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Post by diyman on Oct 8, 2008 18:31:55 GMT 10
Hi All I've got to the preparation for painting stage on my old Globetrotter and have come up against a seemingly unsolvable problem. In the vans past life someone plastered clear silicone sealant in various places around the edges of roof and sides and also around the rear lights etc obviously to (unsuccessfully)stop leaks. Well I've tried to clean it of with everything I know and tried scraping and sanding but can't budge it.I've used mineral turps, methylated spirits and even tried acetone,all to no avail. I spoke to a paint company and was told that there's nothing else I could do except to go over it with a modern paintable sealant but I reckon that will make it look a mess when painted. The worst part is where the old rear lights used to be and the surface by the way is alluminium.They appear to have used the clear roofing sealant that can't be painted over (or removed) Any advice gratefully accepted as I'm running short of hair due to pulling it out.  |
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Post by rfw on Oct 8, 2008 20:50:09 GMT 10
Hi Diyman. Petrol. Really no other way.There is availbable from hardware shops etc dummy safety blades made from plastic which you`d use in a scraper. Won`t scratch the surface. So armed with the petrol,plastic blade in the scraper & a rag soak down an area with the petrol, give it a few seconds or so and start scraping. Arduous sort of job but that`s about what`re you`re up against. Good luck.cheers
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Post by matches on Oct 8, 2008 21:18:51 GMT 10
i've just bought some silicone remover from bunnings today for getting silicone off my car that the previous owner used in the same manner as your van. its from selleys. i'm not sure how good it works but i'm willing to try anything if its easier than a razorblade. hope this helps.
L&K
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Post by Franklin1 on Oct 8, 2008 21:38:28 GMT 10
Hi diyman, my advice follows along the lines of rfw's. I spent countless hours with a plastic scraper used in a "chiselling" manner to undercut the sealant. The scaper is on the left of this photo...  I had to keep sharpening it on the wet-stone grinder to maintain the edge. Constant chipping away at the undersurface allowed me to eventually grab some sealant between my finger and thumb, and pull that upwards while continuing to chisel away at the base. Eventually I was able to get the majority off (but not all). For the remaining residue, I soaked a cloth in turps and soaked that over the sealant residue, waited 30 seconds for it to soften slightly, and then chisel some off, then more turps applied, then chisel some more off, and so on, and so on. During the whole process, I found that the older the silicone sealant was, the easier it came off. Stuff that had been applied in more recent years was a real stinker to remove. But eventually I got there... ...and so will you  cheers, Al. |
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Post by diyman on Oct 9, 2008 16:24:44 GMT 10
Thanks Guys I never thought about petrol so I'll give that a go and maybe have a look at that selleys product if all else fails.
I'll let you know how I get on and thanks again for the tips.
Jim
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Post by diyman on Oct 13, 2008 14:58:58 GMT 10
Franklin1 and rfw
The petrol worked and so did the turps. Previously I had tried turps without success but I did'nt leave the soaked rag on it long enough. I did as you advised and gave it a good 30 secs and sure enough I started to get results but I had to keep re applying the rag. As you said it was going to be a slow process but at least now I'm making progress.
Next question:
Does anyone know what the roof hatch on a Globetrotter should look like as it looks as if someone replaced this one with a home made jobby and very basic it is too. I reckon this globetrotter is from 1940's to 1950's.
Jim
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Post by minicamper on Oct 14, 2008 6:20:13 GMT 10
Diyman and anyone else who's wondering...
Silicon HATES white spirit, ( i think its white spirit, the stuff in the parts washer bins that mechanics use), not necessarily a suitable method for all van constructions as I'm not sure what white spirit will do to some paint finishes (do the whole test patch in an inconspicuous area) but a small amount of it on silicon makes it wrinkle and peel in seconds. (as i found out using an automotive parts washer recently)
Cheers
Chris
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Post by relmhayd on May 6, 2010 21:45:59 GMT 10
Had some time to waste so have been reading some very interesting threads and came across the subject of silicone removal. Had the same experience a while ago removing silicone from aluminium window frames. I experimented with anything and everything and found a citrus based product available from supermarkets in the laundry section. The citrus base softens the silicone with surprising results
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