile gloves, a maroon pad and
lacquer thinner to remove the residue.
 
MEK is my favorite, not sure about its effectiveness on the glue but its strong stuff.
 
You can find concentrated orange oil solvent at bike shops; comes in a quart size can .. same stuff in the Gojo hand cleaner, but without any additives (pumice, thickeners, etc). Works great on all adhesive/goo jobs I've tried, and smells good, too!
 
I use a common product called "Goo Gone" I think, does not smell up the shop or use inflammable liquids. Works as well as MEK or other stinky stuff.
 
Watch out for WD-40

I love WD-40, don't get me wrong but be very careful of it's use on anything you plan to paint at a later date. I was having trouble getting a decent paint finish on some steel we were using to fabricate parts for stairs. I had my paint guy walk our shop and he pointed to a can of WD-40 and proclaimed "There is your problem!"

Apparently there is silicone in the WD-40 that likes to imbed itself in metal and is nearly impossible to clean off. You will always get some fish eyes and orange peeling issues if it has been used in your shop.

I will have a WD-40 free work space for that reason.
 
Whatever solvent you use (acetone is my favorite), I've found a little heat from a heat gun goes a long way.
 
metalman6565 said:
I love WD-40, don't get me wrong but be very careful of it's use on anything you plan to paint at a later date. I was having trouble getting a decent paint finish on some steel we were using to fabricate parts for stairs. I had my paint guy walk our shop and he pointed to a can of WD-40 and proclaimed "There is your problem!"

Apparently there is silicone in the WD-40 that likes to imbed itself in metal and is nearly impossible to clean off. You will always get some fish eyes and orange peeling issues if it has been used in your shop.

I will have a WD-40 free work space for that reason.
Click to expand...

Correct, you have to use a prep solvent prior to priming/painting to avoid problems.
 
My vote is lacquer thinner ...

... I've never found a tape residue or adhesive it wouldn't handle with ease ... And I removed a LOT of it over my six year build process.
 
Ditto on the lacquer thinner .... but here is a cheap tape option

Lacquer thinner works good on almost anything... including paint so beware. On the tape issue, one of the absolutely best tapes you can use is the absolute cheapest black electricians tape that you can buy. That's right, the .99 a roll at Wally World. Any good vinyl electrical tape is great for working with glass. Buy a bunch of it.

If you apply it to a clean surface, you can glass over, sand back down to it, and just pull it up. It doesn't stick, leaves virtually no residue, and just works..... overlap it slightly if you are making molds, works fine.

Just an easy out....

Bill S
7a Ark
 
Xylene does a great job removing adhesive goo. It evaporates more slowly than acetone so there is more time for it to work. Cheaply available at Home Depot and most paint stores.
 
Aircraft Spruce sells a product called UnMask. Kind of a strange name but this stuff is unbelievable. It removes tape adhesive/residue a lot easier than many solvents including acetone, yet it doesn't harm paint at all. I have no idea what makes it work so well or what solvent it would be similar to. It's in a quart size plastic bottle and is inexpensive.

http://www.aircraft-spruce.com/catalog/cspages/unmask.php?clickkey=68324

Jerry
RV-8 N84JE
Flying since Feb 2007 710 hrs
 
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