How to get rid of unknown adhesive? Help! Suggestions please

[DavidMRea]

My GibSea's interior panels are coming away from the hull.

I need to clean off the old adhesive (as it's clearly not adhering!) before refitting the interior. Any suggestions / recommendations as to how to remove this sticky stuff (not sticky enough stuff)?

[charliehows]

a word to the wise - I'm not really familiar with gibsea but am assuming an FRG hull. rule no.1 - whatever chemical you might use to dissolve an adhesive may or may not also dissolve your hull. You could try contacting the manufacturer of the boat to see if they will offer any useful information. Personally, I dont use any chemical solvents on my boat because i just dont have the chemistry confidence to risk it. That leaves elbow grease, I'm afraid. Hope someone else can help with more specific advice.

[s/v Jedi]

I recommend mechanical removal using a Fein Multimaster with the blade attachment

[Hesti]

A heat gun may help softening it.



On the rough surface of internal GRP, wire brushes may also work.

[wolfgal]

this may sound unconvincing, but perhaps do a test with coconut oil.

i've been amazed at how well it has taken off different post-adhesive sticky spots

[motion30]

what works great is a wire wheel on a drill. And I believe any chemical you use on that adhesive will not affect the hull. Cured fiberglass is some very tough material

[Reefmagnet]

after spending time with multiple solvents just yesterday trying to remove old glue (years old masking tape in multiple layers, left out in the weather - don't ask!), I'd suggest using a mechanical solution, as it will also prepare and rough up the glass to receive new glue. For this a small angle grinder fitted with a course flap disk is hard to beat. If the glue is soft, a "caramel wheel" works well. If going the solvent route, I've found degreasing fluid or wax and grease remover to work well on sticky glues. There are also citrus based solvents (which I tried yesterday without being overly impressed) and I have heard about, but not tried, contact cement remover. This latter product sounds like the exact thing one would use if the original glue is, in fact, contact cement or similar.

[DavidMRea]

Thank you, all.
I thought the mechanical suggestions would be just as damaging as any chemical suggestions... but you've given me a few suggestions to try out in mini-patches.

BTW - GibSea were taken over by Dufour many years ago

[hellosailor]

Cabinet scraper. if it works, it may work better than other tools. If you use a wire brush, use brass, because steel leaves embedded bits that later like to rust and bleed rust. If you use heat, make sure to ventilate well. Sometimes you can use a dry ice slush to freeze it and make it more brittle, easier to come off. But whatever you use, PPE (respirator, dust make, googles) as appropriate. If you try solvents...definitely ventilate & respirator.

[TheLastPirate]

Mechanical

[TheLastPirate]

Sorry, hit the wrong button. Mechanical, Id start with a chisel and carefully slice off as close to the glass as you can get, then get closer with a small pocket knife , very sharp of course, then you can go with a palm sander to clean the last bit up. or hand sand if its not a large area, youll want to scuff the area up anyway for the next adhesive. A awesome chemical that removes 5200 is called "Anti bond" it comes in a little aresol can , you used to be able to get it at west marine, you may have to order it now. It makes 5200 come off like silly putty. Amazing stuff, I had a guy start on removing some ports on a sailboat with a chisel , He worked for hours and hours to get two off. I was put on the job and had the other 6 off in a hour..mostly because I let the stuff sit for a while between prying off. There was no delamination.

[DavidMRea]

Originally Posted by Hesti

A heat gun may help softening it.



On the rough surface of internal GRP, wire brushes may also work.

Does anyone think a heat gun might harm the fibreglass?

[Wayne hoath]

Acetone. Good quality one from the chandlers and not nail varnish remover. I’ve used to remove some very persistent glue from race decals. Did the job and made it seem easy.

[john-o]

Paint stripper will completely and easily remove almost any glue and won't damage polyester resin or gelcoat. It's also great for removing caulking and bedding compound when refitting deck hardware, as long as the deck isn't painted.

[tomrealest]

Use 3M Adhesive Remover