removing clear silicone

[Pat #25912]

A previous owner of my '59 used clear silicone to attach some of the door rubber weatherstips. I would like to clean the silicone off the base clear paint. Any suggestions as to what could be used would be appreciated.

[Mike M.]

Re: removing clear silicone

i know of no solvent that will soften silicone without also playing hell with your paint. matter of fact, i know of no silicone solvent . I employ Mr Buck/Old Timer/Case/Barlow etc along with mr fingernail. tedious work. good luck, mike

[Byron Martin]

Re: removing clear silicone

3M makes a rubber wheel that is designed for removing pinstripes. It fits in a drill and works well removing weather strip adhesive and silicone. You can pick one up at any automotive paint store and it wont hurt your paint. Good luck.

[Joe L.]

Re: removing clear silicone

Pat------

Gasoline is a solvent that will degrade and soften silicone RTV (that's also the reason why you should NEVER use silicone RTV for any application that's exposed to gasoline). However, I like Byron's suggestion better.

[Ed Jennings]

Re: removing clear silicone

The rubber wheels work well for that sort of thing. They are designed to be used with a an air tool at fairly high RPM, but should work ok with an electric drill. They typically cost about $13-14.

[Bill W.]

Re: removing clear silicone

DONT use the rubber wheels on fresh paint ! It works great on oem paint but not on repaints. I would try Mikes idea your finger nail or a plastic razor blade. You can also use dupont prep sol ,lacquer & enamal cleaner,3Ms adheasive remover,or my 1st choice dupont 3812 enamal reducer(be very careful with the 3812 it WILL soften & dull the paint). throw the weatherstrips away you will never get weatherstrip adheasive to stick.Bill

[Bob Simard]

Removing Clear Silicone

I have used Brake-Kleen to soften and remove silicone gasket material from valve covers. If it won't damage your paint, it should help release the silicone.

[Richard E.]

Re: removing clear silicone

I spent days removing lots of silicone from the windshield frame to body channel, trying all types of solvents, and even heat. Like Elliot Ness, that stuff is untouchable. Even tried a new Permatex product, SILICONE STRIPPER, but still no luck. Ended up carefully removing the bulk with a razor, but not down to the painted areas. From there, it was all left to the fingernail, as Mikey says. Luck to you, Dick.

[Jack H.]

Silicone RTV will dissolve nicely....

if immersed in conventional lacquer thinner. Unfortuantely, so will any surface that's painted!

[David Z.]

Re: removing clear silicone

Hey all you fingernail scrapers! Get yourselves a few Lil' Chizlers. Great, hard plastic scraper that is the world's answer to busted fingernails. Safe on most surfaces too. Try Signs Plus Banners at 800-635-6897. Bag of 10 - 5.99; bag of 25 - 12.99

No kickbacks or connections, just one of the best prices I've found.

Dave Z