Removing stickers

[Giggi]

peanut butter - just smear it all over the sticker, let it sit a while, and scrape it off. It's safe and environmentally friendly. (It also gets gum out of kids' hair.)

 

[doole]

I used to own a bookstore, and it was a b**** getting the price tags off the returns. We found that mineral oil did a pretty good job, as well as some of those enviro-friendly cleaners, like 'Goop' and whatnot. HIH chris

 

[cburgert]

I was just wondering this myself.

 

[Rred]

Best shot? Yes, any auto detail shop or body shop supply can offer you solutions. Or call 3M, the real pros, or look on YouTube, and pick something that seems safe. 3M are glad to share their expertise, and you can trust the source.

Best bet short of that? Automotive "Brake Pad Cleaner" usually sold in a full sized aerosol can for $5-10, even at WalMart. You'll find "California approved", which is something like Stoddard or Perc (dry cleaning) fluids, and one that is only 49-state legal. Go for the latter, if you see it.

One shot, and the label flies away. It gets under the edges and has zero effect on aluminum and leaves zero residue.

Obviously, this would also take the paint off a painted tank. It shouldn't affect an epoxy coated tank but when it doubt--try it on the bottom first. And, the stuff is NOT something you want to breath.

But it sure does lift labels.

 

[aquacat8]

Lighter fluid. I know it sounds weird. Yeah, don’t start a fire, of course. My ex and I used to own an antiques and collectibles shop and we had to get those awful thrift store price stickers off delicate items and lighter fluid was a flea marketers trick: soak the sticker with a squirt, catching any extra with a cotton rag and use a fingernail or plastic scraper to get off the sticker, and then rag off the residue. Probably bad for skin so nowadays I’d wear a protective glove.

 

[aquacat8]

Maybe not so good for Tanks with a high oxygen content

 

[Rred]

Lighter fluid (Zippo fuel) is simply refined naphtha. Naphtha comes in several grades, from the crude stuff that is the base stock of gasoline, to the highly refined "Varnish & Paint Makers' " (VM&P) grade, which evaporates cleanly so it doesn't cause clouds in varnish work.

It also happens to be the primary or sole solvent used in rubber cements, and almost all vinyl and mylar stickers use rubber cement as their adhesive. So lighter fluid will work, but it is slow to penetrate past the edges of a vinyl sticker. Works better if you soak a paper towel with it, fold that up, and use aluminum foil or duct or packing tape to secure it to the sticker, so the fumes can penetrate. When the tape falls off, so will the sticker.(G)

 

[aquacat8]

Oh cool info, I didn’t know that!

 

[kaimoser]

I need some suggestions on how to quickly remove the old stickers from scuba tanks. There is a product on the market for removing bumper stickers from vehicles. Can it be used safely on aluminum or unpainted steel?

I cover this on our Diver-ID.COM website, both application and removal of decals.

Check it out: INSTALL OR REMOVE ID

 

[kaimoser]

Thanks for all the responses. I ended up trying a non-acetone nail polish remover, just to see if it would work. It worked well, but in the interest of protecting my beautiful, manly nails I'm going to get one of those razor scrapers that Ber mentioned.

I did wonder briefly about using a hair dryer to soften the glue but decided against that for the reasons posted by reefraff.

Hair Dryer won't hurt...see INSTALL OR REMOVE ID