How to remove aluminium tape glue: the best methods
How to remove aluminium adhesive glue? This is an unusual question, of course, but it is still a question, which, at the time of need, must find a certain answer, to avoid wasting time and to refrain from ruining the affected surfaces.
The problem is that those typing these words on a search engine will most likely end up on pages explaining how to remove adhesive residue from aluminium surfaces, which, however, is only useful if you need to remove glue left behind on a metal surface by any kind of double-sided tape.
Matters are different in this case: what you’re looking for is how to remove aluminium tape’s glue residue from any surface! This is not just any adhesive tape, but rather rolls of industrial double-sided adhesive tape – with or without liner – used in the field of thermal insulation and refrigeration. Let’s have a look at how to remove all the residue that this tape leaves on surfaces!
Let’s discover aluminium adhesive tape
In our daily life we are used to the employment of classic office, transparent, or paper adhesive tape. Sometimes, for DIY work, PVC insulation tape is used, designed to not carry electricity, or duct tape, perfect for emergency repairs in many cases.
However, there are adhesive tapes that, far from being versatile and always useful, have rather specific uses. An example? Aluminium-coated adhesive tape.
It should be noted that regular adhesive tape rolls are designed to work at room temperature and that, in fact, they can often have grip issues if exposed to the scorching sun or outdoors during cold winters. But what should be done during those repair jobs or installations during which extreme temperatures are a constant?
Let’s consider, for example, regulating pipes, or, on the contrary, heating systems’ pipes. Or, a stove’s chimney, the coiling in a cold storage. What to do when you have to deal with these anything but regular temperatures?
The perfect adhesive in these cases is aluminium tape, used to seal heating systems exhaust pipes, wiring in refrigeration pipes, and so on. This is, in fact, a double-sided adhesive tape with natural aluminium support, whether or not it is equipped with a protective silicone liner, to allow the industrial double-sided adhesive to be overlapped.
Even aluminium adhesive tape, however, at times need to be removed. And this operation, in some cases, can leave behind some glue residue, or layers of adhesive which, rather than sticking to the strong double-sided adhesive tape support when removed, remain glued to the surface on which it had been applied. How can you remove this residue?
How to remove aluminium adhesive glue
To explain how to remove aluminium adhesive glue, a premise should be added: in most cases these tape strips are placed on smooth and usually resistant surfaces, such as metal or plastic. So, fortunately, there are so many techniques that can be used to remove glue residue.
One thing is certain: it will be pointless, in most cases, to use the classic “hair dryer” method to soften and make the glue more compliant. As aluminium adhesive tape is designed to withstand high temperatures, in fact, the results obtained by heating the glue residue will not be satisfactory.
Out advice, then, is to skip this method entirely, however useful it might be in the context of all other types of adhesive tape, and move directly to the application of products meant to facilitate glue removal.
If the underlying surface allows it, it is best to employ solvents or alcohol, using a cotton cloth to moisten all the affected section. After letting it soak for a few seconds, it will be possible to start scratching off the glue residues, which should now be more yielding: you can use the cotton cloth mentioned before directly or, if you need more strength, a plastic scraper.
What kind of scraper? Simple: the kind normally used to clean ice off car windshields in the winter. Or, you can use an old plastic card as well, which will be just as effective.
Should you not have any solvents on hand, or should you not want to risk ruining the underlying surface, you can use DIY solutions, such as water and vinegar or water and lemon solutions. Vegetable oil and possibly lubricant usually employed to loosen stubborn bolts also work quite well.
