Removing silicone! - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-20-2008, 09:21 PM   #1
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So I bought a boler and the previous owner must have emptied a dozen tubes of silicone in various ackard places. He was using it on the soggy west coast. Any advice about removing it? tools? solvents?

There's silicone all around the top surface of the middle seam. Anyone actually found this to be useful?
Also over bolts he sent through the hull (the horror) and over rivets holes.

Thanks for any advice.

Crystal
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Old 10-21-2008, 06:43 AM   #2
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If there's anything that will send a trailer restorer shrieking and running for a dark place, it's the word silicon. (OK, so I'm exagerating somewhat; but not that much...) You can buy a small plastic tool (Home Hardware in Canada) and "Silicone be gone". If you're redoing your window seals anyway, it's easier to pull the window first and clean silicon second. What worked for me is to remove as much as possible with your plastic deally, then apply the chemical goo and let sit for twice as long as they suggest. Scrub and repeat ad nauseum. This has been discussed quite a bit, so a search will bring up the threads.
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Old 10-21-2008, 09:24 AM   #3
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In a 'seniors moment', years ago when the Trailer Goddess and I were re-doing our trailer, I used clear silicone around the tops of all the windows AND around the belly band. We 'needed' to leave the trailer to winter outside under one of those portable shelters. In early spring, doing a walk about the trailer I noticed a buildup of green (whatever,...mildew??) all over the bead(s) of silicone.

We've tried various means to rid the trailer of this gunk with NO results. This leaves me with the singular means of ridding ourselves of this 'British Racing Green Pin Striping' by means of cutting it (the silicone) all off!! The one HUGE concern I have about this removal is the fact that the trailer is PAINTED and we are afraid that pulling the silicone off will also remove the paint under it??? Anyone care to share another method of silicone removal with us?? ......PLEASE!!
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Old 10-21-2008, 09:38 AM   #4
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My favorite is a extremely sharp and lapped Japanese chisel about 3/4 inch wide. It is a little more controllable than a razor blade, but a razor blade in a holder will work too.

What I do is to place a business car adjacent to the silicon bead. This spaces the chisel or razor a business card thickness away from the paint and allows you to remove the lion's share initially. Once you have that done, repeat, but use thin vinyl tape in the same manner.

At this point the silicon is usually thin enough that it can be rubbed off shiny paint. Or if you decided to go with a solvent the silicon layer is thin enough that the solvent should dissolve it very quickly.

I don't use silicon, but use something much worse. I bed stuff in like the boat people do for their underwater penetrations. I use 3M 5200 or one of the Silkaflex products.
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Old 10-21-2008, 10:39 AM   #5
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I personally detest silicone; I've often been "gifted" gobs of it by previous owners of boats, trailers, etc. and then had to remove the ensuing mess (not to mention the silicone oil contamination if you ever want to paint the surface later).

Since misery loves company, I usually read any "Please help me remove silicone" type threads (and also to see if anyone has come up with anything new).

In reading some former threads here, I noticed that someone mentioned using "Scrape-Rite" blades to reasonably good effect. They're "sharp" plastic "razor blades" that you can use in a holder just like a metal blade. They come in three hardnesses (color coded) depending on the substrate. The soft orange one looks as though it might be the one to try on paint.

Here's a link to the page where they have a chart for the different colors/uses:

http://www.scraperite.com/New%20Flyer.pdf

I haven't tried them, but I think I might order some to have on hand.

Raya
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Old 10-21-2008, 10:45 AM   #6
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West Marine has an adhesive remover in a pump sprayer under their house name that works like nothing else I've tried and doesn't damage or stain gelcoat. (the link below is to their picture on the web, but it's in a sprayer bottle and this year's version doesn't have the citrus smell).

If you spray this stuff on your silicone spots and give it 15 minutes to sink in you'll find scrubbing gently with some plastic-bristle brush will take most of the silicone off; then spray the surviving bits and redo until it's gone. Use Acoustic's thumb suggestion for those last stubborn spots...

