Removing old side art stickiness: sanding?

[epetti]

I'm working on making a new MAME cabinet from an old shell I was able to get with some pretty beat up side art.  (Mortal Kombat cabinet with Point Blank side art, which I never heard of before this).  I searched the forums and was able to use a hair dryer to get the side art off without too much trouble.  But getting the stickiness underneath off has been a bit more of a pain.

I tried Goof Off and it was useless.  Tried WD-40 and it actually worked, but was very slow and messy.  Saw some other suggestions like lighter fluid or MEK or Goo Gone, but I'm wondering how tedious of a process it is scraping it all of after you apply that, and how quickly I'll pass out from the fumes.

Once it's all off I'll need to do a sanding pass anyway before applying a fresh coat of paint over what's there, just to plug all the holes and scars from it's past lives.  Can I quickly just sand off the goo as part of the whole sanding pass and skip using any solvent, or is that a bad idea?  Any other suggestions for quickest and easiest way to get rid of the gunk?  If you do apply a solvent, what do you use to take off the solvent and gunk?  Just a cloth or something harsher?

Thanks.

[lilshawn]

i would advise against trying to sand it off. your paper is just going to get gunked up and clogged with it.

Ronsonol lighter fluid or Goo Gone should get that right off... lay the cabinet flat if you can, and squirt it down and let it work for a few minutes. then use a scraper to scrape it off. finish up with a cloth and some more fluid. if you are indeed going to sand it and repaint then you don't have to be 100% gone, but you do need most of it gone before you sand it.

[agent4877]

I would suggest using a heat gun and scraper. I'm currently doing the same to my cabinet at it works great! Even takes off the glue!

[mgb]

yep
heat gun and scraper, then goo gone or similar and then sand

[paigeoliver]

Goo Gone. You don't want any sticky areas underneath your new paint job.

[WindDrake]

Heat Gun and a Scraper to remove the bulk of the funk.

I used WD40 to take off the horrible funk that the Fighters History art left behind on my Z-Back.

Aircraft Paint Remover should also nuke the adhesive in short order. Just work with it OUTSIDE or in really well ventilated areas.

[jennifer]

   I use paint reducer... Saturate a rag, and wipe it on ( Start at the top) And with the other hand wipe it dry with a clean rag (Quickly) Work your way to the bottom in this fashion, Get wet, wipe dry... It wont come off in the first pass, but about the 3rd time the glue will start to let go. And then will wipe clean... Use reducer, not thinner. thinner is to harsh and may affect your finish.

[Xiaou2]

I believe I also used GooGone  ,to remove massive amounts of glue residue from  Mylar  I removed  (via freeze spray method)  from a Pinball Playfield.

 It took like 3 passes worth of effort to get it all off.   But I didnt dare use anything too harsh, as didnt want to effect the Artwork on
the field.

[sandheaver]

Goo Gone. You don't want any sticky areas underneath your new paint job.

This.  Goo Gone will get rid of any adhesives and leave paint alone.  Heat gun, if you have one, or a hair dryer and some elbow grease to get the vinyl off, but some adhesive will remain.  Goo Gone takes care of that in a jiffy.

If you're not in the US, eucalyptus oil will clean the adhesive off, as well.

[mgb]

I find goo gone takes a lot to work.
If the goop is real thick, I prefer a heat gun and a firm scraper like a putty knife with a sharpened edge.
Than something like goo gone to remove the lighter sticky crap

[sandheaver]

Hopefully, if the goop is thick, coarser approaches would be used.  One would not use Goo Gone on large thick slabs of adhesive, just as one would not paint a room with a toothbrush.

(in short, I agree with you; goo gone doesn't go very far, but it does work; more appropriate methods are called for when large sections of goo need to be eliminated.)

[epetti]

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I notice everyone's suggesting Goo Gone versus Goof Off, so I'll give that one a try, but I'm guessing that the last couple replies are the problem -- too much gunk and I need to hair dryer/scrape off a layer before I go there.  Very helpful all.  Thanks.

[lilshawn]

"Goo off" might just be a knock-off version of it.

the key is to let the solvent work on the glue and start to break it down.

[mgb]

As far as using a hair dryer, personally I don't think they get hot enough.
A cheap heat gun (from harbor freight or similar) will do the trick easier I would think.
 A good enough scraper may work well enough regardless of heat though.

[epetti]

The hair dryer I used got plenty hot to take the side art off, and chunks of goo were starting to come off with it.  I think I need to get a better scraper, though.  I had a small (about three inch) plastic cheapo thing.

[mgb]

Definitely you will want to use a metal scraper.

[silar]

I second the heatgun/scraper method.  To me it's the easiest way and doesn't leave a super strong odor like the chemicals do...

[SlammedNiss]

I second the heatgun/scraper method.  To me it's the easiest way and doesn't leave a super strong odor like the chemicals do...

I third this motion. Besides that, you don't know what other issues you might have down the road with certain chemicals absorbing into the wood.

[jennifer]

    Scratching the finish off with a scraper sounds like a good way to destroy an otherwise original finish... A heat gun, and a steady hand with a blade is what removes the sticker.

[Fursphere]

When I pull Mylar off pinball machine playfields, this is the method I use to get the glue off afterwards.

Pour on a little denatured rubbing alcohol (maybe a 6" circle)
Cover the area with a thin layer of play old baking flour
Rub with my fingers until the flour has absorbed all the glue
Then just pick up the flour-glue balls with my hands / paper towels.

Yes, it sounds insane.  It works great, and is 100% non-destructive.

An arcade cabinet might use a different type of adhesive - I don't know.  Its a bigger area than a pinball playfield as well.  Just depends on how much damage you want to do removing the old adhesive.

[mgb]

    Scratching the finish off with a scraper sounds like a good way to destroy an otherwise original finish... A heat gun, and a steady hand with a blade is what removes the sticker.

I should clarify, I don't mean a typical paint scraper but a stiff putty knife.

are you going to be sanding afterword anyway

[jennifer]

    Fursphere has the right idea (although Jennifer has never tried using flour) But working in small areas let that spot breath and dry while you work another... Non destructive would be key here, cause if your going to refinish it too, aircraft stripper will strip it right down to the wood, paint, glue, sticker and all. (neutralize with water).

[silar]

    Scratching the finish off with a scraper sounds like a good way to destroy an otherwise original finish... A heat gun, and a steady hand with a blade is what removes the sticker.

He said he was sanding and painting over, so the original finish doesn't matter..

[mgb]

    Fursphere has the right idea (although Jennifer has never tried using flour) But working in small areas let that spot breath and dry while you work another... Non destructive would be key here, cause if your going to refinish it too, aircraft stripper will strip it right down to the wood, paint, glue, sticker and all. (neutralize with water).

There's a huge difference between pulling Mylar off a pinball play field and stripping an arcade can.
 When working on a pinball play field, you need to be very cautious not to ruin the artwork.
  Correct if I'm wrong but the op just wants to strip down and redo an arcade cabinet.
Why over complicate it. He's not redoing fine furniture.

[epetti]

Goo Gone and a good metal scraper worked great although I had to do about three passes with it to get everything off. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.