Back on the topic of removing tape residue, I tried this just yesterday. Every detailer out there recognizes it, I’m sure, but it was new to me. It’s basically a rubber eraser wheel that fits into a drill. It’s meant to be used for removing pinstripes and decals from cars, boats, etc. In my case I was trying to get 10-year-old sticker residue off of a fiberglass surface. I mounted it in a hand drill and ran the edge over the gummed-up area. It spent a good amount of time pushing the residue around, but after a bit a clear area started emerging and the residue became more powdery as it mixed with the worn off rubber particles. Finally, it was all off, leaving a clean, smooth to the touch surface. I’ll still be wiping it down with denatured alcohol before proceeding, but it seems to have worked.
I was able to remove about 60 square inches of residue before the 3 battery packs I had with me expired. Along the way I learned that light pressure actually works better than heavy. It’s sort of like sanding - let the wheel do the work and don’t try to force it. The heavy pressure also loads the motor and drains the batteries, so keep the pressure to the minimum required.
Compared to something like Goo-Gone, the pros were:
- No toxicity
- No fumes
- No worries about chemically damaging the surface
- No physical damage to the surface since fiberglass/resin is harder than rubber.
- No worries about chemically contaminating the surface
- No hazardous material disposal so it was OK for use in a marina
The cons:
- Large initial investment. The wheel was $49 plus tax vs $8 for a bottle of Goo-Gone. At this point I don’t know how long the wheel lasts. It wears away like a very hard rubber eraser.
- Very tedious for baked on residue. Presumably for something like week-old blue tape it’ll be faster. It was actually pretty quick for actual pinstriping.
So in case you’re looking for an alternative to chemicals and scraping, you might want to consider this. For occasional use on small jobs it will probably last forever and let you amortize the price. Don’t forget the eye and ear protection, BTW.
Laszlo
