Tape residue removal...solution?

Hello all,

Tonight I have been honing a razor using electrical tape on the spine as usual. This time when I removed the tape there was a bunch of tape residue left on the razor. I had a spray can of starting fluid (ether) nearby so I sprayed it on the blade.

The tape residue came right off! :) Then I washed the blade with liquid dish soap and water to remove any residue from the ether, dried it, and oiled the razor.

I hope someone else tries this and lets us know the results!:)

BTW, I was using 3M vinyl electrical tape.

Lighter fluid! Like what you use for a Zippo works great also!

I use GooGone on all those tape residual sticky crap. Works like a charm,

i usually do the light oil - 3-in-1, wd40, whatever's closest to me.

Tried them both before. The ether worked much better.

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Originally Posted by JMS

Lighter fluid! Like what you use for a Zippo works great also!

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+1 on the lighter fluid.

Lighter fluid works great but so does kerosene. I use it as a chain cleaner, hand cleaner (after wrenching) and stain remover. You can buy it in the camping section of any larger department store as it's used as camp fuel.

What about acetone?

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Lighter fluid works great but so does kerosene. I use it as a chain cleaner, hand cleaner (after wrenching) and stain remover. You can buy it in the camping section of any larger department store as it's used as camp fuel.

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And where the hell have you been?:confused:;):D

Nice to see you!!

I am down with Slabartifest on the acetone. I come from the world of medical device manufacturing. The company I worked with made optical devices and clean acetone was the solvent of choice because it left no residue of its own. We also used isopropyl alcohol for cleaning optical surfaces and preparation of substrates for adhesive application and/or welding and/or soldering. Regardless of what solvent you use, be mindful of the scales! Wood, bone, horn and metallic scales are impervious to any of the solvents mentioned. However, plastics can be dissolved instantly in some solvents. If you splash the right plastic with the right solvent, you can find yourself with a nice new project to put a new handle on your freshly honed blade.

Acetone will melt celluloid away instantly!

Brad

Also, acetone isn't one of the greatest things to be breathing.

I've never had that much of a problem with tape residue. Generally I can get nearly all of it off with minimal wiping with just a towel. I don't see why it is such a problem that one needs to resort to toxic substances.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Also, acetone isn't one of the greatest things to be breathing.

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Glad to see somebody else thinking along these lines.

I'd say the same as ether. They stopped using it as an anesthetic because it's really dangerous stuff. First of all, it's mind bogglingly flammable. That's why it's used as a starting fluid. The smallest spark can set it off. Also, the fumes can very easily knock a person out, even in what seems like relatively low concentrations. Get knocked out by ether in a confined space, and you'll probably be dead before anybody finds you.

From my experience, the residue from electrical tape isn't particularly strong stuff. It will come off with the weakest of solvents. A splash of cheap vodka will even take it off. Even emollients like 3 in one oil will do the job quite well as others have pointed out.

If I were you, I'd keep the starting fluid in the garage.

I just use isopropyl alcohol.

James.

If you use really cheap tape, there's no residue to even worry about :)

The stuff that is basically not stretchy at all, kind of like a plastic, you know, the stuff you would never use on anything else. Works great for razors. I wish I could remember where to get some like it when the roll I'm using runs out, but I suspect a dollar store would be a good start.

I use mineral oil, no fumes, no flammability.Oils the blade while I am cleaning it.

I haven't tried it, but this seems like one of those situations where hairspray would work.

Goo Gone for me. A million and one uses to boot. It's also good for white boards, sometimes you leave a message on their too long, goo gone takes it off, and the board is still good. just clean off the goo gone residue with glass cleaner, not it's not related but a good tip. did it yesterday, while removing tape residue from a razor that I was resetting a bevel on.

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Originally Posted by pjrage

If you use really cheap tape, there's no residue to even worry about :)

The stuff that is basically not stretchy at all, kind of like a plastic, you know, the stuff you would never use on anything else. Works great for razors. I wish I could remember where to get some like it when the roll I'm using runs out, but I suspect a dollar store would be a good start.

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Probably harbor freight or a drug store like wal greens, they have the cheap crappy stuff that you wouldn't use on electrical issues....
+1 on the dollar store....Good Idea.....thanks...

