From: John De Armond Newsgroups: misc.consumers.frugal-living Subject: Re: Consumer Pet Peeve of the Day Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 04:34:20 -0500 Message-ID: <8jd8o1tas46hgkjg0un7o0un9iojntfb0a@4ax.com> On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 07:45:50 GMT, JackBenny <jackbenny@rochester.com> wrote: >So, then, I get it home, and it has a big 4" x 6" sticker on the front >describing it's "features" (!?!?), and I go to peel the sticker off >and it leaves a big white glued on paper that won't come off without >great difficulty; like it will probably take me 10 minutes to manually >peel off the paper, bit by bit, and even then will leave a sticky >residue! > >Now, I know WD40 will usually remove residue, but it also leaves a >smelly oily residue, itself, which is also somewhat difficult to get >rid of, and which I would need to get rid of, because this is >something that I am going to carry around in a "professional" >environment. Foolproof way of removing any sticker, even one not intended to be removed. Heat the sticker with a hair dryer until the adhesive starts to get gooey. Use a blunt knife to pick up one edge all the way across. Grasp that edge and pull straight up, not back over the sticker, while continuing to heat. Blow the hot air where the adhesive is releasing. Be patient and pull slooooowwwlllyyyy. If you see a hunk of the sticker starting to pull away, stop and use the knife to pick that piece back up and get it to start coming off with the rest again. The keys to making this work are keeping the adhesive hot that is about to separate and go slooooowwww. This method almost always removes even those sliced tamper-evident stickers. Handy when a warranty seal needs to be removed so some gadget can be opened. John From: John De Armond Newsgroups: misc.consumers.frugal-living Subject: Re: Consumer Pet Peeve of the Day Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 02:37:03 -0500 Message-ID: <u3rao1935nt1gdpg73ee7iuk0tvp3v3rdn@4ax.com> On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 12:19:50 -0500, Buttercup----AKA----CCB <buttercup@powerpuff.com> wrote: >Neon John wrote: > >> >> Foolproof way of removing any sticker, even one not intended to be >> removed. Heat the sticker with a hair dryer until the adhesive starts >> to get gooey. > >This also works to take off bumper stickers or dealer stickers off >vehicles. Well, except for the blunt knife part. It would probably >still work if you use the knife, but I feel safer (so I don't scratch my >cars) using my fingernail to pick up leading edge. > >Of course my neighbors thought I was nuts standing in the driveway blow >drying my car! :-) Sign supply companies sell a really neat tool for removing the high quality vinyl used with some types of vehicle lettering and decoration. It's a thick disc of soft gum rubber about 3" in diameter and maybe 3/4" thick, mounted on a spindle. The spindle is mounted in an electric drill motor. The edge is spun against the edge of the vinyl. This is the most amazing tool. One can slowly walk down the side of a vehicle, stripping the stickers almost like peeling off a layer. Apparently the rubber generates enough friction to soften the glue and then pulls the vinyl away, all in one step. It doesn't scar the underlying paint. The hair dryer works great for small quantities of stickers but if you ever need to get rid of a lot of stickers or remove the factory decorating decals from a car, get one of these wheels. Only about $5. John |