How do you remove adhesive from wheel?

[MikeTheHunter]

I removed a leather wrap from my wheel. Underneath there was something like a continuous double-sided white tape. Most of this was peelable, but some was not. After removing this there's a very tough closely adhered layer of transparent glue. This seems almost impossible to get off. Acetone does nothing. I'm now painting on Goof Off adhesive remover. I'm trying to scrape off with a plastic spatula. It's really barely working and will take many many hours of work with the possibility, I think, of scraping the chrome finish. What solvent should I be using?

 

[jssailem]

WD40? And a bunch of rags.

 

[dlochner]

I removed a leather wrap from my wheel. Underneath there was something like a continuous double-sided white tape. Most of this was peelable, but some was not. After removing this there's a very tough closely adhered layer of transparent glue. This seems almost impossible to get off. Acetone does nothing. I'm now painting on Goof Off adhesive remover. I'm trying to scrape off with a plastic spatula. It's really barely working and will take many many hours of work with the possibility, I think, of scraping the chrome finish. What solvent should I be using?

The wheel is probably polished stainless steel not chromed. If there are some scrapes, they can be polished out.

3m makes an adhesive remover, you might try that. They also make a rubber wheel that goes on a drill to remove vinyl pin stripping and lettering, that may work too.

 

[capta]

I assume you mean Goo Gone? Perhaps a paint remover would do the job. Put something under where you're working as that stuff can really mess up other materials.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Maybe move up one on the list of nasty solvents ? Try lacquer thinner with repeated applications but be careful of not getting it on anything else.

 

[Ward H]

They also make a rubber wheel that goes on a drill to remove vinyl pin stripping and lettering, that may work too

I just used one of these to remove left over adhesive from stick on velcro. PO used velcro all over. The wheel worked great.

 

[Admiral]

Heat will help soften it up. May be a little easier. I have used heat guns to aid in removing very stubborn materials and graphics.
As others have stated be careful.

 

[Brian D]

Peanut Butter. The oil in PB will help desolve the adhesive. I have used PB to remove labels and stickers from medicine bottles to use as screw holders. Or, you can use 3-in-1 oil. I would think anything oil base will help. But not oil base paint. LOL

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Peanut Butter. The oil in PB will help desolve the adhesive.

Can the PB be eaten afterwards ?

 

[Marmalade]

I scrapped the sticky residue with a razor blade. It seemed like it was double-sided tape, with adhesive on both sides of a plastic film. So the Goo Gone couldn’t get underneath the film to release the lower residue.

Using a razor like a potato peeler worked great, then Goo Gone to get the final little bit of residue after shaving all the film and majority of the adhesive.

Although time consuming, stitching the new cover was instantly rewarding.

 

[Brian D]

Can the PB be eaten afterwards ?

Sure, why knot?

 

[DArcy]

I second Goo Gone. It does a good job on tape adhesives and is reasonably environmentally friendly. Maybe not as friendly as peanut butter, at least for squirrels.

 

[Brian D]

ROFLMAO... OK, I give on the PB. However, everyone probably has a jar PB in their home. Try it before spending money on commercial products. Peanut Oil will break down adhesive as well as if not better than commercial stuff.

If you want to test it, get one of the gallon plastic water bottles that have the label on it. Try taking the label off. Then, smear some PB on the label. Now try and take it off. Bet it comes off in one piece.

Oh... and the best part is the smell. Better PB than Goo Gone or WD-40. (because there is no emoji for PB)

 

[Stu Jackson]

Mike you haves to be the very first skipper I've heard of who removed leather from a wheel. Wrapping the wheel was one of the very first things we did when we got our boat in 1998 - that SS was soooo cold even on a summer day in San Francisco. I guess yours must have been in poor shape.

 

[Tally Ho]

Mineral spirits may work better than Goo Gone (but also way more fumes). Scrape as much off as possible as others have said with a sharp scraper or knife, then use the solvent to clean off the rest.

Greg

 

[Bruce Goldman]

Boatleather recommends a boxcutter and a bunch of new blades. Clean up vestiges of adhesive with citrus cleaner or acetone.
I have re-covered 3 wheels (so far) and this works. Tedious, but it works.

 

[berner73]

I removed a leather wrap from my wheel. Underneath there was something like a continuous double-sided white tape. Most of this was peelable, but some was not. After removing this there's a very tough closely adhered layer of transparent glue. This seems almost impossible to get off. Acetone does nothing. I'm now painting on Goof Off adhesive remover. I'm trying to scrape off with a plastic spatula. It's really barely working and will take many many hours of work with the possibility, I think, of scraping the chrome finish. What solvent should I be using?

I would try using the "Goo Be Gone" gel formula, not the liquid spray. The gel is much more effective (when used per the mfg's instructions). You will need to apply this 2-3 times and let it set for 15-20 minutes per application, cleaning the residual off in between stages. Plastic razor blades are a good option in this situation, they won't score the SS but will remove the adhesive for the first couple of iterations (a rag is fine after that). If the wheel is still at the helm, I would recommend using towels/drop cloths underneath. Once the majority of the adhesive is removed, any of the above mentioned solvents will serve as a final cleaner.