I use vodka. In a glass. With ice.

Then, I just wipe off the residue...and have only needed chimical help once. I used some gunk-off (goo-gone?), and it came right off.

Maas takes it right off as well. It doesn't hurt that it re polishes the razor after working with it.

For those of us who use a Zippo and have the lighter fluid anyhow it is convenient and it works. This thread got me to thinking about the days when I was a carpet installer. If we were doing a direct glue down (gluing the carpet to the floor) and accidentally spilled glue on the carpet we kept a can of WD40 in the truck. Wipe off any excess and spray the stuff on the area and rub with a paper towel. The glue won't stick to oil and off it comes. Same if you get chewing gum on a carpet or tape residue on the spine of a razor. Any oily substance will probably remove the tape residue.

I like to use 3M tape. It may cost a bit more but it is made in the USA and for those of us who live here spending a few extra cents to help and support one of our own ain't a bad idea. They might spend some of the money they make where you work and help you keep your job. :)

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Originally Posted by JMS

And where the hell have you been?:confused:;):D

Nice to see you!!

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Thanks for the welcome, Mark :tu Yeah, I've made the biggest mistake of my life.. When the mineral exploration sector went into panic mode, I thought taking a few undergrad courses in spatial analysis would be a good idea... BIG mistake :eek: Working full-time was a heck of a lot less demanding on my time. Finally got a few minutes to wind down, but I'm already flyin' out tonight.. Gonna post up a thread with the reason for my travel as soon as I have a quick smoke break :D

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

For those of us who use a Zippo and have the lighter fluid anyhow it is convenient and it works. This thread got me to thinking about the days when I was a carpet installer. If we were doing a direct glue down (gluing the carpet to the floor) and accidentally spilled glue on the carpet we kept a can of WD40 in the truck. Wipe off any excess and spray the stuff on the area and rub with a paper towel. The glue won't stick to oil and off it comes. Same if you get chewing gum on a carpet or tape residue on the spine of a razor. Any oily substance will probably remove the tape residue.

I like to use 3M tape. It may cost a bit more but it is made in the USA and for those of us who live here spending a few extra cents to help and support one of our own ain't a bad idea. They might spend some of the money they make where you work and help you keep your job. :)

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I keep rolls of the good stuff and the crap around, I just find that the cheap stuff is better for razors due to it's lack of sticky residue left behind. I save the good stuff for it's intended use in electrical purposes.

At my previous job, we had a 2-tiered tape system.. For quick temporary attachment, we used cheap Chinese stuff and for splices and any other electrical connections that were supposed to stand up to the elements in the bush, we used 3M Super-88.

Any organic solvent, preferably apolar (although some polar solvents work very well too). The most common are of course ethanol, (iso)propanol, ether, acetone, lighter fluid (which is propanol or butanol, or a mixture of something similar, IIRC), petrol, etc. Oils work as well, due to their apolar (hydrophobic) nature. Due to that nature, getting oil residue off is harder, of course.

As mentioned before, be careful with those solvents, they're all quite volatile and extremely flamable, and some of them indeed toxic. If you use them, do it in a well ventilated area, preferably outside in the shadow.
Ethanol is your solvent of choice. Low toxicity (just don't drink it and don't keep your skin wetted with it for hours), flamability is okay (you use small amounts, so any fire that starts should stop quickly...) and it mixes perfectly well with water, to clean afterwards.

I use Kroil or 3-in-1, whichever's closest, unless they're both out of reach, in which case I just take a fresh piece of tape, press it down firmly over the residue, then pull it off bringing the residue off with it.

I've found that just pressing the tape onto the residue and peeling it off again takes up any of the sticky residue.

"There is nothing worse than a man in the depths of an ether binge." Hunter Thompson 1968

WD 40 everbody has some wont damage scales,prevents corrosion,and works better than anything else...............Regards Gary

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Originally Posted by rshaw

I've found that just pressing the tape onto the residue and peeling it off again takes up any of the sticky residue.

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I absolutely positively endorse this suggestion. I tried it last night on four razors and it worked GREAT!:y When you peel the tape off, just press it against the areas with residue and it should pull off with one or two dabs! No muss, no fuss, no toxic fumes. It's easier, safer, and faster than any other method.