Best adhesive remover for a wood CP?

nanoryan

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Just curious what the consensus is on the best stripper to use for thick adhesive left behind on a Williams CP. Citristrip? I don't really want to use nasty chemicals if I don't need to.

Thanks! Ryan
 
Goof Off. Lay down some paper towels over the top. Douse with GoofOff. Put in 3 layers of garbage bags overnight. Remove and wipe adhesive off. Sand to get the last of it.

ken
 
So I tried the belt sander with some low grit paper (under 100) and its a no-go.

Adhesive is so thick and sticky it jumps around all over the place and when I do get it stabilized it starts to gouge the wood.

Goof Off might be an option but I would prefer to use something more gel like so I can slather it on. What would be better .. 3M Safest Stripper or Citirstrip? What is this Soy Gel stuff people talk about? Will it work on wood as good as metal? What about Goo Gone?
 
Citri-Strip is the bomb!! Once you have used it you will never go back to old fashioned paint/adhesive strippers.

For paint, I agree 100%. For the adhesive that was used to stick CPOs on, not so much. There is a wide variety of adhesives used and you might get lucky and Citri-Strip might work. But chances are you will need something stronger.

To minimize the odor and the evaporation loss, that's why I triple bag the CPO when I use Goof Off. Just reverse the open ends of the bags so that CPO goes in bag 1, then bag one goes into bag 2 open end first, then bag 2 goes into bag 3 open end first. Don't just rely on the garbage bag straps. I always use a cable tie or some wire to close the open ends of the bags to minimize leakage.

Leave it overnight and it will either be sucked up by the paper towels or will be softened to a gooey mess you can wipe up easily (you may need a little more Goff Off on the paper towels to keep it soft).

Then you can sand the last little bits of it off quite easily.

ken
 
Freeze spray and a putty knife or screwdriver. Freeze spray is just canned air held upside down. You freeze the adhesive and chip/scrape it off with the putty knife. It comes off easy. It is so vastly superior to adhesive remover that you will rarely use goof off or goo gone ever again, except for minor stuff.

The best thing to do is use it before you rip the sticker off. Get an edge of the sticker up, spray under the lifted edge and about an inch or 3 of the top of the sticker and pop the sticker up a bit. Most of the adhesive stays on the CPO or whatever, and the surface is left clean and undamaged. The freezing liquid evaporates with nary a trace.
 
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DO NOT USE ANY LIQUID THAT WILL GET ABSORBED INTO THE WOOD! I would user a sander. I had used brake fluid on one and it kicked my ass about 6 months later.
 
DO NOT USE ANY LIQUID THAT WILL GET ABSORBED INTO THE WOOD! I would user a sander. I had used brake fluid on one and it kicked my ass about 6 months later.

I agree 100%. Letting it soak overnight will allow the wood to absorb it...which will eventually leach out over time, so unless you plan on finishing this 6 months from now, I'd peel off as much as you can, try the freeze spray, maybe goo gone 2 gel sparingly, and sand with a smaller electric sander like a Black and Decker Mouse or something. Belt sander is too big unless you can anchor the CP well and go slowly.
 
DO NOT USE ANY LIQUID THAT WILL GET ABSORBED INTO THE WOOD! I would user a sander. I had used brake fluid on one and it kicked my ass about 6 months later.

I agree 100%. Letting it soak overnight will allow the wood to absorb it...which will eventually leach out over time, so unless you plan on finishing this 6 months from now, I'd peel off as much as you can, try the freeze spray, maybe goo gone 2 gel sparingly, and sand with a smaller electric sander like a Black and Decker Mouse or something. Belt sander is too big unless you can anchor the CP well and go slowly.

First of all, there is a HUGE difference in the volatility of GoofOff & brake fluid. GoofOff is highly volatile and will evaporate quite readily. Brake fluid is hardly volatile & will be absorbed and remain. I can see using brake fluid on a metal CPO and then a good cleaning with acetone or alcohol, but never on a wooden CPO.

Secondly, there is almost always wood work that is required with wooden CPOs. Holes that need filling, cracks to repair, etc. This will allow plenty of time for the solvents to evaporate, especially in the summertime (even more especially here in Texas).

Third, always put at least 2 coats of urathane over the top surface of the CPO to seal it and give a clean surface for the new adhesive to grip.

By following those simple rules, the only issues I have had are due to getting reproduction CPOs that use poycarbonate sheets that are too thin and end up cracking under use.

ken
 
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