yeah don't sand, you'll make it worse!

I recently had to clean up a massive amount of tape residue from a fiberglass hull (think salvage job - it was a mess).  The tape was on for decades.  Denatured alcohol worked well for me, and you might want to give that a try.  Acetone is another option, although I don't like using it if I don't have to.  

Just a reminder, wear gloves, good ventilation, and all of that . . .

What is the interaction between acetone and epoxy?  The manual for my Chesapeake 17 states to use lacquer thinner to clean up epoxy after sanding and not to use acetone.  Does acetone dissolve epoxy?

Scott

Acetone is too strong and using it could cause finish problems. Stick wiht lacquer thinner.

Tim Clark

try goo-gone a citrus based remover you can find this item in most hardware stores, good luck.

larry

I've used acetone on epoxy, once.  IT'S A BAD THING TO DO.

Kim

Try using some good quality clear packing tape.  Roll it over on to inself and use the sticky side as kind of a lint roller.  Gently dab it where the residue is and it will usually lift it off.  An old trick we used to do when I was a furniture mover.  We used to get lots of residue on furniture that had been left covered in storage too long.  This low tech trick usually worked really well.

Chris

Try some 3M general purpose adhesive remover. You can get it at automotive stores and haven't seen it attack anything yet.

              Chris

Thanks everyone for your help. The goo-gone did the trick- thanks Larry. I first tried the packaging tape method without success. Then tried the lacquer thinner, and it worked, but took a lot of elbow grease. Tried dish soap- no help. Finally tried goo-gone and it worked like a charm. And I only had to use about 1/10th of a $3 bottle (8oz). Now I will just have to see if the varnish will stick where I put the goo-gone. I am planning on doing one final 220 sanding, then wiping with lacquer thinner before applying. I will let y'all know if it didn't work. BTW, is varnishing during a hurricane a bad idea?

Thanks, Ryan

Goo-Gone is a lifessaver for many things and I use it often, but I'd do a final cleaning with denatured alcohol before any varnishing. THIS IS A MUST!  SEEYA Jack

Just wanted to resurrect this old thread and say thanks for the information!  I just removed some tape from the kayak and it left a bunch of residue.  I was feeling pretty stupid...  I'll get some goo gone tomorrow and fix it up.

-- jaydillyo

I had the same problem. I had used clear packing tape over the epoxy and it left residue after being on the boat for two days.

Googone was not very effective.  I was able to get past the problem with very careful sanding using a random orbit sander.  I went through about 30 to 40 sheets of 120 grit paper.  Be careful, it turned out well for me, but I provide no warrenty to this approach.

David

Underlining the warning from SEEYAJack,

wipe down with denatured alcohol.  Stay away from laquer thinner or anything else.  There are many things that varnish does not like!!

Paul

Just an FYI...I had a heck of a time at first with removing my two day old packing tape from epoxy on my WD12...until I tried (very) gently heating the tape with a heat gun.  The tape peeled off immediately without having the tape tear or having the glue de-laminate from the plastic backing.