Removing old masking tape??

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Here is the question. How do you remove old masking tape. Been on the Saratogan metal rub rail for 7 years. It's the blue 3M tape with epoxy primer and some urethane over than. Not coming off very easy. Any one have any suggestions?

Tim

[trsexton]

Soak with rubbing alcohol

[slo-mo]

We feel your pain...

Ouch, good luck, Tim, see you on the water soon.

[bham-rick]

Heat Gun

Here is the question. How do you remove old masking tape. Been on the Saratogan metal rub rail for 7 years. It's the blue 3M tape with epoxy primer and some urethane over than. Not coming off very easy. Any one have any suggestions?

Tim

Run a heat gun over it ( Mildly) and see if that loosens it up enough, you are going to have to run a razor knife over it to break the seal , Good Luck

[Tim_Mattson]

Lighter Fluid!

Break out the Yellow bottle of Ronsignol lighter Fluid.
Doing Big boats taught me this trick as you always find tape from past years` work.
It is Basically Naptha which you dribble liberally,Wait a few minutes and then re-apply as needed.
Sunny days or heat will help ,try to get it to wad like Bubble Gum.
More tape can be used to pull the gum that is left behind.
Then use Goof -Off or Citrus Cleaner to get the final bits......3m has a Citrus Adhesive Remover that works well,but going to a Commercial Janitorial supply house will get you stronger stuff.
Goodluck,
Tim M
ps also try to fold the tape over to the painted edge ,which may get your edges visible again.

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Removing old masking tape

Thanks to one and all for the suggestions. I think I'll leave it on to protect my shiny monel rub rail from those nasty cresote pilings!

Cheers,

Tim

[Tim McCrain]

Tim,

As moderator let me first apologize for the irrelevant rant posted by Greg Lamb in this thread. (Where did that come from?) Screwy1 <- This is a joke ...

As to your sticky situation, I've found that a combination of the methods already suggested works well for me. I would recommend the following:

1) Run a razor blade along the edge of the tape to separate the paint on the tape from the paint you'd like to remain on the boat.

2) Use a heat gun to gently warm the paint / tape and scrape it off with a plastic scraper that won't harm the underlying surface.

3) Once you have the majority of the tape off, leaving a nasty sticky mess, soak a cloth rag with the 3M solvent pictured below. Hold the rag in place over the adhesive so that it has time to loosen it.

4) Using a separate rag moistened with the solvent, rub and wipe until the surface is clean.

Unfortunately, my experience removing tape that has been sealed with a good coat of paint is that the paint will prevent the solvent from soaking through the tape and reaching the adhesive, so you must remove the tape by scraping to expose the adhesive. Otherwise, you're just doing a great job of cleaning the paint. It would take forever for the solvent to loosen the adhesive from the edges, which is the only path in with tough paint over the tape.

I like the 3M solvent pictured, it is formulated to remove 3M adhesives, which are the most widely used, without damaging paint. It's available from auto body supply stores.

Tim

[bham-rick]

Good advice Tim !

Tim,

As moderator let me first apologize for the irrelevant rant posted by Greg Lamb in this thread. (Where did that come from?) Screwy1

As to your sticky situation, I've found that a combination of the methods already suggested works well for me. I would recommend the following:

1) Run a razor blade along the edge of the tape to separate the paint on the tape from the paint you'd like to remain on the boat.

2) Use a heat gun to gently warm the paint / tape and scrape it off with a plastic scraper that won't harm the underlying surface.

3) Once you have the majority of the tape off, leaving a nasty sticky mess, soak a cloth rag with the 3M solvent pictured below. Hold the rag in place over the adhesive so that it has time to loosen it.

4) Using a separate rag moistened with the solvent, rub and wipe until the surface is clean.

Unfortunately, my experience removing tape that has been sealed with a good coat of paint is that the paint will prevent the solvent from soaking through the tape and reaching the adhesive, so you must remove the tape by scraping to expose the adhesive. Otherwise, you're just doing a great job of cleaning the paint. It would take forever for the solvent to loosen the adhesive from the edges, which is the only path in with tough paint over the tape.

I like the 3M solvent pictured, it is formulated to remove 3M adhesives, which are the most widely used, without damaging paint. It's available from auto body supply stores.

Tim

I think I read that somewhere else ?? You have a tough Job Tim

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Old Masking Tape

I've managed to get three feet of it off. The epoxy primer is thick and won't allow any solvent penetration. The tape adhesive is very dry. I have a good variety of solvents to loosen the adhesive. Takes a little time. Trying not to affect the new paint or scratch the metal! Only 72 feet to go.......

Tim

[Tim McCrain]

Good luck!

You have my sympathy Tim, what a nasty job. I knew you couldn't leave it on there!

[Sammamish1]

If you know someone in the telephone industry; there is a cleaner for phones that removes all tape, labels, and any other funky stuff people put on their phone. It's called elimin8 or some thing close to that, maybe lemon8.

It works great smells like lemons and probably only causes cancer in laboratory rats, like all good cleaners. anger:

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Removing old masking tape---Heat Gun

Rick and Tim's suggestions worked for me. Heat gun warmed up not only the adhesive on the tape, but the epoxy primer on the tape as well. That 404-414 epoxy primer was hard as a rock without heat.

Some of it went slowly, other areas I was able to pull off a 12 foot piece in one go. I used lacquer thinner to remove the adhesive. Takes a while to soften the adhesive, but after a while it can be rubbed off.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Can now see the beautiful monel rub rail on the Saratogan...first time in seven years!

Christened the Saratogan last night...spilled my beer on the swim step!

Cheers,
McSkagit