How do I remove aged glue gunk from a metal surface?
August 3, 2020 9:26 AM Subscribe
I have a camera on which I have removed the leatherette. How do I get rid of the gunk underneath so that I can put on a new covering? It needs to be 'clean' before I set to work...
Unfortunately, it was *very* well bonded and there's now a layer of residue - some amber-brown chunks that chip off easily, some the underlayer of the leatherette where it wouldn't peel off cleanly. I believe this may be shellac-based glue - the camera is an Agfa from the late 1950s - but I'm struggling to work out how to get off the stuff that's under the bit of leatherette left on. I can scratch it off a bit with a flat spanner head, but doing it this way will take forever and I'm sure there's a more efficient way. What should I do?
Please note I am in the UK so some suggestions may not work for me - but happy for any advice!
Unfortunately, it was *very* well bonded and there's now a layer of residue - some amber-brown chunks that chip off easily, some the underlayer of the leatherette where it wouldn't peel off cleanly. I believe this may be shellac-based glue - the camera is an Agfa from the late 1950s - but I'm struggling to work out how to get off the stuff that's under the bit of leatherette left on. I can scratch it off a bit with a flat spanner head, but doing it this way will take forever and I'm sure there's a more efficient way. What should I do?
Please note I am in the UK so some suggestions may not work for me - but happy for any advice!
Response by poster: I don't think I can get Goo Gone specifically here, which is annoying!
posted by mippy at 9:31 AM on August 3, 2020
posted by mippy at 9:31 AM on August 3, 2020
Best answer: Alcohol also dissolves shellac, though less aggressively than acetone. Alcohol is less likely to damage the surface under the glue.
posted by jon1270 at 9:37 AM on August 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by jon1270 at 9:37 AM on August 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
Lacquer thinner removes most glue/adhesive from glass and metal very well, but it's toxic and quite fumey. Wear disposable gloves and a mask; use cottons swabs to apply, and a clean dry soft cloth to wipe up. Be careful around any plastic parts, it can affect some older type plastics (hazing or smearing the surface).
posted by winesong at 9:39 AM on August 3, 2020
posted by winesong at 9:39 AM on August 3, 2020
Best answer: Rubbing alcohol would be good to try as a first step, and it's probably the least toxic and cheapest solution if it works. Is is possible to remove the part of the case you're trying to clean and soak it in alcohol?
posted by mekily at 9:46 AM on August 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by mekily at 9:46 AM on August 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
Another classic adhesive remover is lighter fuel; you'd want to test a drop to make sure it doesn't discolor anything, but it's super-effective on many adhesives. Gloves and ventilation required.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:49 AM on August 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by aspersioncast at 9:49 AM on August 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
You just need to find the right solvent that works for your particular glue - acetone, alcohol, lacquer thinner, paint thinner. Fortunately, since this is from the 1950s, you don't have to deal with many of the modern plastic polymers.
One cheap test would be to try nail polish remover. It is about 50% acetone. If this works, then you can buy a can of full strength acetone to do the job.
posted by JackFlash at 9:51 AM on August 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
One cheap test would be to try nail polish remover. It is about 50% acetone. If this works, then you can buy a can of full strength acetone to do the job.
posted by JackFlash at 9:51 AM on August 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
Another toxic chemical you could try is toluene, aka rubber cement thinner.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:03 AM on August 3, 2020
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:03 AM on August 3, 2020
Another classic adhesive remover is lighter fuel
Specifically naphtha, the stuff you use to refill Zippo-style wick lighters.
posted by neckro23 at 10:42 AM on August 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
Specifically naphtha, the stuff you use to refill Zippo-style wick lighters.
posted by neckro23 at 10:42 AM on August 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
Not sure if it will work for this but furniture polish, sprayed really thickly at very close range, is amazingly good at removing stickers and adhesive residue. Spray on as much as possible then leave for an hour or so and the stuff just slides off. Might not work but not too toxic and shouldn’t damage anything, so worth a try?
posted by ElasticParrot at 10:47 AM on August 3, 2020
posted by ElasticParrot at 10:47 AM on August 3, 2020
I'm in the UK and I have a big bottle of goo-gone I got on Amazon ages ago. I try to avoid Amazon now but it looks like they have it on eBay with fast shipping.
There's also De-solv-it that you can get at Halfords, and my favourite sticky-stuff remover, WD-40.
posted by cilantro at 11:13 AM on August 3, 2020
There's also De-solv-it that you can get at Halfords, and my favourite sticky-stuff remover, WD-40.
posted by cilantro at 11:13 AM on August 3, 2020
Acohol-based hand-sanitizer can work very well for this: it's what I used when I 're-upholstered' an old camera.
posted by misteraitch at 12:35 PM on August 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by misteraitch at 12:35 PM on August 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Hello! I tried a cotton pad soaked with 70% alcohol (they don't call it 'rubbing alcohol here - I got it from a beauty supply store pre-Covid) and that took a fair bit off. Going to get some pure acetone nail polish remover from Superdrug later and work carefully on the rest. Thanks for the suggestions, all!
posted by mippy at 1:24 AM on August 4, 2020
posted by mippy at 1:24 AM on August 4, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
If it really is shellac, then acetone would be the usual choice.
Can you use a razor blade to carefully "shave" off the remaining leatherette to expose the glue?
posted by wenestvedt at 9:30 AM on August 3, 2020