Help: Tape glue off a mirror?

Subject: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 07:55 PM

You's lot tend to have all kinds of household tips up yer collective sleeves, so what ya got for this one?

Some idiot, before we moved in, had stuff taped to the full length mirror in the bedroom... and well, when he left, he left tape and tape-glue behind...

Any good tricks to getting it off?

the Windex just cleans the glass around it, and the razorblade or paint scraper just smear it around...

;-)

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: MMario
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:15 PM

try rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover or paint thinner.

Subject: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:17 PM

Cool... harsh chemicals...

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:24 PM

Again - I repeat:

The absolutely finest remover for old tape adhesive is

MENTHOLATUM!

For some reason, the menthol seems to assist softening of the adhesive, and the grease base keeps it from sticking back in place.

Gentle rubbing should be sufficient - and it smells nice, but only for a little while.

John

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: ddw
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:28 PM

Clinton,

Get yourself a razor blade, lad. You remember what those things are, don't you? *BG* Single-edged blade is best, but any kind will do if you VERY careful. Just lay the blade flat against the glass and it will lift the tape and glue right off. Done it a hundred times.

david

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Ian Darby
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:30 PM

Try soaking Lemon Oil, (like you use on your guitar neck) into it. Failing that, some fine grade wire wool with soap and warm water, or a mildly abrasive kitchen cleaner..

Brillo Pads if you have them, also Isopropyl Alcohol.

You could just also try lemon juice, (not the kind recommended by Robert Johnson).

If you want to get the thing really clean when you've got the offending gunk off, use warm soapy water and polish/dry it off with newspaper. the 'newsprint' polishes glass up a treat.

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: khandu
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:34 PM

WD 40, or denatured alchol should do the trick.

khandu

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:36 PM

David... I tried the razor blade, as I mentioned above and it just smeared it all around...

Congrats on winning the Windsor Folk guitar btw... Eric told me at the Garnet Concert... missed ya there mate...

Ian... I don't Lemon Oil my guitar...

The nail polish remover worked just great, and took it off with really light rubbing...

I'll 2nd the bit aboubt newsprint cleaning glass!

.-)

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Ebbie
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:53 PM

Clinton, I keep Goof Off! on hand for that kind of thing. Works for a lot of different things, including getting old paint out of paint brushes. Breaks it down immediately, but is fairly pungent. It comes in a can that you upturn onto a cloth or paper towel.

Ebbie

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:58 PM

Use 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner, part number 051135-08987. It's designed to do just that kind of job. We were first introduced to it when we were trying to remove some decotative striping from our motorhome. Tape and residue came off slick as a whistle.

It's kinda hard to find. If an auto parts store doesn't have it, call a body shop (no, not that kind of body shop, Clint) and ask them where they get it.

By the way, this stuff is the greatest for removing road tar from your vehicle. The tar and other gunk just dissolves on contact.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: ddw
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 08:59 PM

Sorry, Clinton —— misread your original post. What the hell kind of tape/glue is that? I've never encountered anything that a razor blade wouldn't take off glass. Sounds like you've got a real mess.

Thanks —— I won that guitar almost three years ago and it's been the one I play most since then.

Sorry I missed you, but not sorry I missed GR. A lot of people like him, but I have a problem with his attitude problem so I just give him a miss when he comes around now.

cheers,

david

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 10:10 PM

3 years ago? Eric lead me to believe this was a recent thing at Windsor Folk... the one that was on display the last time James Keelaghan played all full of head cold...

GR's attitude problem? What attitude problem? I've never seen him having more fun and laughs on stage....

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 10:12 PM

Someone mentioned Mentholatum. Similar is cooking oil, which is the second step after a razor blade in my wife's bag of tricks. That is followed by soap and water and finally distilled water and a clean non-lint rag. There are a few glues that require paint solvent or nail varnish remover after the razor scraping. It looks like most of the remedies have been mentioned. The stink of WD-40 lasts forever; also some of the varsol types are persistent. I hesitate to use them in the house.

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 11 Feb 02 - 10:17 PM

WD-40 stinks?

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Lyrical Lady
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 12:47 AM

Clinton ... try some stuff called goo-gone ... works like a hot damn on anything sticky...tar, tape, black marks on lino, price tags on wine glasses .. got mine at Homehard Ware!

LL

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: reggie miles
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 01:26 AM

It sounds like you've found your solution already. If all else fails in some future sticky situation another good trick that someone told me about is to use lighter fluid. It's kind of smelly but it evaporates quickly. There's something in the petroleum base that allows it to combine with and loosen that sticky glue from tapes etc.

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: technission
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 02:34 AM

Also for the future, try lacquer thinner as opposed to paint thinner/mineral spirits/kerosene/#2 deisel. Nail-polish remover/thinner is probably lacquer thinner. Everyone should have some "Goo-Gone" and "Goof-Off" both around the house but careful on some plastics with them! And if you have Fresh, Gummy adhesive to get off of sound cables and the like - get more tape! Really - fresh tape of the same type, stuck onto the offending residue briefly and then pulled back off, will frequently convince the residue to become one with the new tape's adhesive layer. This is zen and the art of cable-cleaning from a sound geek...and watch out for those Volatile Organic Compounds in poorly-ventilated areas. There are much more satisfying and entertaining ways to kill those surplus brain cells. End of dad-lecture # 27.

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 03:47 AM

Ya... come to think of it, I've heard of Goo-Gone... and I've been meaning to pick up a 'glop' of it...

ta fer the reminder...

I also tried the new tape solution, but alas alack it did naught...

;-)

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 04:50 AM

In the UK we have a liquid we call "White Spirit" - some years ago it was called Turpentine Substitute. It's really intended as a solvent for oil-based paints, but it usually works well on anything oily or sticky. If that doesn't shift it, try Cellulose Thinners (Acetone). You usually need to get the tape off first (use a razor blade or similiar) so that the solvent can get to the adhesive.

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Hrothgar
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 06:00 AM

Eucalyptus oil - if you can get on your end of the world.

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 08:49 AM

British "White Spirit" is known in the US as "Mineral Spirits" or "Paint Thinner", both exactly the same product except they charge more for the label that says "Mineral Spirits".

Murray

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 11:36 AM

I would just use my fingernails. Its slow, but it should work.

Subject: RE: Help: Tape glue off a mirror?
From: swirlygirl
Date: 12 Feb 02 - 01:24 PM

Furniture polish takes off anything sticky from any surface as far as I've found...

:)

xxx