Decals removal and sticky residue

[pulseezar]

Thanks all - can confirm WD-40 works a treat!

[David9694]

WD40/GT85 work well for this. You can also buy specialist sticky stuff removers.

But ARE THEY LUBRICANTS

[Bmblbzzz]

Many thanks for all your advice. I shall let you know how I get on.
I am so pleased because i was a bit scared about posting what might have seemed a very trivial problem, but so often it is the little problems that concern us.
This morning for example I was wearing cycle specific overtrousers, my fear was of catching them in my chainwheel!

It’s not a trivial problem: if I’d lent someone one of my best bikes and they’d done the same, I would not have been happy. I wouldn’t have lent them a bike again but, of course, I would have stipulated to look after and not damage or alter. A crash is different but this was deliberate and shows a lack of consideration for someone’s property. Bikes are very personal things.

True. However, it could be that Ride London organizers insisted on all bikes having a registration sticker – although admittedly such things are normally done with zip ties not adhesive.

Anyway, I'm not sure from this thread if the OP managed to clean the sticker off or not, and if so, how.

[Cowsham]

The best thing to take a sticker off is Pledge ( original ) spray all over the sticker and leave it for a day or so. If it's a particularly tough one you may need to lift a corner or edges and give it another spray and another day. This way you won't damage or discolour the frame paint. -- discovered this many many years ago taking labels off brown goods without damaging the item.

[David9694]

Heat helps lift old vinyl decals from frames, but then there’s the sticky residue which we’ve talked about before.

I’ve tried cellulose thinners, a high-speed polishing mop, B&Q paint stripper all to very little avail. Sometimes penetrating oil helps, but elbow grease and 180 grit wet and dry seem to be the only ways.

Is there anything I can safely use that will break it down on contact to wipe away?

[slowster]

To remove the adhesive residue remaining after peeling off labels I usually just use a little GT85, and then rub the area with my thumb or index finger. The solvent in GT85 is usually enough with that for the remaining adhesive to peel off or 'ball up' such that it can be pulled off.

However, the one time I removed some large labels covering almost the entire circumference of a disc rim, I found the adhesive was much stronger and it took much longer to do (and I think I may have resorted to iso-propyl-alcohol instead). It sounds like your decals are worse, but it might still be worth trying GT85, WD40 or similar.

[kylecycler]

If slowster's suggestions don't work (assuming you'll likely have what he's suggested lying around), you could try tar remover. You might need to let it soak.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-c ... 40632.html

If it doesn't work too well, try applying it liberally then wrapping with clingfilm to keep the air out (although it might melt the clingfilm, I don't know).

Can't promise it will work but it might be your best shot. Useful stuff that you could use in other ways too (like, tar removal!) - meaning, even if you only use it for that job, and hopefully it works, but whether it does or not, it might also come in handy for other applications.

[PH]

There's plenty of specific label removing products available, I have an aerosol from Maplin so you're a few years late for that particular one, though I suspect they're all similar. It's intended for paper labels where you let it soak in, but it's worked fine on any sticky stuff left when removing others.

[Cowsham]

I discovered the perfect label removal stuff by accident many years ago.

Original Pledge furniture spray -- but leave it on for about 12 hours -- go back wipe with something like a dishcloth and possibly more Polish -- sometimes the label will come right off -- other times it'll take another coating of pledge Polish and another few hours to soak.

The foam holds the moisture in along with whatever solvents are in the stuff.

I don't know what's in it but it's the best way if you don't want to damage the finish underneath.

[rjb]

White spirit will remove most sticky label residues.

[francovendee]

Try white spirit, get the surface really wet with it, wait a few seconds and the glue wipes off.

[Mick F]

Mrs Mick F makes jams, chutneys, pickles, marmalades ............ and people give her jars.
She and I are dab hands at sticky label removal.
Some of the jars seem like the labels are welded on, and some come off with ease.

The difficult ones need hot water and a pan scourer, but often the residue refuses to come off.
Perhaps soaked in a strong solution of soda, and even that sometimes doesn't work.

WD40 is a the go-to system whilst a pan-scourer is working it in. Eventually, it will succumb.

[Benz3ne]

I discovered the perfect label removal stuff by accident many years ago.

Original Pledge furniture spray -- but leave it on for about 12 hours -- go back wipe with something like a dishcloth and possibly more Polish -- sometimes the label will come right off -- other times it'll take another coating of pledge Polish and another few hours to soak.

The foam holds the moisture in along with whatever solvents are in the stuff.

I don't know what's in it but it's the best way if you don't want to damage the finish underneath.

Furniture sprays and boot polishes are often waxes with a hydrocarbon base (not dissimilar from naphtha/petrol distillates).
The hydrocarbons are great for loosening or dissolving the glues, the waxes help that spread and prevent resticking.
Makes absolute sense that furniture spray worked! A nice, happy accident there.

[Vorpal]

Alcohol hand gel of the sort that is so common these days, often works well to remove the remains of glue left by stickers & labels. It may also affect the paint, but I think it is somewhat less likely to do so than white spirit.

[Jdsk]

1 I'm not aware of any evidence that any proprietary adhesive remover is more effective than WD-40, and many are a lot more expensive. Soaking and waiting increases effectiveness.

2 More powerful solvents are available, and as you go up the Hierarchy of Solvents the risk of damage to paints, plastics etc also increases. But for this job you don't usually need to step above the first rung.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7292&start=15#p1520512

3 Heat helps.

4 At the mechanical level a plastic credit card and a thumbnail are about the right level of aggressiveness. If you can lift an edge and roll the adhesive from that edge that's generally quicker than scraping each bit.

Jonathan