I started on my bi-monthly list from one of my little old lady customers yesterday. One thing she wants me to do is to remove the stick-on numbers and letters from her metal (typical rural) mailbox. They’ve been on about 8 years, and are the kind that have the metallic print embossed, peel-off back, etc. They’ve started to peel.
I started by peeling off the loose stuff, which was easy. Then a little more of each letter came off without too much trouble–maybe 1/4″. The rest acts like it’s been welded on, or chemically bonded. I scraped and scraped, and all I managed to do was gouge a few more pieces off, mostly with the paint included. I even tried my trick from the Old Linoleum thread, put ice on and then tried to peel the cold letters off. No dice.
Any of you have an idea of what I can put on these things to soften the adhesive, so they’ll come off?
Mac
Replies
I wonder if Goo Gone or Goo-Off might work-- available from Home Despot, too-- especially if you can knife in some cross hatching on the numbers to help it penetrate, and give it some time to soak? Slainte.
Goo Gone or Goof Off might work. A cheap, I'm nothing if not cheap, and low tech solution might be vegetable oil. A poultice of flour and oil or a soaked paper towel taped in place if allowed to set for over night will might soften the crud so it can be scraped off easily. This often works well on labels, decals and stickers.
Lacquer thinner or lighter fluid or possibly WD40.
might want try those in reverse order!
Do not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
I'm thinking for about $15 you could remove the letters with the box still attached and put on a brand new no scratches or dents box.
Unless you're charging this job at $2ºº an hour. Joe H
I had that thought too. I didn't try real long yesterday, just real hard.
I'll try some of these suggestions and let y'all know. Thanks.
Mac
I picked up tip for this kind of stuff from my wife, who used to work at a car dealer. The body shop guys used a heat gun for taking stickers of all kinds off cars.
I use it to remove tape from undererneath golf grips when I change them, and have tried it on other labels and tape with equal success.
A hair dryer works aboutr as well, and for a mail box out on the street, I might try careful use of a propave torch. Mostly, you only have to get the tape warm to the touch, and it comes off easily.
K
Yep, I'll bet a hair dryer or heat gun would work, but to get the heat out to the mailbox, try grabbing a towel hot from the clothes dryer. You might have to repeat the process, but it'll be easier than an extension cord.
Good luck. Greg.
Edited 12/20/2002 3:33:22 PM ET by Greg Gibson
oxyacetylene torch.
NapalmDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
ya know- a can of lysol (or most any flammable aerosol) and a bic lighter make a dandy compact, portable flamethrower.
just tryin' to help....
m
why not just get a new mail box and new lettering? seems a whole lot simpler to me!
If his little old lady customer is anything like my mom ( a classic little old lady), then what is simple has absolutely nothing to do with what she wants done! Replace a perfectly good mailbox? You people today! Why, in my day....
=====Zippy=====
hey zippy it was only a suggestion.........wow think about the mental anguish and labor to remove those crusty labels exposed to years of heat and cold. Not to mention the box will now have to have a new coat of paint, and new labels anyway. A new mail box costs about ten dollars and the labels are less than a dollar each. give me a break! In my day we saved ourselves the headaches!