Removing stickers from roll cab

[browntown]

I saw this box on CL and am tempted, as it looks similar vintage as my other snap-on boxes. But, I put stickers on the kegerator, not the tool box (generally, I do have some stickers on an cheap cman box).

Is there a good way to remove stickers without harming the nice old snap-on red?

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

warm air from a hair dyer or a heat gun set on low - this softens the glue

then you might be able to use a plastic edge scraper...credit card, bondo spreader, or even a plastic putty knife

follow up with WD40 to remove adhesive residue

 

[78Bird]

gentle use of a heat gun and I find WD-40 tends to work pretty good on sticky residue, the slight film it leaves comes off easily with any cleaner.

EDIT: great minds....

 

[G_P]

Plastic scraper and a mild solvent. Lighter fluid works good.

 

[tshetter]

Is acetone mild enough for use on painted/powdercoated surfaces?

I always wondered this but never wanted to try it.

 

[chevy696969]

I know this may sound odd, but Avon sells a product called Skin-So-Soft, it is amazing for removing stickers and the residue left behind.

 

[Falcon67]

Heat gun if they have been on there a while. Followed maybe by some GooGone. Be glad there's not an older TCI converter sticker on there - that one is sand-and-paint.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Is acetone mild enough for use on painted/powdercoated surfaces?

I always wondered this but never wanted to try it.

Only if you want to take some paint off... Do not use acetone! (Though it works good to get paint and crud off your hands.)

Heat gun on low to peel the stickers off, then use some goof-off to get the residue off.

 

[firecracker]

Hope you don't have the same trouble I had some came off easily but left an original red patch, and other decals were that stuck the paint came off as well.I'm re painting it now.

 

[Ron Fletcher]

I would try the hair dryer method. But I like to use gasoline to take the sticky goo off.

 

[KPSquared]

Heat gun or hair dryer. Then goof-off, goo gone, WD-40, or whatever. Almost for sure the paint will be brighter under the stickers and you'll want to repaint anyway. . .

 

[Vinci]

Xylene takes off sticker adhesive like nothing else.

 

[JonnyMac]

The greatest sticker adhesive remover is eucalyptus oil.... (plus it gives the garage a nice smell!!!)
It chews right through anything sticky without doing any damage..
Jonny

 

[Scottwi]

Heat gun, plastic razor blade and goo gone or 3M adhesive remover.

I do graphics for a living and remove them often.

 

[redlinetoys]

Don't use gasoline, xylene or acetone. Really no reason to endanger yourself. The acetone makes a pretty good powder coat stripper anyway.

As others have said, heat with a hair dryer. Warm them enough so that you can peel up a corner and then just keep the sticker warm ahead of where you are pulling it off. Not enough heat or pulling to fast and the sticker will rip. Too much heat or pulling too slow and the sticker will stretch and break. You will figure it out.

The VERY BEST remover for adhesive without affecting any paint or plastic that you want to protect is VM&P Naptha. You can get it at the local hardware store. A gallon of this around the shop is as harsh a solvent as you will want for cleaning up all kinds of sticky residue, tar on vehicles, oil residue, etc and WILL NOT HARM PAINT. it is one step harsher than Mineral Spirits.

Googone works great too. It is almost exactly the same stuff but costs several dollars an ounce rather than several dollars for a quart or a gallon.

 

[Falcon67]

Hope you don't have the same trouble I had some came off easily but left an original red patch, and other decals were that stuck the paint came off as well.I'm re painting it now.

I have a whole race car like that. I may end up painting the bottoms of 4 doors.

 

[Bigplum]

Heat gun or hair dryer, unless its warm where you are , leave it in the sun inside a minivan , gets hotter than hell with the windows closed and its free!
Go over the remains with a buffing compound like t cut or 3m , that might even out the paint fade if your lucky and its not too bad

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

So does that answer our question and did you buy the box?

 

[onewheat]

I put my stickers on magnets (the big flat ones like you get in the mail and stuck on the front of new phone books, etc) and stick the magnets on things (fridge & toolbox). I do have a melamine cabinet that I cover with stickers though. I just don't like to put stickers on toolboxes or metal things permanently.

 

[csp]

Is acetone mild enough for use on painted/powdercoated surfaces?

I wouldn't ever use the word mild to describe acetone for any particular use. Mild and acetone are mutually exclusive of each other!

 

[cburnscrx]

Heat gun, plastic razor blade and goo gone or 3M adhesive remover.

I do graphics for a living and remove them often.

Pretty much spot on! I like the plastic putty knife, heat gun and goo gone. I don't do graphics for a living but I am um...retentive about things like this. Almost to the point of obsession.

 

[JonnyMac]

Pretty much spot on! I like the plastic putty knife, heat gun and goo gone. I don't do graphics for a living but I am um...retentive about things like this. Almost to the point of obsession.

I bet you If you tried eucalyptus oil you'd switch!!!

 

[KELLHAMMER]

WD40 is good too for removal

 

[BellyUpFish]

Hope you don't have the same trouble I had some came off easily but left an original red patch, and other decals were that stuck the paint came off as well.I'm re painting it now.

I think this guy nailed it..

You're likely to have 2 (or more) different shades of red after you pull the stickers..

 

[911mike]

Is acetone mild enough for use on painted/powdercoated surfaces?

I always wondered this but never wanted to try it.

Most of the finger nail polish removers contain acetone is the active agent. It bites everything. We used to buy 55 gallon drums of it back in the days that we used solvent based inks in the print industry.

The decals are pretty old so heat will be your best solution. 3M makes a great adhesive residue remover. There are 20-30 different adhesives that come on decal materials. Some are water based and they can be a bear to remove.

 

[mikester]

I think this guy nailed it..

You're likely to have 2 (or more) different shades of red after you pull the stickers..

X2, the paint on the box has probably faded from age and when you take the stickers off you're going to have "original" paint underneath so you will see the difference. I just had this problem on a 5 year old black gun safe.