Any clever ways of removing old spray adhesive?

[julianf]

The inside of those pressed metal suitcases im working on had fabric lining, affixed with some sort of contact adhesive stuff from the 1980s

Solvents soften it up fine, but then it just smears around for ages and is still a pain to get off. Theres curves and grooves in the cases, so scrapers work, but theyre not great either.
Prior to solvents it pretty solid.

Its on soft alloy.

Im wondering about some sort of composite "wire" brush but thought someone here may have a better idea?

If i just had one to do, id just continue with tissue and solvent, but ill loose the will to live way before i get them all done.... : (

 

[daleyd]

Sounds odd but have you tried wd40?

We had some sticky label residue on some old control panels, solvent was not great and took ages but a squirt of wd worked wonders!

 

[Tangledfeet]

WD40..?

And, worth a try, is margarine or vegetable/olive oil. You may well scoff at the latter suggestions but they've worked for me in removing sticky residue!

 

[500e]

Ambersil do a label remover that seems to get glue to a wipe off stage price per. box

 

[123hotchef]

and chewing gum remover it works well on sticky stuff too

 

[Migmac]

Lighter fluid

 

[redlig]

I hesitate to suggest it but I have often found that when all else fails , as a last resort, petrol can work well.
Be careful of it getting on your hands as it can affect the finger joints .

 

[mike os]

MEK?

 

[tom2207]

white spirit does way better than you would ever imagine it should

sometimes.

 

[8ob]

Heat?

Bob

 

[Ross365]

Wickes do a paint and varnish remover which I use for anything and everything. It's a gloopy white liquid, and it doesn't do anything very fast, but give it a little time and seems to be good at softening up a great many things. I've been using it for years.

 

[julianf]

I tried a wd40 substitute today with very little effect.

Standard thinners / gunwash dissolves it fine, but then ive just got a load of liquid glue instead, which seems to dry off long before i can wipe it away.

Its not really dissolving it thats the problem, but that then i just have a stickly gloop, rapidly drying, all over the job instead.

Dipping in a solvent bath and then rinsing it off would do absolutely fine. But i just dont have that much thinner.


I tried getting it soft with the thinner and then mixing in oil, hoping it would then be soft enough to remove without re-sticking to itself, but that didnt really work either.

Ive been softening it and then scraping it off with a stanley blade, and thats the quickest so far but theres loads of dents in the case shells that catch on the blade, loads of corners etc.

I mean, to do one, its 100% feasible, but i have a number to do...



This is what they look like (below)

You can see some residue of brown paper lining and blue fabric, but whats not so obvious is that the whole of the inside is actually brushed with glue. Its only where stuff has stuck to it that you can see anything, but the whole job is covered.

Scraping all that with a blade is no fun. Multiple times over.

 

[mtt.tr]

Acetone is what i use.

 

[Agroshield]

If it is contact cement (impact adhesive), Evo Stik sell a cleaner (Evo Stik 191):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evo-Stik-191-Adhesive-Cleaner/dp/B0001P03M4

Cheaper at CPC.

If you find the MSDS for it (https://docs.rs-online.com/4ce2/0900766b8001e60b.pdf), you can learn which chemical is its main ingredient and buy it 50% cheaper. Acetone, mentioned above, is 10-30%.

 

[Barking Mat]

Acetone is what i use.

Acetone and a scraper / spatula.

 

[keithski122]

Chemicals will soften it but I find using the ribbed rubber matting gets it off nicely, often without the need for removers.

 

[daleyd]

I find that wd40 needs some mechanical movement to get under the substance, rather than just letting it try to dissolve it, a quick squirt and then a scrub with something is what worked for me, the movement seems to push the oil under the skin and stops it adhering - of course it may simply be unsuitable for your application, just my observation.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Do you have a big chest freezer ? If so put the suitcase in and after a while you'd be able to chip the glue off. Otherwise try dry ice

 

[Slowcoach]

Is it worth trying a mule skinner like wot is used in body shops.
I think there’s a solvent available too, although never tried it.

 

[Agroshield]

Otherwise try dry ice

...or dry ice blasting.

Machines available for hire:

Dry Ice Cleaning Machine Hire | Kärcher Hire

Kärcher Ice Blasters do not use any cleaning agents or chemicals. They are suitable for use in all areas where cleaning with water or sand is not suitable.

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