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Looking for best adhesive remover

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ARSPrinting

New Member
Hi everyone, I am looking for a new adhesive remover. We currently use a citrus based aerosol spray, but it is no longer manufactured. What are the best products you have used in your shops? I'm looking for one that can be used on all substrates i.e. vehicles, lexan, aluminum.
 
CSOCSO

CSOCSO

I don't hate paint, I just overlay it.
I use Xylene and Rapid Remover on vehicles. None of them should go on plastic or rubber.
Rapid remover is very expensive. I think it's like 20 times more expensive than premium gas. /gallon
 
S

Sandman

New Member
Rapid Remover hands down. It’s not expensive at all. In fact if you are pricing properly it costs YOU nothing. Charge the customer for what you use, in fact double the cost of what you use. You will be saving your customers money since it’s the quickest way to remove vinyl adhesive.
 
Jester1167

Jester1167

Premium Subscriber
Xylene and/or Rapid Remover here as well. It all depends on the size of the job, what i have on hand, and if the space is well ventilated... If I am installing graphics after removal I typically use a 3 step method to make sure there isn't any residue left and it varies. Xylene/Xylol and Rapid Remover leave an oily residue and dissolved adhesives behind. The intermediary step removes most of the oils and the last alcohol step makes sure the surface is perfectly clean.

Not dirty;
Rapid remover, prepsol, alcohol.
Rapid remover, alcohol, alcohol.
Xylene, prepsol, alcohol.
Xylene, Acetone, alcohol.
Xylene, alcohol, alcohol.

Dirty or bugs;
Rapid remover, soap and water, alcohol.
Xylene, prepsol, alcohol.
Xylene, soap and water, alcohol.

You can remove adhesive with Acetone in a pinch but it doesn't do as good of a job because it dries way to fast. I typically only use it when there was a lot of adhesive and I am worried that there is thin layer of residue left.

Soap and water will remove bugs and dirt 10x faster than the solvents.
 
Small Lettering

Small Lettering

SmallLettering.com
I can't believe how many still use Xylene! Don't all of you read the warnings on the label?

"DANGER! VAPOR HARMFUL. MAY AFFECT THE BRAIN OR NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING DIZZINESS, HEADACHE OF NAUSEA. CAUSES EYE, SKIN, NOSE AND THROAT IRRITATION. MAY BE HARMFUL IF ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN. WARNING: USE OF THIS PRODUCT WILL EXPOSE YOU TO BENZINE WHICH IS KNOWN TO CAUSE CANCER AND TO TOLUOL WHICH IS KNOWN TO CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HARM. NOTICE: Reports have associated repeated and prolonged occupational overexposure to solvents with permanent brain and nervous system damage."​

My health is worth more than removing a customer's old vinyl.
 
Jester1167

Jester1167

Premium Subscriber
I am fully aware of xylene's properties and use chemical resistant gloves and only in a well ventilated area. I thought I heard it can cause nerve damage as well...
 
T

TimToad

Active Member
Small Lettering said:
I can't believe how many still use Xylene! Don't all of you read the warnings on the label?

"DANGER! VAPOR HARMFUL. MAY AFFECT THE BRAIN OR NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING DIZZINESS, HEADACHE OF NAUSEA. CAUSES EYE, SKIN, NOSE AND THROAT IRRITATION. MAY BE HARMFUL IF ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN. WARNING: USE OF THIS PRODUCT WILL EXPOSE YOU TO BENZINE WHICH IS KNOWN TO CAUSE CANCER AND TO TOLUOL WHICH IS KNOWN TO CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HARM. NOTICE: Reports have associated repeated and prolonged occupational overexposure to solvents with permanent brain and nervous system damage."​

My health is worth more than removing a customer's old vinyl.
Click to expand...

I'm never surprised to hear anything about humans ignoring their own health and welfare, financial security and longevity in order to not embrace change or a less toxic lifestyle. Old habits die hard and if someone can kick the can down the road to another generation to deal with, so be it.

There are cheaper, non-toxic alternatives that most here voted for as their preferred product for this task. Bravo to all of us who make the right choice.

The UN IPCC Report on climate change just warned the entire planet the same week as Florence destroyed much of the area around Jester1167's home and shop that we have less than 20 years to change our ways or be prepared for events like Florence on a regular basis.

If folks want to ignore those warnings and enjoy paying the most for healthcare of any industrialized nation on earth with the worst outcomes, what are the rest of us supposed to do? Keep paying more taxes, keep seeing increasing premiums, etc.

We just got our 2019 warning about our health insurance premium and it is going up about 20% to $1,575.00 per month for a Silver HMO with a $2,500 per person deductible and 20% co-pay on most things. Without the ACA subsidy that kicks in for our income and high cost of living location, we'd be paying that entire premium out of pocket instead of being taxed for the program providing the help and then have it given it back to us.
 
CSOCSO

CSOCSO

I don't hate paint, I just overlay it.
I can go around and read all the labels in my shop. half of them says: "This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm."

Sooo nxyelene is far from the only harmful thing we can find in the shop. Im pretty sure most aerosol sprays say it can cause cancer.
 
F

F1225hgB42w

Guest
While I will attempt to avoid the rat hole that is political debates online, I did receive an email from Fellers recently about a biodegradable vinyl/adhesive remover called "CrystalTek 10-4 Biodegradable Vinyl Remover", has anyone heard/used this before? Does it work? We normally use Rapid Remover but the smell can be strong if we don't have the doors open and on the forum I've seen some debate as to how safe Rapid Remover/other citrus based adhesive removers are for workers so I was interested in this product.
 
Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
In 40 years we'll discover all the stuff we use now is going to give everyone cancer. 40 years after that all the "new" stuff will cause cancer too.
 
C

CENTERVILLE SIGNS

New Member
ARSPrinting said:
Hi everyone, I am looking for a new adhesive remover. We currently use a citrus based aerosol spray, but it is no longer manufactured. What are the best products you have used in your shops? I'm looking for one that can be used on all substrates i.e. vehicles, lexan, aluminum.
Click to expand...
ARSPrinting said:
Hi everyone, I am looking for a new adhesive remover. We currently use a citrus based aerosol spray, but it is no longer manufactured. What are the best products you have used in your shops? I'm looking for one that can be used on all substrates i.e. vehicles, lexan, aluminum.
Click to expand...
 
SightLine

SightLine

║▌║█║▌│║▌║▌█
Spray wax to remove adhesive???? Also seems counterproductive if you then want to install new vinyl afterwards.

We do still also use Xylol as well here. If used properly it is really not any worse than many other things. If it were crazily deadly you would not be able to buy it quite so easily and in my experience, on modern automotive paints, nothing works faster. Not even close.

Yes, we do provide chemical resistant gloves and when using it we run a 5 foot exhaust fan on one end of the bay and open a door on the other end to create a nice cross breeze and quickly pull the fumes out.

Do not try it on polyester based paints though like you find on ACM, trailers, motor homes, etc. It will ruin those.
 
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