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I'm about to put PDR back together. I've peeled the tape off and want to know what best removes the residue. I'm concerned about painting over it and then having adhesion issues when I lay new tape down.

I've hit one part with an orbital sander that smoothed everything nicely, but the tape residue is there lightly. Not globs or anything, just a little tacky when I run my fingers over the area it was in.

Any ideas?

Maybe try some Costco/Walmart alcohol(they have it in the drugstore section) put some on a rag and rub a section to see what it does

We cleaned our hunting arrows with acetone to remove residue - make shure you are well ventilated and no open sparks or flames

WD 40 always works for me and it doesn't take much ...I used it on glass , plastic ,lexan and always worked .

Fred

Good suggestions. My only worry is about the paint (latex) not wanting to go over the WD40. Alcohol may not be bad.

I would use the product made specifically for that purpose- Goo Gone. It will dissipate in an hour or so, and when you are ready to paint, just lightly wipe it all down with alcohol.

So when you test an area in small sections, please let us know what did the trick.

I find nothing beats Citro-Clean for glue residue removal. There are other brands but this is best. I used to use it on residual glue from removing vinyl graphics. So much faster and less fuss than eucalyptus oil or straight alcohol. A quick wipeover with alcohol afterward to remove any oiliness.

WD-40 does contain some oil, I would worry that any residual oil would cause a problem with the paint. Any other product that might also leave a residue could also cause a problem. Your best bet might be MEK (methyl ethyl ketone), it will remove the adhesive and not leave any residue. You would have to wear gloves and have good ventilation.

I found that alcohol wasn't very effective when I wanted to change a corner on my test track, but that naptha (lighter fluid) didn't do too badly. i'll bet that the citrus cleaners are even better.
I cleaned up the worst part first with a razor blade (laid almost flat) and then pulled some more up with tape. That significantly reduced the amount that I had to soften and wipe up.
Dickie, doesn't the gluey stuff tend to gum up that router bit? or does it just fly away with the swarf?

Dickie - I just about spit my coffee out seeing that.

Thanks for the help fellas.

I just tried looking up 3M MSDS data sheets to see what the adhesive is. Its listed as a trade secret. Im assuming it is based on isoprene of some sort. The easiest solvent that dissolves (solvates) isoprene you could get your hands on would be acetone, or nail polish remover. Id wear gloves. You could try and find some dichloromethane from somewhere?? For me its easy I just go down to the chemicals store.

Just a quick update: NOTHING is touching this stuff. Not Goof-Off, Goo-Gone, spirits, WD, nada worked. I used Venture tape and I think there is gorilla snot somewhere in the ingredients.

I used a sharp putty knife to scrape as much off as I could without damaging the surface of the track and then hit it with 120 grit on the orbital sander. Still a light line of it, but after talking to Harry, I simply tested both paint and tape over it. Not a problem with the adhesion of either and you can't tell that I wasn't using fresh MDF.

So, I'll start re-assembling this week and I'll start painting right after that.

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions though.

Just remember Dave: "Murphy was an optimist" :techie-error:

I found the same as you, David, when I re-did Saltend Speedway.

Finished up scraping it off with a little X-Acto chisel blade.

The solvent abuse was fun while it lasted,though :roll: - but at my age I'm not sure I can afford to be dissolving brain cells too often!


David.