Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
Online Community of Zenith Builders and Flyers
Removing Part Labels
I thought I saw this somewhere else, but cannot recall where. As most of you know, the part number labels are not easy to remove. Most people use various solvents including paint thinner, acetone or naptha. In the summer this works fine, but with my shop below 50 degrees F, my solvent, paint thinner, does not seem to cut through all the glue. I found the easiest way to deal with this is to sharpen a stick, such as a paint stirrer or similar shaped wood to a wide chisel point. I soak the label in solvent, then scrape it off with the sharp stick. Wood (or a fingernail) is just the right hardness so that it will scrape off the label without scratching the aluminum. In the summer I had used a plastic paint scraper, but this time of year, the wood is better.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Powell on
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I use the carb cleaner method; most carb cleaner is a mixture of acetone and toluene. Tried naphtha, straight acetone, lacquer thinner and brake cleaner (perchlorethylene)... IMHO, among the chemical approaches, the carb cleaner works best... probably due to the toluene. Haven’t tried straight toluene; which is available at some home improvement stores in the paint department, but not in spray cans. It might even be better, but the spray can of carb cleaner is more convenient.
Allowing time for the solvent to work is necessary; patience for it to work rewards you. And, sometimes a second application is needed.
Thought about using a heat gun but I don’t know that it’s that much quicker, and it requires you to be present the entire time while you’re trying to extract the label. Spray it, let it sit while you do something else, then spray it again and use some type of plastic scraper to lift the label.
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Permalink Reply by Craig Dow on
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I accidentally spilled some coffee on a label. Started rubbing it with a soft cloth and was surprised that the label came right off with much less effort than the other methods I have tried, e.g., various solvents, alcohol, etc!
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Permalink Reply by Frank Stutzman on
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Might be something to this suggestion.
When I was restoring my classic car, I had a bumper that was re-chromed and then entirely covered with masking tape for storage. It was in storage for 20 years. I was trying almost every chemical to get the that tape off. Finally, my wife suggested hot water.
Filled up the bath tub with the hottest tap water I could get and let the bumper soak for 5 minutes. Tape pretty much just slid off when I removed the bumper from the tub.
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