Thread: The EASIEST Way To Remove Tape Residue

I keep forgetting that not everyone knows this, but every now and then I get a reminder when someone makes a suggestion about a particular solvent that they declare works great for removing tape residue from the spine of a taped razor. First, I'll give a couple explanations for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about.

Many people put electrical tape on the spine of their razor to protect it during honing. Doing so serves as the equivalent of disconnecting the odometer cable on their razor. Some do it for the entire honing and some only do it during the initial stages of a bevel set. In order to use the tape properly, it needs to be replaced a few times during honing, and often when it is removed, especially during the heavier pressure of the bevel setting, tape residue is left on the spine of the razor. This is especially the case if you use a cheap brand of tape. Quality stuff like Scotch/3M tape leaves much less residue.

Often in this forum I read suggestions for various solvents to remove this residue. They may all work great, but none are as convenient, or as safe, as the easiest way. So without further ado, the easiest thing to remove tape residue is...

tape!

Yup, that piece of tape that you just pulled off the razor, the same tape that left the residue in the first place, is all you need. It's already in your hand. You're about to throw it away. You've already been exposed to the VOCs of the tape and there's no point adding more to your lungs. You're holding the tape in one hand and you're staring at the gunk on your razor in the other hand. Take advantage of the situation. Just dab the sticky side of the tape onto the regions of the spine that have the tape residue and they will all be removed with just a few dabs.

If you've been using acetone, kerosene, a fancy gun solvent, or your own personal chemical arsenal, you are going to be shocked at just how easy this is.

+1 a thousand times.

I randomly figured this out about a year ago, after I had been using Goo-gone....and it worked so well, I felt like a fool for over complicating things. It absolutely beats everything else, is cleaner, saves time and is obviously more efficient.

Thanks for posting this Utopian.

I've been using a dab of mineral oil that's always there to coat the blade afterwards. It somewhat dissolves the adhesive so its easily wiped off w/ tissue.

I like your idea better. Thank you!

Yea, that works... I've been an electrician for 30 years and always found the the tail of my t-shirt also works pretty well... when honing that's the part that cleans up before the look-see and probably explains why many of my t-shirt tails look like I've thrown them under the lawn mower.



E Tape residue is pretty weak stuff actually... designed basically to stick to itself and not much else. The aged stuff cured with years of arcing and spider poop is much more formidable... but we're not doing that.

Quick dab of isopropyl alcohol works nice and quick for me. Little dab from the bottle, and a rub from the shirt gets the job done in a matter of seconds.

You're missing the point. At the very moment you pull the tape off and see the residue, you can remove it immediately with what is already in your hands.

A "new' roll of 3M electrical tape won't leave any residue.

If it's been sitting in a Houston warehouse for 6 months before you bought it - it probably will.

Since there is no 'use by' date on electrical tape I'll suggest you guys buy it where your electricians buy it - by the pallet. Try an electrical supply outfit... not Home Depot or Lowes. If something isn't selling well in Miami they ship it to another warehouse in Arizona for distribution.

While it sits there in Venus quality heat it's likely to get a little spongy.

Go to the place where the electrician's trucks are lined up at 06:00 and be prepared to pay a dollar more than you do at Lowes.

Great tip, that will be my 1st action after honing, if after there is any still left I'll revert to what I was previously using which is some metal polish.

+1 to Utopian and Arboath's comments. I usually just dab it with the stick side of the tape I just peeled off. If that doesn't get it all off, I just wipe it with a little isopropyl on a tissue. Works like a charm.

Couple of additions, Ron is dead on that is the easiest method and it works exceptionally well for 3M tape, which by the way is what all the calculations you find on the forum are done with
Where it sorta doesn't work well with is the cheaper "Chinese" brands of tape out there, those can be a bit of a pain, I switched about two years ago for 3 rolls worth of "Ace" brand which worked great for honing but sucked for getting the residue off...
The other problem with many of the tapes is the wear factor, some of them will wear through very fast and that leads to the residue being worse too...

There are many oils, goo-gones etc: that work well in that case, I always used WD-40 because I found it safer for the scales, after a few "cheap" brands I only use 3M now and just dab with the old tape and like Ron said it works perfect...