Best way to remove old polycarb CPO

[hamdammage]

I have a metal CP with what seems to be an old polycarbonate CPO on it.  It seems to be stuck on with the most amazing glue because I'm having one heck of a time taking it off.  The overlay is also pretty brittle at this point, and any attempt to just pull it off results in the overlay breaking off in little pieces. 

Is there a secret technique to take this thing off, or am I just going have to muscle my way through it and cause a big mess in the process?

[thecheat]

Get a heat gun and a metal spatula. Make sure the heat gun can get good and hot and make sure you don't have sharp edges on the spatula that could mark the metal.

Heat up the control panel from the BOTTOM and slowly scrape the adhesive off with long, slow strokes. You should have nice ribbons coming off as you push the spatula.

Clean up the residue - which should now be nice and gummy - with your choice of adhesive remover. I like goof off or goo gone if you don't want as many fumes.

[hamdammage]

Get a heat gun and a metal spatula. Make sure the heat gun can get good and hot and make sure you don't have sharp edges on the spatula that could mark the metal.

Heat up the control panel from the BOTTOM and slowly scrape the adhesive off with long, slow strokes. You should have nice ribbons coming off as you push the spatula.

Clean up the residue - which should now be nice and gummy - with your choice of adhesive remover. I like goof off or goo gone if you don't want as many fumes.

Thanks for the reply.  Using the heat gun sounds like a good idea.  I actually just tried using Goo Gone and a spatula without the heating step, which was a mistake.  The Goo Gone couldn't penetrate the polycarb layer and just ended up liquefying some of adhesive and making a huge mess, making me wish I just kept the old CPO.  Can't wait to get back to it!

[supadave]

Grill it..

A buddy of mine said he placed his on a gas grill to heat it up to help the removal..

[thecheat]

supadave, didn't even think about that idea... just be careful since everything is going to be uniformly hot!

[supadave]

I gave him a call after this post to see how it worked out. He said it worked great. It came off very easy in one big sheet. He did go on to mention that the glue left behind was still causing him trouble.

[thecheat]

Try Goof-Off. If that doesn't work, good old lacquer thinner will do it.

I absolutely HATE getting old adhesive off. You could always bead blast it

[ChadTower]

Don't grill it on a grill you use for food.  That stuff is toxic.

You can toss it on any other fire, though, and it will all burn off just fine.