Anyone ever used a toffee caramel wheel to remove glue stripes from bodywork?

[Nick Bassett]

Picture below incase you are wondering what I am on!!!

Am thinking of buying one of these to remove glue stripes on a s/h carbon nosecone I bought - I've tried everything I can think of to get them off, but nothing has shifted them at all - not even come close! Then I read about these and thought it might be worth a punt for the cost, just would welcome others thoughts on here.

Thanks

Nick

[Wrightpayne]

I’ve removed lots of trim tape manually recently and Autoglym tar spot remover melts the stuff quite well but still a faff to get off. Time consuming but theraputic in equal measure :-)

[Jim 123]

What kind of glue, has it fully cured hard, and what was it sticking to the nose?  Never used one of these but I would consider avoiding risk of heat generation which might spread the glue more.

As said tar spot remover is good for tape adhesives if it hasn't impregnated the c/f.  Have you a photo?

[Bricol]

Mykal Sticky Stuff Remover  - sold on Amazon.  Might not like paint or lacquer though.

[Nick Bassett]

The previous owner had put 3 strips of fluoro tape around the nose (bit of an odd thing to do IMO, but hey, it was his choice) and when I removed them the glue stayed on the nosecone.

I've tried brake cleaner, Autoglym tar remover, Simoniz tar remover, thinners, petrol, plus other things I can't remember right now, but nothing touches it, hence my thoughts on the toffee wheel...

Pic below - it's like the glue has gone really hard & shiny - almost shell like and doesn't seem to want to leave the carbon!

[elie boone]

i use it to get the glue from the balancing weight off the wheels, it's common used in bodyshops to remove the glue from labels and logo's 

[Nick Bassett]

OK thanks Elie - is there much of a heat build up using the toffee wheel?

My only concern is the glue from the tape has sunk into the carbon if that is possible? It only seems to affect the top of the nose, where presumably the heat from the sun has done the most damage... the sides are OK and mostly unaffected.

[CharlesElliott]

Are you sure it hasn’t protected the lacquer and now the lacquer is an uneven shine?

I’ve removed stickers from race cars countless times and have never found any glue that can resist brake cleaner or petrol (although those just end up spreading it into a sticky mess). 

[Nick Bassett]

Sorry Charles I’m not entirely sure what you mean... the glue stripes appear slightly raised on the CF which I don’t think has been lacquered.

Have you ever removed stickers from CF? I’ve removed stickers from painted panels before without issue, but not from CF... I wonder if the glue has reacted with the material?

[john g]

Would a Clay Bar work?

[Nick Bassett]

I suspect not John... worth a go I guess but my gut feeling is it won’t have any effect.

If the toffee wheel doesn’t work I suspect I might have to use a very fine grade of wet and dry on it... I might also try a local detailing company to see if they have any idea.

 

[Jim 123]

The glue could well have impregnated the porous c/f surface which would be a pity.  However solar gain may just have caused the adhesive to cure solid which the raised surface implies.

Any mileage out of trying a good heat gun on a discrete area for around 15 mins, and at the same time see if something like dosing with white spirit will start to dissolve the glue?  With this you may find that using an old credit card as a scraper to push the raised edge of the glue sideways is safer than rubbing into the c/f. 

[Nick Bassett]

Actually Jim that is a very good idea... a heat gun on a low setting is definitely worth a try... thanks, I will give it a try tomorrow and report back!

[Wrightpayne]

Or hair dryer on hot!

[Nick Bassett]

[EEK]

If not lacquered, amongst the solvents you have tried was acetone include, it usually softens most glues.

[Nick Bassett]

EEK: I don't think I have tried acetone, but worth a shot. Will raid SWMBO's makeup drawer!

[Jonathan Kay]

Solvents:

• Brake and clutch cleaners vary, but many contain acetone as their most effective solvent.
• WD-40 and most proprietary glue removers (and petrol) are petrol-like.
• Nail varnish remover used to be based on acetone, but current products usually aren't. (I'd guess that most people can smell the difference between acetone and ethyl acetate.)  

Acetone is the most powerful solvent that's widely available. But its use is decreasing because it's not very pleasant to have around. For most Sevenesque* jobs I'd avoid it because of the risk of damage to plastics and paint. The problem under discussion is way past that point.

Many proprietary solvents and cleaners have very little accompanying information. You can usually find the composition from safety data sheets. But it can vary from country to country!

Jonathan

* And HPVish! ;-)

[Jim 123]

Nick whatever you try next it occurs to me that you may be best to see if you can start to dislodge the glue with sideways pressure to get in moving rather than rubbing from the top. 

The top surface of the glue stripes may have become sealed (and consequently solvent resistant) if the boundary micro layer of the original decals has remained stuck on the glue surface.  Alternatively the seller may have tried using polish, which again may have also sealed the uppermost face of the glue and inhibit solvent penetrating.  Possibly best to generally avoid applying top down pressure as this might encourage the glue into any open fibers in the matted surface beneath.

[EEK]

@Jonathan - Interesting view on acetone - totally agree it can cause all sorts of damage to paint and plastic but living in France and it being something every supermarket has on its shelves (alongside the hydrochloric acid) then I tend to view it a little more benignly.

I reckon useful to have easy access to something that really works!

[Jonathan Kay]

You're definitely not alone. Ian and and I had a similar discussion a few days ago about bushes, and bikes.

And it does work very well. But I hope that everyone is aware of the risks, especially damage and flammability.

Jonathan

PS: The domestic use and availability of chemicals in different countries is fascinating. I didn't know about hydrochloric acid in France, see lye in North America, and one that I'm about to explore again: fuel for Trangia stoves. The last isn't only variable in composition and availability but also has an extraordinary range of names!

[EEK]

That's easy "alcool a bruler" - next to the acetone and hydrochloric acid and before the "alcool menager"

[Wrightpayne]

Jonathan,

I used to run the Trangia on meths but Go Outdoors now stock Vango bio ethanol (denatured ethanol EC 200-578-6) which is described as long burning and smokeless. Generally, we cook on the butane burner and use the trangia to finish off pan 1 while pan 2 is on the butane (IYSWIM)

I’ll perhaps try it on some sticky guey mess next time!

Ian

[Jonathan Kay]

That's easy "alcool a bruler" - next to the acetone and hydrochloric acid and before the "alcool menager"

:-)

This table goes on the Kindle before I set off. 

On the Karhunkierros I was reduced to carrying whisky as the emergency back-up for the Trangia. But using it would have hurt.

I’ll perhaps try it on some sticky guey mess next time!

Ethanol isn't as effective as... acetone! ;-)

Jonathan

PS: The solvents I do routinely use in the garage are isopropranol and WD-40 (convenient and petrol like). And genuine branded penetrating fluid, but I'm not sure about the chemistry of how that works.

Jonathan

[Wrightpayne]

Perhaps buy some cheap emergency vodka. I’ll let you decide what classifies as an emergency !