Best way to remove Velcro adhesive from gelcoat. I have tried acetone and tea tree solvent with partial results. I don’t want to damage the gelcoat, this adhesive is what’s left when you pull off the fuzzy section of Velcro and is a hard glue type residue. The Velcro has been there for the 14 years we’ve owned the boat and probable before, it held in place a hatch cover. I have some soy based paint remover but thought maybe someone has a better option.
Adhesive Removal
- Thread starter HiDHo
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Comodave
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I have used 3M adhesive remover with good success. Got it on Amazon, where else?
3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner, 08987, 15 oz Net Wt
3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner, 08987, 15 oz Net Wt
fractalphreak
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Eraser tool. This is one example of many available. We used a similar one to remove old adhesive (from 1984) from an old Bayliner sticker on our Capri.
https://www.amazon.com/PanzerGlobal...2031303&sprefix=rubber+wheel+adhesive+&sr=8-8
https://www.amazon.com/PanzerGlobal...2031303&sprefix=rubber+wheel+adhesive+&sr=8-8
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fractalphreak
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...ps, be prepared for the area under the adhesive to be raised/pround of the rest of the gelcoat... its been protected from wear and weathering for 14+ years hasn't worn down....
Comodave
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Maybe a bit of polishing compound will take the shadow off since it is probably a different color by now.
Lou_tribal
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Try wd40 cleaner (not the lubricant) or spray nine. They are strong enough to remove glue but not enough to make damage.
L
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HopCar
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menzies
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Russell Clifton
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3m adhesive remover. Have you ever used a 3m product that did not work?
HopCar
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Well you sure changed your tune since you owned a store!
True! If I still owned a store I would have put a link to my website.
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There are medical adhesive solvents used for removing bandages without taking skin and hair.
Eucalyptus oil is a good glue solvent, but easier to get here than there.
Eucalyptus oil is a good glue solvent, but easier to get here than there.
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Toluene
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What are you going to try?
I’m going to do a test area, the glue residue goes all the way around the hatch base.
1 GoJo citrus based
2 GoGone
3 3M adhesive remover
4 Adhesive removal wheel
I’m going to put a thick coat of #1 on first and let it hopefully soften the glue over time. Priority is to save the gelcoat under the glue.
1 GoJo citrus based
2 GoGone
3 3M adhesive remover
4 Adhesive removal wheel
I’m going to put a thick coat of #1 on first and let it hopefully soften the glue over time. Priority is to save the gelcoat under the glue.
HopCar
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Sounds like a plan!
I did a test today using a GoJo citrus cleaner, I left it on for 1 hour, it didn’t remove the glue or even soften it. GooGone didn’t do anything so I’m going to try 3M adhesive remover next. I will have to locate it or order it, in the mean time a fellow boater suggested I try WD40 which I have so I’m going to give it a test tomorrow.
These are before and after photos, the 20 some years old glue is hard, I used a plastic scraper after the one hour test but it refuses to come off except in a very few areas as shown in photo 1 vs 3.
These are before and after photos, the 20 some years old glue is hard, I used a plastic scraper after the one hour test but it refuses to come off except in a very few areas as shown in photo 1 vs 3.
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Comodave
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I get the 3M Adhesive Remover from Amazon, where else? Not sure if you will find anything that will take that buildup off after 20 years except maybe sandpaper. It looks very hard. Maybe try the adhesive remover and the scraper to break the surface so the remover can soak into the buildup. Maybe even a metal scraper used carefully. I take putty knifes and sharpen them on a grinder and then use it to shave off most of the buildup then use remover for the last little bit. Just hold the putty knife flat so it doesn’t dig in and use a low angle.
Thanks Dave, my last resort will be heat and surgical precision scraping. I avoid Amazon except as a last resort, just my personal opinion. I’m still hoping some remover will work. I’m always amazed at the new products used to tackle impossible jobs.
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Comodave
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No problem. I have had really good success with the 3M remover but your stuff looks really hardened. It may take physical scraping. Why not just sand it all off and then paint the whole boat???
Bustlebomb
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Not sure about what's available in your neck of the woods but I located the 3M adhesive remover at AutoZone out here in California.
You need to be brave for this method.
A freshly sharpened metal scraper. You need to know it is fresh, as it needs to cut easily and cleanly. Faster than any of your previously mentioned methods, and you should come away with an as new finish.
I recently used a scraper when all else had failed, removing hardened pigeon poop from the front of my fly bridge, the most prominent, obvious spot, so if I cut through into the gelcoat, it would have been very obvious. a couple of months later, when I was painting that area, I couldn't find where the P Poop had been removed, as there were no clues whatsoever.
Package that poop and you will have the most enduring glue ever!
Scottwb96
Senior Member
This may sound weird (did to me at first) but oven cleaner works miracles! FYI, it will yellow the area, but then fades away in about 24 hours. Just make sure you reapply wax when you're done...
I used it to take all of the name decals off my boat, worked like a charm. Scared the crap out of me when I was done and the surface was yellow. But goes right back to regular color the next day or so...
I used it to take all of the name decals off my boat, worked like a charm. Scared the crap out of me when I was done and the surface was yellow. But goes right back to regular color the next day or so...
Comodave
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On a previous boat the PO put a metal flake vinyl name on the transom in huge characters. I got the vinyl off but the gel coat was burned brown. We tried everything we could think of including oven cleaner but the gel coat was actually burned. Finally tried sanding it off but it went way deep into the gel coat. Final fiz was spray painting the transom. Problem fixed.
Fr8dog61
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Light application of heat with a heat gun plus these.
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-nonmarring-scraper-set-95832.html
Very hard plastic, sharp like a chisel. I used this method to remove the old lettering from my transom yesterday. (new to me boat, changing name)
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-nonmarring-scraper-set-95832.html
Very hard plastic, sharp like a chisel. I used this method to remove the old lettering from my transom yesterday. (new to me boat, changing name)
fractalphreak
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+1 Now that I'm thinking about it, we had to remove the old name from NWD, and used something similar. I found actual plastic razor blades, they make a version "formulated" to be "safe" for gelcoat. https://www.razorbladeco.com/plastic-scraping-razor-blue
That still left the hardened glue which we too care of with the rubber wheel...
I just finished test use of 3M adhesive remover and as a boater friend recommended WD40. The photos show the results, the 3M softened the adhesive enough for my home made lexan scrapers to remove the glue with much elbow grease. Surprisingly the WD40 also softened the glue enough to scrape it clean, again with much elbow grease.
My plan now is to first use the WD40 and finish the cleanup with the 3M. The WD40 actually coats the adhesive better and is much more economical. The 3M is a less viscosity and tends to run off the vertical surface hampering it’s ability to penetrate the glue. Both cleaners had no effect on the gelcoat. The before photos are at post#19.
A few hours of cleaning should complete the job.
Thanks for all the information and ideas that helped a lot complete this project.
My plan now is to first use the WD40 and finish the cleanup with the 3M. The WD40 actually coats the adhesive better and is much more economical. The 3M is a less viscosity and tends to run off the vertical surface hampering it’s ability to penetrate the glue. Both cleaners had no effect on the gelcoat. The before photos are at post#19.
A few hours of cleaning should complete the job.
Thanks for all the information and ideas that helped a lot complete this project.
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Comodave
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Glad you got it to work.
