Replies

1. 
   mrbird90 | Jan 05, 2007 03:42am | #1

   If alcohol or mineral spirits doesn't work, try acetone, it is very volitale, will leave no odor. Read and follow instructions when using. I would do it out doors if possible.

2. 
   cadiddlehopper | Jan 05, 2007 04:48pm | #2

   The good wife gets the stuff off with vegetable oil, the cheap brand. If you try acetone, ventilate extremely well. It is accused of causing brain damage. Personally, mine can't stand any more. Good luck!!

   Cadiddlehopper

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Jan 05, 2007 09:29pm | #3

   "The good wife gets the stuff off with vegetable oil"

   Just a note of caution -- If you use oil inside a drawer, you will regret it for a long time. It will give off a sour odor for years. (DAMHIKT.) Oil, or even mayonaise or peanut butter, gets the sticky-paper glue off of surfaces, but I wouldn't use this method inside a cabinet. I'd go with mineral spirits, or turpentine. The later will leave an aroma, but it will be a pine scent that's fairly pleasant.

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   shopchallenged | Jan 05, 2007 11:37pm | #4

   John WW told me to try Naptha.   Put it in your trick bag because this one is definitely a winner.   

   This was a set of 6 drawers in a dresser, not a cabinet.   I have used the peanut butter trick to get to get pine pitch off my hands after cleaning up pine cones and sticks in the yard.   I was surprised how good it worked.   I didn't want to use anything oily because the only finish it will get is shellac.    Didn't want to discolor the wood.

1. 
   Steinmetz | Jan 06, 2007 06:27am | #5

   Shop,
   Sorry to intrude, but you just solved an ongoing problem for me.
   I've got two years accumulation of pine pitch all over my Impala. Tried everything up to acetone. Tough going
   Finally ,the offending tree was unceremoniously removed (40 ft.)I'll rush out in a (JIFFY)and Peter Pan that Chevy' Steinmetz.

2. 
   cadiddlehopper | Jan 06, 2007 04:31pm | #6

   (DAMHIKT)I can't translate this, but it must mean something like "been there, done that" which I haven't. I suppose that petroleum jelly will work and shouldn't leave an odor. It seems that an oily substance which evaporates more slowly works better than more volatile stuff. It remains in contact with the adhesive longer. We probably need to clean up afterwards with the volatiles or soap and water.Cadiddlehopper

1. 
   Riverprof | Jan 06, 2007 04:41pm | #7

   DAMHIKT: don't ask me how I know thisWhy is everyone getting out their chemistry set? Mechanical is the way to go: scrape it off with a cabinet scraper.

2. 
   MikeHennessy | Jan 08, 2007 02:52pm | #20

   DAMHIKT = "Don't Ask Me How I Know This."

   I once made a chest with a lid & finished the inside with Danish oil. Every time the chest was opened, it smelled like used diapers. Took a long time to go away. Lesson learned.

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   Ron01960 | Jan 08, 2007 04:14pm | #21

   I had several old New England chests that were given to a historical society. Over the centuries some one discovered adhesive backed lining.I was able to slide out the draw bottoms and use a card scraper to remove the dried adhesive. One draw I wouldn't chance removing the bottom so I used a handled scraper. It worked quickly, quietly and no fumes. Good luck with it.Ron

3. 
   uncleSteve | Jan 06, 2007 08:56pm | #8

   VM&P Naphtha will work on items with a good finish. If bare wood it will take several washings to remove from wood.

   Steve Nearman

   Fredericksburg, VA

   The Master's Touch

   http://FurnitureRepair.net

1. 
   [email protected] | Jan 06, 2007 09:40pm | #9

   Saw dust, just rub it in and off until it quits sticking.  Then a white vinyl eraser until it quits getting gummy.

   Can't sand it, it clogs the paper too fast.  Actually, I guess you could sand it off, if you had enough sand paper to clog. 

   White vinyl erasers are wonder tools, they take magic marker / sharpy off most gloss paints, i.e. the top of my table saw fence.  They will also get magic marker / sharpy marks off cast iron, i.e. tablesaw tops.  And every kitchen should have one because it gets ink and marker off appliances, and will get most if  not all of it off formica or other nonporous surfaces, such as corian.

1. 
   shopchallenged | Jan 07, 2007 12:15am | #10

   What is a "white vinyl eraser"?   The drawers had been well finished, not bare wood thank God.   I never thought of using saw dust, probably would have, had the wood been bare.

1. 
   [email protected] | Jan 07, 2007 02:46am | #11

   They are available about anywhere that sells pencils, etc.  If you have had a pentel or similar mechanical pencil, the little white eraser in the top is white vinyl.  They are available in little blocks also about 1/2 X 1-1/4 X 2 inches.  They are just a soft white vinyl without any abrasive.  Not sure why but they do an excellent job of grabbing things and lifting them off. 

   I use one to get the residue from the "security seals" on CD's and DVD's off. 

   The sawdust should get almost all of it off, particularly if the drawer has a finish on it.   Another thought would be baking soda, again it should just get into the goo and help it get stiffer so it can come loose. 

1. 
   shopchallenged | Jan 07, 2007 02:58am | #12

   Thanks, I'll have to check that one out.   Would I have better luck at a stationary store, or an art store?    

2. 
   [email protected] | Jan 07, 2007 05:30am | #13

   Either one should have it. 

4. 
   Quickstep | Jan 07, 2007 11:24pm | #14

   I have used a product called Goof Off to remove sticky residue. Smells pretty bad, but if you let it air out, the smell will dissipate. A wipe with Naphtha helps get rid of the Goof Off smell.

1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 08, 2007 12:28am | #15

   Quickstep, It looks loke Goof Off's major ingredients are xylene, methanol and ethanol, http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/safety/MSDS/GOOFOFF.htm It's probably the xylene that smells the most. Nasty stuff.

1. 
   Quickstep | Jan 08, 2007 02:10am | #16

   No doubt about it. The label on the can I have says xylene and carbitol. I get a headache from just reading the label.

2. 
   shopchallenged | Jan 08, 2007 02:11am | #17

   I started off by using a product called OOPS!   It's an acetone based product.   It worked, but not that well.   It made the residue really gooey.   I tried to scrape that off only to spread it around a little more. 

   The naphtha worked really good, smells a little, but that dissipates in a few hours.   The drawers are all done, cleaned, sanded and ready to shellac.    I have some more sanding to do on the actual dresser carcass itself.   Then if the weather stays half ways warm I can get the first coat of finish on.

1. 
   hutch328 | Jan 08, 2007 06:16am | #18

   I have cherry plywood shelving that my former spouse put clear contact paper on to protect.  I have quite a bit of it from all the various reconfigurations the cabinetry went through over the years, but I can't even get most of the contact paper to peel off now!! (let alone get to the "sticky and gooey" stage)

   Has anyone encountered this issue with contact paper, and if so were you able to resolve it without a scraper?  I like the stain/color and would prefer just getting the contact paper off and not get stuck going all the way through the refinishing process.

   As I'm typing, it just occurred to me that a hand-held hair dryer and its heat might be a good way to go. . .but the hair dryers left with the spouse. 

   Thanks,

   Robert

   "You can tell a lot from a man's signature--sometimes even his name."

1. 
   Quickstep | Jan 08, 2007 06:46am | #19

   I'm not 100% sure, but I think contact plastic is pretty much the same thing as vinyl boat letters. A hair dryer is the way to go. A heat gun is too much heat.