stickum on the sail

Listees: My new, used mainsail had glued-on Cal 20 logo and sail numbers. The glue was dried out and failing, and since the season is over here, I decided to remove the glue residue. I bought some new nitrile gloves and a new can of acetone and started scrubbing away with lots of acetone and paper towels. Well, the yellow-brown residue is gone, but where the numbers were, I just seem to have reactivated the glue. You can't see it well now, but it's sticky as can be, right where the numbers were and nowhere else. So, the big question is, what other solvent can I use on the dacron sail without melting it or the sizing in it? I've used the better part of a quart of acetone already. Ideas? Chris Campbell

Hi, Chris. Sail Number Stickum Here is how I did it with good success. Parts: Baby Bathtub, Vinyl Solvent Thinner, Acetone, Wiping Cloth, Industrial Razor Blade, Sail, Rubber Gloves, Respirator It's as easy as 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,3. (assuming 4 digit sail number) 1. Put about 2 inches of the vinyl thinner in the tub. Put in sail number so it is immersed sitting flat in tub. After a minute or so, the number can be peeled off. Now lift up the sail, and using backing strokes (not blade into sail material), wipe off as much glue as possible, using rag to periodically remove crud from blade. Dip into thinner and repeat. One more dip and wipe with clean cloth. Do this for each number. 2. At the end of this, I found that the sail, although not damaged, was a bit discolored in the old number area from diluted goo. I dumped the thinner (reserve for step 3), and put acetone in the tub. A short soak and wipe with clean cloth, and I could not tell I had removed the numbers (except for the fact that the numbers were no longer there, of course). If you do the acetone right, there is no residual sticky feel in the old number area, and no discoloration. 3. Mix the vinyl and acetone residue with Goslings Black Seal Rum, and throw a party. Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 10:00 PM To: cal; Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] stickum on the sail Listees: My new, used mainsail had glued-on Cal 20 logo and sail numbers. The glue was dried out and failing, and since the season is over here, I decided to remove the glue residue. I bought some new nitrile gloves and a new can of acetone and started scrubbing away with lots of acetone and paper towels. Well, the yellow-brown residue is gone, but where the numbers were, I just seem to have reactivated the glue. You can't see it well now, but it's sticky as can be, right where the numbers were and nowhere else. So, the big question is, what other solvent can I use on the dacron sail without melting it or the sizing in it? I've used the better part of a quart of acetone already. Ideas? Chris Campbell Yahoo! Groups Links

Charlie (and list) I've used the Husar method of number removal and have one minor change. When using the acetone, the glue will "gum up" easily. you don't have to use a razor blade to scrape the sail. I found that the cheap disposable spackling blades from home depot do a wonderful job and are less likely to gouge the sail. Cheers, Scott Cal 25 #1651 Indefatigable Annapolis, MD ----- Original Message ----- From: Husar Charlie To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2006 3:28 AM Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] stickum on the sail Hi, Chris. Sail Number Stickum Here is how I did it with good success. Parts: Baby Bathtub, Vinyl Solvent Thinner, Acetone, Wiping Cloth, Industrial Razor Blade, Sail, Rubber Gloves, Respirator It's as easy as 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,3. (assuming 4 digit sail number) 1. Put about 2 inches of the vinyl thinner in the tub. Put in sail number so it is immersed sitting flat in tub. After a minute or so, the number can be peeled off. Now lift up the sail, and using backing strokes (not blade into sail material), wipe off as much glue as possible, using rag to periodically remove crud from blade. Dip into thinner and repeat. One more dip and wipe with clean cloth. Do this for each number. 2. At the end of this, I found that the sail, although not damaged, was a bit discolored in the old number area from diluted goo. I dumped the thinner (reserve for step 3), and put acetone in the tub. A short soak and wipe with clean cloth, and I could not tell I had removed the numbers (except for the fact that the numbers were no longer there, of course). If you do the acetone right, there is no residual sticky feel in the old number area, and no discoloration. 3. Mix the vinyl and acetone residue with Goslings Black Seal Rum, and throw a party. Cheers Charlie -----Original Message----- From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 10:00 PM To: cal; Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] stickum on the sail Listees: My new, used mainsail had glued-on Cal 20 logo and sail numbers. The glue was dried out and failing, and since the season is over here, I decided to remove the glue residue. I bought some new nitrile gloves and a new can of acetone and started scrubbing away with lots of acetone and paper towels. Well, the yellow-brown residue is gone, but where the numbers were, I just seem to have reactivated the glue. You can't see it well now, but it's sticky as can be, right where the numbers were and nowhere else. So, the big question is, what other solvent can I use on the dacron sail without melting it or the sizing in it? I've used the better part of a quart of acetone already. Ideas? Chris Campbell Yahoo! Groups Links

