RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

Like the 40+ year old stuff that is really really really on there???

I usually just go with hot water and Dawn, and manual scraping, but I am always on the lookout for the laziest means of doing anything .............. so I am hoping someone knows of a secret technique to remove this old stuff in a matter of minutes instead of me waiting for hours.

What you got??

morrisey0 wrote: ↑Tue May 13, 2025 7:18 pm Like the 40+ year old stuff that is really really really on there???

I usually just go with hot water and Dawn, and manual scraping, but I am always on the lookout for the laziest means of doing anything .............. so I am hoping someone knows of a secret technique to remove this old stuff in a matter of minutes instead of me waiting for hours.

What you got??

Propane Torch-Burn it off
Boiling water - Boil the parts
Heat gun and a scraper

Ronsonal lighter fluid.

Let the foam soak it up. Old tape takes a little longer but it still comes off clean.

if I have trouble the first thing I do is soak in wd40 for a while- like overnight

I also use WD40 on exceptionally dry tape and adhesives, but I will resort to a Wagner heat gun as needed.

I'm sure it's been mentioned. Spray old stubborn ass tape with WD-40, let soak for a few minutes, rub-a-dub-dub with your choice of diglets or thumb, rinse and repeat until all gone. This has made the crustiest of crusty many decades old servo be gone in no time. Clean the WD-40 residue with dish soapy water and voila.

I use regular naphtha/zippo lighter fluid.. let it soak in, then scrape off with a plastic razor blade or your fingernail.. It’s great for cleaning a lot of other things off too and doesn’t attack paints. Goo-Gone/Goof Off works too, but is really hot and will remove paints and attack plastics.

BattleTrak wrote: ↑Tue May 13, 2025 8:55 pm I use regular naphtha/zippo lighter fluid.. let it soak in, then scrape off with a plastic razor blade or your fingernail.. It’s great for cleaning a lot of other things off too and doesn’t attack paints. Goo-Gone works too, but is really hot and will remove paints and attack plastics.

Goo-gone is nuclear sh!t, has no business being used for anything r/c related in my opinion. I'll never make the mistake of having that stuff in the r/c room again and accidentally using it.


Edit: My mistake, I was thinking Goof Off, not Goo-Gone.

Let your thumbnail grow out and pack a lot of patience.

Bestine. It's basically lighter fluid without the oil. Available at art stores or at Amazon. Dries quickly.
Bestine is a brand name, BTW.

Not sure what name it would have outside of Australia, but I use Shellite

From Google
Shellite is also known as Solvent X55. The flashpoint of is <0°C making it highly flammable, with a boiling range of 50-135°C. The product is characterised as fast drying, low residue as a contact cleaner, and is a relatively weak solvent so it will be unlikely to affect the surface of most materials.

I also use it to clean surfaces prior to sticking ESC’s down

Bah, just rub on it with your thumb until the tape comes off... then spend three days saying...

I use the three step process on anodized aluminum to remove whatever is on it . First wd-40. Soak that old foam and use your thumbnail to roll it off. Follow with isopropyl alcohol, at least 91%. If there are still things present move to acetone. Sometimes you will need to lift the decals and the glue will remain. These three in this order practically always works.

BattleTrak wrote: ↑Tue May 13, 2025 8:55 pm I use regular naphtha/zippo lighter fluid.. let it soak in, then scrape off with a plastic razor blade or your fingernail.. It’s great for cleaning a lot of other things off too and doesn’t attack paints. Goo-Gone/Goof Off works too, but is really hot and will remove paints and attack plastics.

goof off and goo gone are 2 completely different animals. I personally haven't had an issue with goo gone (the citrus one) but I wouldn't use it on anything painted.

Goof off I'd stay away from personally, too aggressive.

WD-40 often works well enough and who doesn't have a can of it laying around?

Rubber cement - it melts the adhesive and does not damage anything. You may have to apply and rub off a few times.

- limestang