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Removing stickers


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I'm such an idiot haha....I thought it would be fun to put a sticker on my guitar....can anybody help? It's a LP-100 and the sticker is just any ordinary sticker you can get from a store. I'm trying to look for a way or technique that would not damage the finish and would get all the sticker glue off, but in a good cheap way. Thanks.

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I'm such an idiot haha....I thought it would be fun to put a sticker on my guitar....can anybody help? It's a LP-100 and the sticker is just any ordinary sticker you can get from a store. I'm trying to look for a way or technique that would not damage the finish and would get all the sticker glue off' date=' but in a good cheap way. Thanks.[/quote']

 

I don't like using fingernail polish remover, though it works on almost all of that stuff. Can damage some types of paint. So can lighter fluid and all those chemical things.

 

Best way I ever found in the car dealership was to use a cotton swab to "paint" the sticky residue with a little baby oil, then wipe with something absorbent and clean the glass. Voila. No more glue.

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You're right, it is stupid to put stickers on guitars.. I know, because I put a bunch of them all over my Fender Jazz bass back when I was......... stupid... (well, more stupid than I am now, anyway..) There were all different kinds of stickers on that thing! When I finally grew up (sorta) and wanted to take them all off, one product removed 'em all, without damaging the finish.... WD-40!

 

That stuff has SO many uses!

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Isn't WD40 a penetrating oil? Wouldn't that be nasty if you missed some when you cleaned up? Oh, I don't think it would especially harm a poly surface, in any kind of reasonable time - but, if there were a surface scratch, it might offer a chemically easier way to penetrate; it could even wind up beween the finish and the wood. Two years from now, the finish might suddenly bubble up, or start to separate from the body.

 

Nah, I'm just selling wolf tickets. I think...

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Fingernail polish remover is a bit strong, although experience has shown that Epi finishes are pretty near indestructible. However I've found that lighter fluid is the best bet; it cuts through the adhesives nicely and won't harm any finish or plastics. WD-40 is a good second choice.

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Lighter Fluid (naptha), is what I normally use, GooGone also works well but some of those citrus oils are pretty potent all on their own. The video is dealing mostly with paper stickers and not vinyl decals to which I imagine is what you are trying to remove. It's unlikely you're going to saturate a vinyl decal with oil on a Q-tip. Use a hairdryer, (not a heat-gun), on a low heat setting to slowly warm the vinyl-covered area to soften it's adhesives slightly. Attempt to pull it off with just your fingers/nails. Don't worry about the adhesives yet, just get the offensive mistake off the guitar first. Once the vinyl is out of the way, allow the surface to cool back down normally and break out the lighter fluid. Another method that works well if you've got a lot of adhesive is GREEN 3M masking-tape burnished firmly to the old exposed adhesive and then pulled straight-up, 90-degrees, off of the surface, slowly. This only works on some types of vinyl adhesives though and really isn't worth the effort unless you've got a lot to clean up. After this you'll still finish up with LighterFluid. To any who might be concerned about the use of Naptha just read a bottle of lighter fluid or look how similar a can of GOOF OFF looks to a can of ZIPPO fluid and it's pretty obvious the difference is only the label. As far as nail polish remover goes, (ACETONE), or non-acetone remover is concerned: that's on the border of safety from my past experiences. Might work, might really screw it. I'd rather work slow and safe on something like this and if smudges or sticky smears remain after everything else: a good, non-abrasive, automotive, cleaner-wax will finish off any remaining undesirables.

Wedgie

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I picked up a used guitar once that had vinyl stickers on it. They had been there so long that while the finish had aged, the finish under the stickers had not. After removal you could still see the outlines on the finish.

 

Lighter fluid (Naptha) is a good choice for cleaning tough gunk off the finish.

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