Chris, Our boat came with a main from an Catalina 34 tall rig. So after a couple of years, I removed the Catalina diamond/34. As a fan of the non-marine products, I have used "Goof-off" a paint/all purpose remover available at the big box stores. Goof-off dissolved the glue so that it could be absorbed by a rag. A small plastic bondo spreader worked well as a scraper for the bigger globs. This method worked fairly quickly so the chemicals do not remain on the sail at full strength. I have not noticed any harmful effects, and it has been several years since I removed the letters. John Cal 33 _____ From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 10:00 PM To: cal; Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] stickum on the sail Listees: My new, used mainsail had glued-on Cal 20 logo and sail numbers. The glue was dried out and failing, and since the season is over here, I decided to remove the glue residue. I bought some new nitrile gloves and a new can of acetone and started scrubbing away with lots of acetone and paper towels. Well, the yellow-brown residue is gone, but where the numbers were, I just seem to have reactivated the glue. You can't see it well now, but it's sticky as can be, right where the numbers were and nowhere else. So, the big question is, what other solvent can I use on the dacron sail without melting it or the sizing in it? I've used the better part of a quart of acetone already. Ideas? Chris Campbell

Husar Charlie wrote: > > Hi, Chris. > > Sail Number Stickum > > Here is how I did it with good success. > > Parts: Baby Bathtub, Vinyl Solvent Thinner, Acetone, Wiping Cloth, > Industrial Razor Blade, Sail, Rubber Gloves, Respirator > > It's as easy as 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,3. (assuming 4 digit > sail number) > After your residue party, I'm surprised that you can handle 4 digits. I'm pretty well fumigated after working in the back yard. The vinyl thinner--is it safe to assume you had vinyl sail numbers to remove? Mine were a nylon (I think) fabric and needed no encouragement to come off. There's a Cal "C" somewhere out on the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay already. That's why I undertook this project. If the vinyl thinner is part of the success of using acetone later, please advise. I did the razor-blade thing before starting, scraping quite a bit of dry, dusty, yellowish glue residue off. I did not do the acetone-in-tub thing, but instead used copious amounts of the stuff on paper towels and even poured some out onto the sail. // /Maybe the soaking is the key? /I'll need another quart of acetone. Maybe I should have just painted the sail with white aerosol spray? Splash on some house paint? End of problem. And the tub...I'm guessing you used a polyethylene tub, since the ones they used when I was a tyke (porcelain-coated steel) are pretty scarce these days. I'm assuming that polyethylene and acetone tolerate each other's presence. Chris Campbell stuck

Thanks to all who responded. I'll experiment with the goof-off first, I think, because it sounds less messy than more acetone, and can be done indoors, since we've entered what seems like a perpetual rain-and-snow season here. Chris Campbell

