Stubborn glue removal help

[hooky_lowdown 847]

I picked up a bass body from a mate, it was covered in some kind of wrap, been on the bass a fair few years I guess. Anyway, I managed to remove the wrap but the glue residue I'm finding impossible to remove.

I tried some window cleaner which works pretty well normally, did nothing. Next I sprayed WD-40 on, left it for almost an hour to soak in, that did nothing also.

This glue which is in patches seems super stubborn. The body has a poly finish, so any ideas how to remove this stubborn glue, nail polish remover, white spirit maybe?

 

[Reggaebass 4,130]

Might be worth trying hand gel hooky, I’ve just removed some stickers from a bass and the gel took the glue off easily 🙂

[pete.young 909]

I've had some good results removing sticker glue from hard cases in the past with mayonnaise. Sounds bizarre but after a couple of days soaking it took most of the residue off. Never tried it on a bass though.

[hooky_lowdown 847]

I don't think hand gel or mayonnaise will remove this glue, it's super stubborn. 😪

[Jus Lukin 2,568]

Lighter fluid can be very good.

[PaulThePlug 351]

pics?

try warming it a little... would of posdibly been better warming the wrap prior to removal.

hairdryer rather than heat gun.

[EBS_freak 4,036]

17 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

pics?

try warming it a little... would of posdibly been better warming the wrap prior to removal.

hairdryer rather than heat gun.

Stay away from heat - if it's poly, you can weaken it and get cracks. Lighter fluid as mentioned above, is a good first step. Try that and get back to us.

Edited November 29, 2020 by EBS_freak

[mckendrick 10]

I've used Swarfega on occasion and it worked well. 

This may not work well on all sticker adhesives.

Beyond that, constant patient work with liquid detegent and warm water - this may require a body buff after the job. 

Old sticker glue can alter the colour tone of the finish - even if it's black!

Some may recommend naptha (napthalene) and while I'm sure it'll do the job you'll have difficulty obtaining the raw commodity and you'll need some serious skin, eye and respiratory protection if and while you're using it.

[EBS_freak 4,036]

If it’s super stubborn, go easy with a toffee/caramel wheel.

[hooky_lowdown 847]

I've been told the glue is old dried PVA, which seems to be water resistant.

I think lighter fluid might be the way to go. I was also thinking white spirit, but will try lighter fluid first. 👍

[MoonBassAlpha 340]

If it's PVA, I'd go the gentle heat route, hairdryer. I've tried stripping poly off with heat and a hairdryer wouldn't have touched it.

[Dan Dare 1,670]

White spirit? I find it removes the glue residue from stickers.

[BlueMoon 234]

As a last resort you might try T-Cut.

Solvent-based and poly stands up to it if done gently by hand.

[songofthewind 767]

12 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

White spirit? I find it removes the glue residue from stickers.

I think white spirit has some oil content, while lighter fluid seems to be pure solvent. I generally get better results with lighter fluid.

[Woodinblack 4,253]

Normally I would use oil for sticky stuff, probably not WD40. Currently I have a pot of 'adhesive remover' which came with a kit to replace the battery in my macbook (which is glued in), works really well, on the back hidden in all the german text is says 30% acetone, 70% isopropanol.

[Dan Dare 1,670]

8 minutes ago, songofthewind said:

I think white spirit has some oil content,

It does have a slight amount. It shouldn't affect a poly finish, though. Much cheaper than naphtha/lighter fluid.

[MoonBassAlpha 340]

On 01/12/2020 at 11:59, Woodinblack said:

Normally I would use oil for sticky stuff, probably not WD40. Currently I have a pot of 'adhesive remover' which came with a kit to replace the battery in my macbook (which is glued in), works really well, on the back hidden in all the german text is says 30% acetone, 70% isopropanol.

I  wouldn't go anywhere near a bass with anything containing acetone.  It's vicious stuff on many plastics.

[Woodinblack 4,253]

8 hours ago, MoonBassAlpha said:

I  wouldn't go anywhere near a bass with anything containing acetone.  It's vicious stuff on many plastics.

Wouldn't be my first choice. When I had to remove the sticky stuff from my GK3 pickup on my precision, I just used cooking oil and a bit of effort.

[dudewheresmybass 303]

I’ve found the lighter fluid route the most effective over the years. Good luck!👍👍

[rmorris 42]

Try White Spirit else https://www.toolstation.com/zep-commercial-sticky-stuff-remover/p64339?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImfWV7a237QIVA-ztCh2KqgFhEAQYASABEgLCyvD_BwE

 

[stevel 15]

Similar to the post above, De-Solv-it sticky stuff remover has removed residues that I thought were impossible. Widely available - try B&Q if you can’t find it.

[bazzbass 528]

Isopropyl 99% alcohol will destroy it with one wipe, or two. Apply to cloth, rub over the body.

[MoonBassAlpha 340]

By that reasoning, maybe a high alcohol  hand - sanitizer would work well. At least that's widely available these days! !

[hooky_lowdown 847]

So I tried lighter fluid - did nothing. Then tried white spirit, left it on for 30 mins, again did nothing.

I resolved it by putting water, washing up liquid and some white spirit into a bottle, covering the bass with single sheets of toilet paper, dribbling the liquid over the bass, so the toilet paper soaks up the liquid, then tightly covered it with cling film. Left it for a day and a half. It was messy, but was able to scrap the residue off with the edge of a cd.

There were a few little marks leftover, but applied some lighter fluid, and it polished up nicely.