Most cigar boxes available to us have various labels glued to them - a tax stamp, bar code, pricing label, or the dreaded "Smoking Kills". When I want to remove these on a wooden box, I usually just peel 'em away and finish the job by rubbing the sticky areas with a product called "Goof Off" which doesn't harm the wood. However, the acetone and xylene in it are not suitable for paper covered boxes as the chemicals attack the printed color.
Does anyone have a favorite adhesive remover that is safe to use on the paper labels?
I hate those "Smoking Kills" labels.
Replies
I can't stand those labels either. I use a razor blade to skim the label off then use good ol wd40
for any residual.
Mike
A hair dryer works great and once the sticker comes off then a gently take the sticky part of the sticker and dab it on the sticker residue and it will lift off the old glue a little at a time....It works wonders and then just take some Goo Be Gone and finish off any glue left behind....Good luck
I have the opposite problem! My decorative sticker fell off the front of my box...I was sanding the pickup cutout too close to the label, oops. So, what's the best glue to stick it back on?
I spritz a bit of WD-40 on a paper towel to get the adhesive residue off...be gentle, tho'
My personal best way of removing adhesive labels of any kind, very easy, and very cleanly, is to use a heat gun.
Craft stores have these things; they use them for stamping and melting powders.
You could remove all the labels on the box (and save them to apply later), without tearing.
It's a good tool.
just sayin'............
Greg
I've found that lighter fluid works amazingly well. If you go slow, dripping it on the underside of a peeled-up corner and keep that peeling line wet, the stickers come right off. Any residue can be removed with a cloth after being wetted with the fluid. The trick is to get it wiped off before the lighter fluid evaporates, which happens pretty quickly.
Needless to say, good ventilation is VERY important.
I love the smoking kills labels...just makes it all the more authentic as a cbg. Just my opinion. I'm always gluing them back on...lol.
I do, this is not a joke it really works. Bread, yes bread. Peel off the sticker and rub a ball of bread on the adhesive, the oils in the bread soften the adhesive and the bread itself rubs it off. Works great cleans up some other marks too. And leaves it a bit shiny. I use this on paper box's all the time. Its may here so this is not an april fools joke.
Yes...simple VM&P Naptha quik drying and not as agressive as acetone or xylene and dissolves most simple tapestyle adhesives...