Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

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bretski
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Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

Post by bretski » Fri May 25, 2007 1:55 pm

Spent this morning and this afternoon working on my doors. Yesterday, I had tried cleaning them up with SimpleGreen and more Target brand orange oil cleaner. Worked so-so; still a lot of gunk on there.

This morning, I set out to clean out the old weatherstrip adhesive. Was using a scraper and paint thinner (on advice of FLAPS guy who used to work @ paint shop). The paint thinner does a good job of dissolving old cured sealant.

I had a leftover soaked rag, and decided to hit the inside of the door itself. The paint thinner cut through that 30 year old grease/fuzz/gunk like a hot knife through butter. Even better, it doesn't harm cured paint!
1978 Deluxe Westfalia - "Klaus"

"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio

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Amskeptic
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Re: Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

Post by Amskeptic » Fri May 25, 2007 7:21 pm

bretski wrote: Even better, it doesn't harm cured paint!
Careful. Look at a clean rag after wiping your favorite hidden painted area. See transfer? Cuidado. . .
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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bretski
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Re: Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

Post by bretski » Sat May 26, 2007 6:30 am

Amskeptic wrote:Careful. Look at a clean rag after wiping your favorite hidden painted area. See transfer? Cuidado. . .
Noted, kind sir :salute:

I double-checked with a clean rag...no transfer. That OG paint is tough!
1978 Deluxe Westfalia - "Klaus"

"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio

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Post by DurocShark » Sat May 26, 2007 6:35 am

If you're gonna be using it to clean with, try Kleen Strip's new mineral spirits replacement. Same degreasing and cleaning but no odor and doesn't dry out your skin.

I use it to clean my paint gun.

It's called KS PRO and is around $7 a gallon at wallyworld.

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bretski
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Post by bretski » Sat May 26, 2007 7:16 am

Thanks, Don. I'll look for that. Used Klean Strip brand paint thinner (smells like mineral spirits to me) for this job. Yellow dishwashing gloves were worn to maintain my baby-soft skin... :joker:
1978 Deluxe Westfalia - "Klaus"

"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio

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Re: Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

Post by Snap » Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:00 pm

I like to use brake clean to clean up greasy parts. That stuff gets expensive @ ~$4 a can. I starting using rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle from Dollar Tree. Works pretty well and it is less harmful to painted surfaces and skin contact than brake clean. For really tough grease, I soak parts in Kerosene.
-Snap

'70 Type II
9 Passenger
1641 DP
Solex- 34 PICT 3

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Re: Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:10 pm

Snap wrote:I like to use brake clean to clean up greasy parts. That stuff gets expensive @ ~$4 a can. I starting using rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle from Dollar Tree. Works pretty well and it is less harmful to painted surfaces and skin contact than brake clean. For really tough grease, I soak parts in Kerosene.
Kerosene is a good bridge between water-based and solvent-based cleaners.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:56 am

Amskeptic wrote:
Snap wrote:I like to use brake clean to clean up greasy parts. That stuff gets expensive @ ~$4 a can. I starting using rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle from Dollar Tree. Works pretty well and it is less harmful to painted surfaces and skin contact than brake clean. For really tough grease, I soak parts in Kerosene.
Kerosene is a good bridge between water-based and solvent-based cleaners.
Colin
Goof Off is my new favorite adhesive remover, it is what allowed me to remove acres of 45 year-old adhesive under my headliner in Chloe. It can damage your brain cells and it can eat through any resprayed areas that were not factory baked. There is a time component to Goof Off that allows you to determine how aggressively it is going to do its job. The longer you keep your wetted terrycloth on the area, the more it is going to soak into the paint. Once you have removed the adhesive, the paint will be vulnerable to even fingernail scratches until the solvents have fully evaporated.
Colin

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

Post by wcfvw69 » Fri Apr 24, 2015 10:02 am

Amskeptic wrote:
Goof Off is my new favorite adhesive remover,
I couldn't agree more. When I repainted my 67 bug, I pulled the original carpet under the dash. I was greeted by a copious amount of 45 year old glue from the overzealous factory worker who installed the carpet. I tried all the common chemicals to loosen it (paint thinner, gasoline, acetone, etc..). The only thing that worked was Goof off. As Colin mentioned, you have to let it soak a bit and then it removes it. Don't get me wrong, you still have to put some elbow grease in it but it worked nicely.
1970 Westfalia bus. Stock 1776 dual port type 1 engine. Restored German Solex 34-3. Restored 205Q distributor, restored to factory appearance engine.

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Re: Great degreaser/adhesive remover: Paint Thinner

Post by hambone » Fri Apr 24, 2015 12:53 pm

Brake cleaner is also good on original paint, doesn't seem to mind. Small doses of course.
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