Chris, I've not tried the Goof Off for sails, but have at it and report back. (Should be very good. I swear by the stuff in other applications like removing duct tape glue. I just had not heard of the stuff last time I did sail numbers.) The reason for the soaking in thinner was that it softens/melts the glue well. The reason for the scraping is so that not too much of the goo ends up in the solvent thinner solution (to be spread around the sail). I don't think the acetone attacked the glue as well, but it was good for diluting the remaining residue on the sail. The dilution is important to minimize leftover crap (as it were). Did not check the composition of the tub, but it didn't melt. Numbers seemed thicker than nylons I've seen. It's really the glue I was after, tho. Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 9:17 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] stickum on the sail Husar Charlie wrote: Hi, Chris. Sail Number Stickum Here is how I did it with good success. Parts: Baby Bathtub, Vinyl Solvent Thinner, Acetone, Wiping Cloth, Industrial Razor Blade, Sail, Rubber Gloves, Respirator It's as easy as 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,3. (assuming 4 digit sail number) After your residue party, I'm surprised that you can handle 4 digits. I'm pretty well fumigated after working in the back yard. The vinyl thinner--is it safe to assume you had vinyl sail numbers to remove? Mine were a nylon (I think) fabric and needed no encouragement to come off. There's a Cal "C" somewhere out on the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay already. That's why I undertook this project. If the vinyl thinner is part of the success of using acetone later, please advise. I did the razor-blade thing before starting, scraping quite a bit of dry, dusty, yellowish glue residue off. I did not do the acetone-in-tub thing, but instead used copious amounts of the stuff on paper towels and even poured some out onto the sail. Maybe the soaking is the key? I'll need another quart of acetone. Maybe I should have just painted the sail with white aerosol spray? Splash on some house paint? End of problem. And the tub...I'm guessing you used a polyethylene tub, since the ones they used when I was a tyke (porcelain-coated steel) are pretty scarce these days. I'm assuming that polyethylene and acetone tolerate each other's presence. Chris Campbell stuck

In the Olde Days, 1970's when I worked as a sail maker in the SF Bay Area, we used MEK to clean off the numbers. Place a towel underneath, and then wash off the goo. Make sure you have good ventilation, or else you'll have another '70's experience, followed by a headache. dEmO From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Husar Charlie Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 9:34 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] stickum on the sail (Chris) Chris, I've not tried the Goof Off for sails, but have at it and report back. (Should be very good. I swear by the stuff in other applications like removing duct tape glue. I just had not heard of the stuff last time I did sail numbers.) The reason for the soaking in thinner was that it softens/melts the glue well. The reason for the scraping is so that not too much of the goo ends up in the solvent thinner solution (to be spread around the sail). I don't think the acetone attacked the glue as well, but it was good for diluting the remaining residue on the sail. The dilution is important to minimize leftover crap (as it were). Did not check the composition of the tub, but it didn't melt. Numbers seemed thicker than nylons I've seen. It's really the glue I was after, tho. Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 9:17 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] stickum on the sail Husar Charlie wrote: Hi, Chris. Sail Number Stickum Here is how I did it with good success. Parts: Baby Bathtub, Vinyl Solvent Thinner, Acetone, Wiping Cloth, Industrial Razor Blade, Sail, Rubber Gloves, Respirator It's as easy as 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,3. (assuming 4 digit sail number) After your residue party, I'm surprised that you can handle 4 digits. I'm pretty well fumigated after working in the back yard. The vinyl thinner--is it safe to assume you had vinyl sail numbers to remove? Mine were a nylon (I think) fabric and needed no encouragement to come off. There's a Cal "C" somewhere out on the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay already. That's why I undertook this project. If the vinyl thinner is part of the success of using acetone later, please advise. I did the razor-blade thing before starting, scraping quite a bit of dry, dusty, yellowish glue residue off. I did not do the acetone-in-tub thing, but instead used copious amounts of the stuff on paper towels and even poured some out onto the sail. Maybe the soaking is the key? I'll need another quart of acetone. Maybe I should have just painted the sail with white aerosol spray? Splash on some house paint? End of problem. And the tub...I'm guessing you used a polyethylene tub, since the ones they used when I was a tyke (porcelain-coated steel) are pretty scarce these days. I'm assuming that polyethylene and acetone tolerate each other's presence. Chris Campbell stuck

Chris, I am late to this party and may have missed a response or two. If not recommended already, I wonder what 3M Adhesive Remover would do. It comes in a pressurized can. Mine works well on all kinds of goop. It's at the other place or I would check the can to see if it is toxic to sailcloth. Also second the recommendation for Goofoff. Jon On 10/23/06, Chris Campbell <cl… [at] charterinternet.com> wrote: > > Thanks to all who responded. I'll experiment with the goof-off first, I > think, because it sounds less messy than more acetone, and can be done > indoors, since we've entered what seems like a perpetual rain-and-snow > season here. > > Chris Campbell > >