Silicone and other adhesive removal

[sartorst]

I have been totally frustrated trying to get silicone off of fiberglass efficiently without too much damage you know the drill . I was tying to get silicone out of a 1/2 inch radius of which I had 40 feet to deal with, I found a hardwood dowel worked ok, all metal tools caused too much damage . So I spot a 1/2" by 10" fiberglass rod in my friends tools. It worked like a champ, and when ground off at an angle cleaned the flat surfaces also. When the efficiency went down a few strokes on a piece of sand paper on a flat surface brought a sharp edge right back
Turns out to be a fiberglass pin for retaining wall construction Give it a try you will be impressed how well it cleans fiberglass
Keystone Straight Pin for Retaining Wall Systems - landscape block fibreglass | eBay

[a64pilot]

I use plexiglass for these types of things, make it like a windshield scraper, but I will never, ever put silicone on fiberglass, it leaves some kind of oil behind and nothing else will adhere.

[ben373]

I use a caramal wheel. Works great and does not damage,

[sartorst]

Originally Posted by ben373

I use a caramal wheel. Works great and does not damage,

I use those also They are my 2nd choice

[Polux]

There is a special thinner that takes away silicone and adhesive without damaging the gelcoat. I use it plenty of times on my sailboat unfortunately I just ask for that on the shipyard and the can has only a number. I have it on the boat and it is very useful to tale away adhesive from the gelcoat.

Maybe something like this, but I am not sure:
https://en.foerch.com/chemical-produ...-remover-r507#

[Zai]

There is a silicon removal chemical which Dow makes.
It is called DS 2520. It takes all of the silicon and residue.

Can be a challenge to find it, but it works perfectly.

https://www.dowcorning.com/applicati....aspx?R=9982EN

[Bobcat]

Interesting, I never knew anything that would clean off silicone residue enough to apply a different filler/adhesive! I wonder what the active ingredient is in the products mentioned?

I've always abraded the surface and it usually works but personally, I would never use silicone on anything that might need a coat of something else later (even much later ... years later) though it seems that it is recommended as a sealant around 'lights' (windows) etc to prevent water ingress.

If the surfaces are be cleaned with vinegar/acetic acid first it helps. Vinegar is also a good way to clean off uncured epoxy - but it degrades the epoxy so best not used near the work in hand but OK on gloves and tools etc. Cheaper and kinder if any epoxy gets on your hands - which it shouldn't of course!

[UNCIVILIZED]

Thanks guys!

[newhaul]

MEK ( meythal Ethel keytone ) does wonders . It will clean everything right down to the gelcoat easily and efficiently .
It is also the recommended cleaner for hyapalon prior to gluing you just have to remember to apply a good wax to protect the gel coat from UV damage after you are done with the cleaning and repairs.

[Bobcat]

Dangerous stuff - as are many of these types of chemicals, also flammable!

 Toxic by all routes of exposur,  Chemical classification: irritant
Inhalation of high levels can cause irritation of the nose, throat and lungs and chest
tightness.
 Ingestion causes inflammation of the mouth and stomach upset
 Skin contact may cause irritation, redness, drying and dermatitis
 Inhalation, ingestion or prolonged skin contact can also cause headache, dizziness,
tiredness, slurred speech, low temperature, fitting and coma
 Eye contact can cause irritation and in severe cases permanent eye damage

[Symphony]

good ventilation needed!
watch out for methylene chloride (it's in goo gone, some paint strippers, may be in some versions MEK) - can kill you quickly.
also labeled as methylene dichloride, Freon 30 methane.

[captain mitch]

OMG!!!
Methylene Chloride, the sky is falling!!
Seriously it can be used with no problem , course you don't want to use it to clean yur skin or as mouthwash, but it will break down plastisizers in caulk, and anything made with vinyl so keep it away from your enclosure windows, vinyl cushions and certainly don't let it sit on that PVC (polyvinyl chloride) dingy!!
Big issue with it is that its flash point is so low it evaporates before it gets the job done. Hence as a paint stripper it is mixed with fillers to retard it's evaporation.
For years it was the go to dry cleaning fluid until a rat drank 3 gallons and came down with cancer.

[Maka]

This is even scarier than any of those chemicals

Boat
Littered with trip and slip hazards.
Fraught with drowning possibilities.
Crew easily overcome by over exposure to the elements in the cockpit or on deck.
The list goes on.
Suffice it to say that millions of people have lost their lives over the centuries by mucking around on boats.

[timjf]

Originally Posted by ben373

I use a caramal wheel. Works great and does not damage,

Hi mate nice to see another "Bene" sailor here i have an Oceanis 390 in Middle Harbour ...haveing some trouble removeing the "backing paper " from the newly installed portlights ..seems the paper has "baked on" on and adheared to the inside any clues please ??? Cheers Tim

[hellosailor]

The oily residue is, oddly enough, silicone oil. Much like the silicone fuser oil used in traditional Xerox machines. The Dow stuff should take it all off, if you can find it. But there's also a 3M auto body prep compound ("prep wash" or something like that) that is designed to remove all waxes and polishes especially the silicone-based ones, because they cause fisheye blemishes in paint jobs if any silicone residue is left. If all you need to get rid of is the stain, any body shop supply should have that.