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/store...amp;classNum=34


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Old 10-21-2008, 05:45 PM   #7
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If you ever want to get it out again, I suggest using 3M 4200

Signed one of those boat people.

Bill K


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I don't use silicon, but use something much worse. I bed stuff in like the boat people do for their underwater penetrations. I use 3M 5200 or one of the Silkaflex products.
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Old 10-21-2008, 07:02 PM   #8
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I've used my thumbnail and a plexiglass ice scrapper with pretty good success. The plexiglass doesn't gouge the gel coat. Run a dirty dusty hand over the area, and you'll see what you missed. Hey, it's cheap.
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Old 10-22-2008, 02:38 AM   #9
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If you use a scraper, try one of these plastic razor blades.

I've used them with some success.
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Old 10-22-2008, 08:35 AM   #10
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So what is good to use instead of silicone? I just used an all purpose sealer in a tube that dries clear in a few spots that were leaking, and I'm not sure if it's silicone or not. I can't find anything on the lable that says silicone. What ever was used previously on the camper just pulls right up with little scraping.
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Old 10-22-2008, 09:43 AM   #11
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Hi April,

Partly it depends on what you're sealing. I'll try not to rant here (hee), but when I was trailer shopping, I couldn't get over the number of people who thought that sealing (caulking) around something on the outside was the way to seal it. Coming from a long history in the boating industry, I know just how futile that is (not to mention really annoying to remove in order to do the job right). Silicone just adds insult to injury, since it really doesn't work that well for this purpose and is the devil to remove (in addition to leaving an almost-impossible-to-eliminate oil contamination that causes any subsequent painting, etc. to have adhesion/fish-eye problems).

So, to back up, for anything that has a flange on the outside, such as a window, a water outlet, etc. the way to seal it is to remove it, clean the flange and the trailer surface, and then put the sealant under the flange (between the flange and the trailer body) before re-mounting. I like to use butyl "tape" for this, but -- depending on what material your item is made of -- there are other options (such as polyurethane caulk). I always use a quality product even if it costs a bit more, because, like painting, there's much more work in the prep and doing the job than there is cost in the sealant.

An important part of this is to clean the surfaces well (including mold-release wax etc. for the gelcoat and then acetone or denatured alcohol, etc. for other surfaces) prior to re-sealing. If I use tube caulking, I like to use good tape (such as blue or green 3M) to keep from making a mess, but there are other ways to do it, such as solvent wiping as you go along. The butyl tape is less messy that way and doesn't really cry out for the taping prior to applying it.

I know I sound curmudgeonly, but sealing around the outside of something (that is meant to be sealed from under the flange) is really just a band-aid. Actually, it's not even a band-aid, because band-aids do the job they're intended to The outside "sealing" really just creates more work for when one really wants/needs to fix the problem.

Okay, now I really am a nice, sunny person. You just hit on one of my topics.

Raya
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Old 10-22-2008, 04:45 PM   #12
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One of the best sealing topics we have is: Butyl Tape, Silicone and sealing. Feel free to add constructive help to the topic!
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Old 10-22-2008, 05:12 PM   #13
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One of the best sealing topics we have is: Butyl Tape, Silicone and sealing. Feel free to add constructive help to the topic!
Me? Was I not constructive?

I usually do try to keep topics consolidated, but it almost seems inevitable that there will be duplication, and this one was currently going with specific questions.

Sorry if it's inappropriate (or maybe you weren't talking to me).

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Old 10-22-2008, 05:36 PM   #14
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Me? Was I not constructive?

I usually do try to keep topics consolidated, but it almost seems inevitable that there will be duplication, and this one was currently going with specific questions.

Sorry if it's inappropriate (or maybe you weren't talking to me).

