Tips & Tricks – Make adhesive removal easier

The world of vinyl lettering often leaves us with the task of removing glue residue from a surface after removing old vinyl letters. The next time you’re faced with this project, try this: Add a few drops of mineral oil to the solvent you choose—alcohol, thinner, acetone, mineral spirits, etc. These are oil-based as the glues usually are.

The solvents work by dissolving the glue when it is scrubbed with a solvent-saturated towel. The added oil keeps the glue soft and won’t let it dry out as the solvent dries or evaporates, which would otherwise cause the glue to flash and become sticky again.

I find that adding a little mineral oil to the solvent speeds up the task by 75 percent.