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Adhesive removal....acetone??

Petro206

Member I
Hello sailing peoples,

So our previous owners had started several projects above the cabin (outside), in which they laid blue painters tape, and what appears to be a white duct tape, then left both of them on through several seasons of PNW weather which is a variety of everything. Needless to say, the tape itself came off. The adhesive remained. Surprisingly, the removal of this tape adhesive has been the most challenging part of this entire project.

We started with Goo Gone, it did ok, a few other items before trying a small section in Acetone, despite warnings. This seemed to work best, but even with Acetone we are scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing. I'm about to take a light grit and take my orbital to it. Haha.

But seriously, I've read all the warnings of using Acetone on gelcoat surfaces. What else would y'all recommend for this tough goo??

Thank you!
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Adhesive remover. My current favorite is Anti-Bond 2015, widely available. Not cheap but useful in a boat toolkit.

(I use acetone casually on gelcoat, never had a problem. Stuck gum, heel marks and so on)
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I have used *GooGone on the leftover adhesive on our inside hull surfaces where I removed the OEM fabric ceilings. It works well, but take a lot of work with bristle brushes which get filled up and discarded. Old glues are a PITA.... :(
The hardened adhesive from common painters tape is very hard to remove. We only use 3M blue tape for masking.
Patience and perseverance..... and some "working words" should do the job.
edit: it might have been "goof off". It's been a while since.
 
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JPS27

Member III
I use Debond and Re-mov

The price on debond varies quite a bit. This can looks different than the one i usually buy but it was half the price. A little of either goes a long way. And then dragging a razor blade as opposed to pushing it can get the gunk up without damaging gelcoat.
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
I can confirm that Debond works amazingly well on notoriously stubborn 3M 5200. Never thought to use it as a solvent for more standard gunk.

Other things I’ve found to work well removing adhesives: xylene (like acetone but evaporates more slowly), the citrus-based tree sap solvent spray made for cars by Turtle Wax, and a “caramel wheel,” a disc of rubber you chuck into a drill that seems to remove stuff by heating and abrading it without damaging gelcoat.
 

Tin Kicker

Sustaining Member
Moderator
If nothing else is at hand, let WD-40 soak on it for a while. Not as effective but gets there.

Then soap and water before moving on.
 

Gaviate

Member III
You might also try using an electric heat gun to soften material prior to and during "scrubbing". Be wary of to much heat but I've used Goo Gone and this trick in various residential settings with adequate success. Have not tried it with any other solvents so you might experiment on something other than boat.
 

bigd14

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Paint thinner has worked for me on remnants of Gorilla Tape adhesive.
 

Sean Engle

Your Friendly Administrator
Administrator
Founder
I used MEK - but gloves and respirator are required. Second on the heat gun - softens things up nicely - just keep it moving...
 

Bolo

Contributing Partner
Another product not mentioned here but that I‘ve used with great success in getting tape adhesive off is “Goof Off” but used gloves and you’ll might have to re-wax they area. Found in your local hardware store. Soak a rag or paper towel with it, lay it on the glue and allow it to soften it up then whip it off. May take a few hits before it all comes off.
 
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