Masking Tape Misery

[Brett I. Miller]

I just finished refinishing the brightwork on a CD25. The Cetol looks great, thanks to information gleaned on this site, but the 3M long mask (blue tape) is not coming up cleanly -- particularly on the deck surface. Can anyone recommend a "silver bullet" remedy for this problem that won't damage the gel coat? I've tried acetone -- seems to work OK, but I'm concerned about using it.

Also, is there any solvent that works to remove an errant Cetol brush stroke from gel coat?





mill7846@mlb.com

[Matt Cawthorne]

Brett,
Get that tape off ASAP! It just gets worse with time. I would not recommend anyone using the long mask on a boat for more than a few days. Several years ago read an article in Practial Sailor which indicated you could use the long mask for many weeks. I left it on for two weeks and it was so tough to get off that I didn't have time to finish removing it that weekend. By the third week it required a scraper. After the scraper I had to use Scotchbrite and acetone to clean the glue off. Many hours were wasted. 3M makes a tape that is coated with a silver material that is supposed to work for 40 days, but it is $12 per roll. You are about to find out that the price may be worth it. Ps. Did you try denatured alcohol? I have found that it works on some types of adhesives.

As far as the errant brush stroke, I had a case several years ago where I let some teak cleaner (either Te-ka or semco 2-part cleaner) dribble onto the eyebrow which had been coated with Cetol. The Cetol softened up and lifted off. Experiment with it somewhere other than on your boat first. I don't know whether it was the part "a" or part "b" that did the job. I would also test the cleaner on an inconspicuous area and make sure it doesn't affect the color of the gelcoat. If the extra Cetol is just one thin layer it will not stand up to the sunlight for more than a year or so and will eventually go away on it's own.

Matt

I just finished refinishing the brightwork on a CD25. The Cetol looks great, thanks to information gleaned on this site, but the 3M long mask (blue tape) is not coming up cleanly -- particularly on the deck surface. Can anyone recommend a "silver bullet" remedy for this problem that won't damage the gel coat? I've tried acetone -- seems to work OK, but I'm concerned about using it.

Also, is there any solvent that works to remove an errant Cetol brush stroke from gel coat?

mcawthor@bellatlantic.net

[Tony Raymond]

I may have the answer for you. I had the same experience last yr. I was doing the teak toerail on the boat with Cetol. I had it all masked off, port and stbd with 3M Longmask (Blue). I had about 1/2 the port side done and it started raining. Went home, came back the next day and finished. When I pulled the tape off it left the adhesive and I ended up spending hours with acetone and a scraper.
So, this spring at the boat show I grab the guy at the 3M booth and ask what's the deal with this NOT so long mask. His answer had two parts.

First: 3m sells a Tape Adhesive remover, it's a tall red spray can about 16 ounces. Sorry, I don't have the exact name and product number. He says West Marine and others sell it as well as well as any good Auto Paint supply store. I haven't verified that.

Second: He says it happened because the paper backing was still wet from the day before and when the backing get's wet the adhesive will release and stay on your gel coat. He says it's a common problem when left on overnight outside as even morning condensation is enough to affect the paper. He said if it starts raining again, pull the tape immediately.



tonyraymond@digital.com

[Steve Alarcon]

Brett,
We have the answer! We ran into the same problem and found the solution at the local hardware store in the form of a can of tape residue remover. One brand we have here locally is called "Goop" and seems to be citrus based. It works great, doesn't harm anything, and will pull off stuff even several months old, although you might want to have a plastic scraper (we tried it on a neighbors boat). It's cheap (about $1.29) and works great! Never again will we pay the outrageous prices for that fancy tape!

Steve Alarcon
CD30 Temerity
Seattle



alarcon@internetmci.com

[Jim Jones]

3M makes a product called 3M General Perpose Adhesive Cleaner ( part # 051135-08984 ). This stuff has been able to remove any adhesive, bedding compound, etc. which I have tried it on. Sometimes it takes multiple applications and a little elbow grease, but in no case have scrappers been required. It does not appear to harm varnish, paint or gel-coat ( don't know about Cetol ). Cost is about $12.00 for a quart from West Marine. The quart container is non-aerosol and probably less wasteful because of better control. I usually just squirt a small amount on a rag and rub away.

Jim



jjones@intergate.com

[Catherine Monaghan]

Brett,

If the solutions offered by the others don't work, just try rubbing compound. It should remove both the adhesive and the stray Cetol from the gelcoat. Don't forget to wax afterwards.

catherine_monaghan@merck.com
CD32 Realization
Raritan Bay

I just finished refinishing the brightwork on a CD25. The Cetol looks great, thanks to information gleaned on this site, but the 3M long mask (blue tape) is not coming up cleanly -- particularly on the deck surface. Can anyone recommend a "silver bullet" remedy for this problem that won't damage the gel coat? I've tried acetone -- seems to work OK, but I'm concerned about using it.

Also, is there any solvent that works to remove an errant Cetol brush stroke from gel coat?

catherine_monaghan@merck.com

[Jim Jamieson]

Or try Goo-Be-Gone. WD40 works too. Only acetone and scrubbing it hard will remove dried Cetol!



james.jamieson@yale.edu

[John]

I just finished refinishing the brightwork on a CD25. The Cetol looks great, thanks to information gleaned on this site, but the 3M long mask (blue tape) is not coming up cleanly -- particularly on the deck surface. Can anyone recommend a "silver bullet" remedy for this problem that won't damage the gel coat? I've tried acetone -- seems to work OK, but I'm concerned about using it.

Also, is there any solvent that works to remove an errant Cetol brush stroke from gel coat?

Use 3M #2090 blue long mask tape for sunlight exposure up to 7 days maximum. Use 3M #225 silver weather resistant tape for up to 30 days. Naptha is the solvent of choice for adhesive removal. Use a stiff edged plastic ( ie: piece of acrylic ) to scrape loose the solvent soaked tape paper backing. Use solvent soaked rag to remove remaining adhesive flipping to clean area of rag frequently.

[Clifton Cane]

I had an awfull problem getting all of the masking tape off the fibreglass when I reddied my boat the first year I owned it. That was 9 yrs ago. I can still remember how upset I was over the mess I made.It took about four days of gently scraping and using white spirit/paint thinner to remove it. Any that was left dried up and luckily the summer sun does a number on the glue just as it does on the varnish.One thing I've learned how to do and that's paint to a line using free hand with no masking tape. It's much quicker in the long run and save the hours of removing masking tape. If I ever use any these days I don't leave it on any longer than a couple of hours.
Good luck. I have a CD270

cane@wiscasset.net