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contact cement removal

flysrv10

Well Known Member
Does anyone knows how to remove 3M Contact cement from painted surface without damaging the paint? Thanks.
 
lacquer thinner will soften the contact cement and should not damage the paint. Please test it on the paint first.
 
Thots

There are a few options but the choice depends in the substrate. I’d try GooGone first. You can get it at supermarkets and hardware stores. It’s pretty benign on most surfaces but will hit the contact cement. Goof Off is good, too. Sometimes denatured alcohol is OK... but test first. Toluene irritates most contact cements and you can get them off using it, if you can find it. Lacquer thinner will dissolve the glue for sure, but it will hit most enamels and lacquers pretty hard. It MIGHT be OK on Imron or other urethane paints, depending on which one and how well cured, but lacquer thinner would still be at the far end of chemicals I’d try.
 
Last edited:
There are a few options but the choice depends in the substrate. I’d try GooGone first. You can get it at supermarkets and hardware stores. It’s pretty benign on most surfaces but will hit the contact cement. Goof Off is good, too. Sometimes denatured alcohol is OK... but test first. Toluene irritates most contact cements and you can get them off using it, if you can find it. Lacquer thinner will dissolve the glue for sure, but it will hit most enamels and lacquers pretty hard. It MIGHT be OK on Imron or other urethane paints, depending on which one and how well cured, but lacquer thinner would still be at the far end of chemicals I’d try.

Cured Polyurethane clear coat can handle laquer thinner. Have used it several times. I agree with others to try more mild approaches first.

3m makes a specific remover for this purpose that is safe for urethane paint

Larry
 
X2 for Goo Gone

I needed to do exactly this for removing some poorly placed chafing strips on my Super Cub cowl. Soaked them with Goo Gone, covered with blue masking tape (to keep wet), waited overnight, and peeled off the next day like magic with zero damage to paint underneath.

As others have said test for your particular application first.
 
one more option

....if you want to avoid solvents of any kind, try the 'stripe-off' rubber wheel on a drill method...I find it will buff off almost anything with the right touch.
 
I had Goo Gone, Goof Off and lacquer thinner in the shop. Tried all of them and found that Goo Gone did not seem to work at all. Goof Off worked well and softened the contact cement without damaging the urethane paint. It felt and smelled just like Lacquer thinner. However, lacquer thinner was the fastest acting of all of them and did not damage the paint.

Thank you all for your insights.
 
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