Thread: Removing the goo of duct tape

Actually, it's not duct tape, I use electrical tape to tape the spine when I hone because it's more resistant to water and slurry, so I don't have to swap it often.
But, there's a downturn, by having very strong glue, when I remove it, the spine catches its goo and I find it hard to remove it.
Can I use some kind of chemical stuff like acetone or something without ruining the blade? Even alcohol doesn't remove the goo completely!

Lighter fluid. Works every time you need to get rid of sticky crap like that.

Hi, 91% isopropyl alcohol on a clean towel works but requires rubbing.

Monte

Goo Gone is your best friend :-D


I use it to cheat the university by buying used books and taking the stickers off :-D it will do the job fantantasitcally

Acetone should do it. I believe I've tried that before. I just wouldn't use it near goldwash or that frost etching. Also, I'd keep it away from scales, especially celluloid which would melt.

On the other hand I usually just get the tape residue off with heat and friction. If you rub it between your thumb and the razor it comes off quickly. Just make sure you get it all.

I second the lighter fluid. It removes glue and that's the he and the she of it.

Lots of solutions here, as always

Thanks everybody.

Just to recap, there are many solvents that will remove adhesives left from tape but depending on what the surface is made from, I'd normally recommend starting with the least aggressive and work my way up if necessary. Plain old mineral spirits (paint/varnish thinner) works well too, is slightly less volatile than some of the others mentioned and are less likely to damage the surface you are trying to clean. I've been caught with my pants down when it comes to Goo Gone, it dulled the surface of a glossy plastic door on my cloths dryer when I tried to remove some tape residue.... Mineral spirits didn't touch the surface at all, well at least not for the short period of time it took to get the rest of the tape off.

Regards

Christian

I agree with Kap 0 on the mineral spirits, it's a great, tame solvent, naphtha (lighter fluid) works well too, but evaporates much faster. Acetone is also a great solvent, but must be watched around plastics. Turpentine will work well too and has a nifty aroma. Strong soap and hot water might work as well. So long as the tape adhesive residue is new and not old and hardened, it should be fairly painless to remove.

good luck,

I've sucessfully used, of all things, WD-40 on a paper towel or rag to get off most sticky stuff. I used to work as a bike mechanic, and we used this to clean bikes all the time, including the rim tape and handle bar tape residue. Parenthetically, I hear that WD-40 is mostly kerosene, and I remember we used that on the farm all the time to clean stuff.

I also second lighter fluid.

Mark