Best way to remove old adhesive from chrome grills?

[Meintii]

I have a driver side grill that I took all the slats off of, and Im planning on using it on my tii (THANKS BILL!)

The only issue is their is some kind of adhesive that was holding the slats on, and goof-off is not working... Im not sure what else I can use, maybe some kind of industrial adhesive remover? I dont want to hurt the "chrome" on the slats, but I also dont want to break a slat off trying to scrub it off with goof-off.

Would paint stripper work?

Thanks!

[FunkyLaneO]

In the past I have used MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) for things like that but I would test to see how it treated the metal before going crazy with it. Worked great for degreasing and stripping paint off of engine parts all at the same time.

careful though, kinda nasty stuff!

[Guest Anonymous]

I have TOO much experience trying to restore old grills to new in my quest to avoid buying, very expensive new ones. First they are aluminum that scratches very easily so never use abrassive scrubbing pads or paint scrapers on them. My first attempt to remove adhesive would be with Gum and Adhesive Remover. If that doesn't work, then I would move to Aircraft Remover paint stripper for metal surfaces, which is very corrosive, so use appropriate ventilation, gloves, eye and face protection. I have used this stripper on entire black-painted aluminum grills and it works well and does not mar the grill, if care is used to remove the paint-stripper glob. Good luck.

________________________

Roger

'72 Malaga

RBenson685@aol.com

[nbcbird]

Rubber cement thinner (at art supply stores) and Wurth cleaner/solvent are good solvents that are not as "active" as MEK, lacquer thinner, or acetone.

[esty]

i removed the gunk from the set of grills on my 69 by soaking it a short while in lacquer thinner...no harm was done to the grill in the process

[bills2002]

Hey! You don't have time to play with your toys. Get that moonunit working. ;-)

[SteveJ]

Mount the grille on the car and take a long, high-speed drive on a gravel road behind a truck. That should effectively remove any trace of the old adhesive. However, it will also remove the paint from your car, the outer layer of your windshield, and the filiments from within your headlamps.

Seriously- when working with solvents, always start with the least caustic and work your way up. Citrus based cleaners, Isopropyl, 3M general Purpose Adhesive Remover, etc... Maybe try a little heat (without the chemicals). Same thing- start with a hair dryer, then to the paint stripper gun, then the propane torch.

Watch that MEK- REALLY nasty stuff. Think skin coverage and breathing protection. My company has made it illegal for us to use that or 1-1-1 TriChlor.

[DUDONLY]

Go to the CVS or your local grocery store and get some Goo Gone let it soak in and the adhesive will peel off with no harm done to the grills.

[TobyB]

That stuff really sticks.

I too have used lacquer thinner, and I think I may die of old age

(if not chemical exposure) before thinner takes it off.

I think I got one slat done, looked at it, and thought

about new ones, price be damned.

I wonder how heat would do?

t

[Meintii]

I wonder how heat would do?

t

Thats a good question. I would think the the heat may change the color of the metal if too much was applied... But even if it did make the stuff melt, wouldnt it be sticky again? And then I would be able to use solvent while it was hot due to deadly fumes! I guess it could be scraped off..

Ill play around with it some and get back to this topic.

Shut up bill ... cant fix the moonunit in the cold and dark windy nights[ in the driveway], which is when i have my spare time! LOL

[TobyB]

I was thinking about heat in the 300f heatgun range- not hot enough to hurt the

anodizing, but hotter than it could ever experience in hot sun, etc.

But you're right, if it got all gooey again, then wha good would that do?

I'll have to try it sometime.

t

[Guest Anonymous]

Best way to remove old adhesive from chrome grills?

First off, unless you have a special grille, it is not chrome or even chrome plated. If it is polished aluminum alloy or anodized aluminum, you might start your search there. If things were chrome, you would be seeking advice more akin to removing stickers from your rear bumper.

[Swiftus]

I have Jonathan's bang up set of grills (they are getting less bent very slowly) and they are in fact not chromed, but just a polished metal.

In that case, I would just take a rag or heavy duty paper towel, get it full of paint thinner or some kind of mineral spirits and let it sit on the grill for a while (you be the judge of how long. Anywhere from 15 seconds to 15 minutes). The residue should just come right off on the rag after that.

Just do not use a citric cleaner, like Goof Off or Goo Gone. They are pretty good at lightweight adhesives, but can't shake a stick at anything heavyweight.

(You can even settle for gasoline if you don't have any mineral spirits hanging around)

[TobyB]

It's anodized aluminum.

Thus, you can't use a razor blade unless you're VERY careful. Even then...

t