Tip for cleaning gummy masking residue

I had a design which turned out well but the settings were such that it left the whole design covered in a sticky mess left by the masking glue residue. I tried rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide etc, none of which worked, then I remembered a trick I made up when I was a kid climbing trees, we’d get sticky pitch on our hands which nothing would touch barring acetone, gasoline etc. I would rub dirt on my hands and eventually they were clean, now I use good ol’ cinnamon, the sticky gets absorbed into the spice, crumbles off and leaves the wood perfectly clean, cheap fix and smells good too!

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I have cinnamon growing at the back door but that still seems a bit pricey to use :frowning: It certainly smells better than hand sanitizer but I have used it to dissolve masking glue while the masking was still in place. The downside, of course, is that it dissolves MDF just as easily but I don’t use that.

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Acetone does indeed work on many adhesives–though not compatible with some acylics… nail polish with acetone is often less unpleasant to use than a can straight stuff.

I’ve had good luck with an art eraser. :slight_smile:

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Another good idea!
I think anything that breaks down and crumbles away is better than a solvent which can ruin the material.

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Great idea! I wouldn’t want to use it on a large area, but for a small Christmas ornament it would work great and add to the seasonal smell.

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Aha! I was feeling bad that I hadn’t already posted the eraser trick, but I actually DID. See the fourth photo down in this post: Mandala MacBook Pro--errrr, iPad engraving/skin

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I have found that white vinegar does well for me in most instances, but for the stubborn pieces, i use a mixture of 90% rubbing alcohol and about a teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing detergent. Works pretty good, and the vinegar helps neutralize a lot of the smell.

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A drop from those little bottles of essential oils on ornaments of oak or poplar could make the whole house smell like a pine forest for Christmas or a field of flowers for Spring.

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Spring couldn’t come soon enough! :yum:

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