Adhesive removal from aluminum grille?

[jlandreth]

I have an early 1600-2 with later grilles.What is the best way to remove the adhesive on the grille bars w/o damaging the aluminum? I'm reluctant to try a razor blade and paint thinner doesn't seem to work.

[eastsidebimmer]

If you take the side reflectors off (new ones are cheap from BMW but don't say Hella?) you might be able to pop them in the oven to heat up the glue then work carefully with a scraper blade from behind to pry them loose. This is my method for removing roundels from hubcaps. Do this when you wife is not home....it smells..

Ben

[BillWilliams]

with cleaning parts in the dishwasher - again when the wife is not home.

3M makes an adhesive remover that may work if the adhesive is still pliable.

[rogerspeed]

brass detail brush

[Guest Anonymous]

Depends a lot on the adhesive you are trying to remove. If its pressure sensitive, you could try some of the commercial products available for this such as "goof off." But even WD-40 will dissolve most adhesives. (I'll bet even seafoam, which is a petroleum distillate, would work - after all it is reputed to remove carbon) A popsicle stick is also good to avoid scratching.

If you are trying to remove something stronger than pressure sensitive adhesive, good luck. JB Weld and epoxies and crazy glues will require something stronger to break what comes close to a mechanical bond. This might include heat, cold or physical force.

Good luck

[jlandreth]

Thanks folks! I'll start with the dishwasher,then the oven. I'm not married(no one would put up with me!) so I can use caustic chemicals while sitting at the kitchen table if I want to.

[Mike Self]

4 me...

mike

[beammmer]

press the tape on the adhesive then peel the tape back. It may be slow and teadious but sometimes it works well. If it is an acrylic adhesive the use of any solvents will be ineffective.

[PeterVarga]

I agree with Mike....laquer thinner, or MEK (methy elthyl Ketone) is best....but its killer on plastic. It will melt paint, plastic and dashboard/interior stuff....keep it away from anything but the workpiece aluminum. It'll melt a plastic grill....do it off the car.

[TobyB]

Lacquer thinner will do it-

but it's painfully slow. I wanted to set

up some sort of bath for it, but couldn't come

up with a big enough enclosed container.

The thinner evaporates hellaciously fast, and then

the icebergs show up out in the Puget Sound....

t

[PeterVarga]

This is kind of "scavenger-ey" but a great solvent washing container can be made from the soap containers that the car wash throws out (I mean recycles.) The 5 gal polypropylene plastic (thats the milky translucent ones) resists laquer thinner (the 5 gal pails (opaque white)won't). Get the rectangular boxy one and cut a hole in the top for access to the work. It's a great parts cleaner and then you can recycle it after using it.