Raya
No it's fine Raya, I wasn't talk to anyone in particular. I was just mentioning if anyone wanted to add to the topic it was okay, because I didn't know if the original poster had even seen that topic. Sorry, if you misunderstood me... guess I wasn't clear.
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Old 10-22-2008, 06:06 PM   #15
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No it's fine Raya, I wasn't talk to anyone in particular.
Thanks for clarifying It is nice when all reference on a topic is gathered together in one thread, but it would probably stifle the natural flow of threads and boards to really have it that way.

R.
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Old 11-01-2008, 12:08 AM   #16
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So I bought a boler and the previous owner must have emptied a dozen tubes of silicone in various ackard places. He was using it on the soggy west coast. Any advice about removing it? tools? solvents?

There's silicone all around the top surface of the middle seam. Anyone actually found this to be useful?
Also over bolts he sent through the hull (the horror) and over rivets holes.

Thanks for any advice.

Crystal
Crystal -

did you buy the Boler from "Bruno"??

We looked at that one too...
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Old 11-14-2008, 12:23 PM   #17
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Hmmm! I see this topic has reared it ugly head again One of the best threads was as Donna mentioned, Butyl Tape, Silicone and sealing.
I have not changed my option in regards to the use of Silicone. To bad that thread didn't continue.

However, one comment I will make, having monkeyed around with boats, street rods, motorcycles, quads, trailers etc. for at least 50 years, one of the best things I have found after trying numerous chemicals for removing silicone residue, adhesive from old decals. tar, oil etc. (Also Poly Butyl tape residue, Methyl Hydrate works well too) is White Gas (Naptha).

Now before everyone jumps off their chairs and says thats is too dangerous to work with, baloney! Common sense prevails at all times. You work with it and any other chemicals out side and have no smoking or electrical things running in the area.

If any one has ever worked with Acetone, Lacquer thinners, Methyl Hydrate, and many of the spray products that have been mentioned just do a test spray on an open flame. Some them will really surprise you how flammable they are.
The nice thing about Naptha is it doesn't leave any residue.

If you are going to do any painting after, it is always advisable to use product called "Fish eye Remover" available from any auto paint supplier before painting. There is also a product you can add to the paint if you are spraying.
You never know if someone has used 'Armor All' around your trailer. The least little spec of silicone can ruin a paint job. Many people use 'Armor All' on their tires. the drift from that will cause problems.

And as Donna says one of the safest scrappers to use is a auto ice scrapper. The acrylic plastic will NOT mark the gel coat on fiberglass. I use scraps of Plexiglas strips left over from projects.
The other important ingredient, "Elbow grease"

And Raya, you hit it right one the nose. Good comments. The old tape trick I learned years ago working on custom cars.
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Old 11-14-2008, 01:10 PM   #18
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I have been using WD40 to remove silicone or whatever sealant was used. And Doug M. in most cases the paint underneath has stayed, but in a few places (where the paint didn't stick well because it was dirty underneath) the paint lifted. I also scrape with any plactic edged thing i can get my hands on.

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Old 11-14-2008, 01:30 PM   #19
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Con,

I've got a couple of questions for you:

1) Is the "White gas/Naptha" that you recommend the same as the "white gas" that you'd use in a Coleman type camping stove? I think I have some of that around still.

2) I never use Armorall, but have they snuck silcone into that? :shudder:

Thanks,

Raya
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Old 11-14-2008, 03:22 PM   #20
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Yes on the gas. It runs about $20 a gal. but so does Lacquer thinners and Acetone. A gallon will last a long though. I found ordinary gas will work well to but seems to leave a bit of a film.
And Yes, Armor All has some silicone in it and as far as I know so does WD40. Read the label on WD40 and it says it lubricates and protects against rust, etc,etc. It tells you to keep away from flames, don't get it on your clothes or skin or breath the fumes. Nice stuff isn't????
When I read the label on both products they don't tell you what chemicals that are in them, just great.
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