Removing Velcro from wooden and metal surfaces?

[l2oBiN]

I have purchased a 4x5 Wista 45dx camera 2nd hand. I have noticed the previous owner has attached velcro on top of the camera (One small piece directly to the wooden varnish) and a small piece on either side of the camera (Lower bottom on the metal rear standard mechanism).

What is the best way to remove the velcro without damaging the camera? I have tried slowly peeling it back, but the velcro looks like its got a thick gummy glue that I think might either pull the varnish off or get left behind...

[Ernest Purdum]

Without being sure of the type of finish on the camera, there's no way of knowing what solvents could be used safely. Maybe Wista could provide advice. Otherwise, how about figuring out a need for the velcro (holding a dark-cloth, maybe?) then congratulating yourself on a brilliant answer to the problem.

[Mark Woods]

Lighter fluid, naphtha, generally cuts the glue. But I agree with the above post. You could ruin the finish.

[Mark Tweed]

With an ancient history in the graphic arts I've learned a thing to two about dealing with adhesives.

Bestine, a solvent originally used to thin out or remove rubber cement is your best bet. It will dissolve and clean up most adhesives, surely the one they use on adhesive velcro. Bestine dries quickly and leaves no residue of its own. But be safe and use it outdoors and with rubber gloves as this product contains benzene. You can find this in quart cans at any artist's supply or arts and crafts store, a good hardware store may also carry it. Bestine will remove just about any adhesive label.

The next alternative is Goo Gone, this is a safer product because it's citrus based. It also will remove just about any adhesive. I've used this product on woods and fabric with great luck. If you use it on a fabric you will need to launder it afterwards. You can purchase this Goo Gone anywhere, hardware stores, grocery stores, Walmart, Kmart etc.

If the adhesive is old, it may take a little longer for these products to do their thing. To get off the last bit of residue (in your case, the body of your camera) you may have to rub at it with a soft cloth (and solvent) until you've completely removed it.

I hope this is helpful,


Mark

[Gem Singer]

Holloway House Lemon Oil furniture polish.

I bought a bottle of it at Wal Mart.

I've used it many times to remove adhesive residue from wooden, plastic, and metal camera surfaces.

Works like a charm.

[cdholden]

I can second Mark's suggestion for Goo Gone. Sometimes an adhesive needs a bit more work rubbing/scrubbing it out, but it is relatively harmless and it works well.
Chris

[ndavid813]

WD-40 works well. I've used it on metal and Fabric with good results. It did not affect the wood finish it touched.

[Drew Wiley]

I use an orange citrus-based solvent called De-Solv-It. What also works is film
emulsion cleaner. You want something very gentle because there are so many different kinds of finish which could have been applied to the camera, and common
solvents will attack many of these.

[John Koehrer]

I've always just peeled it off by rolling the backing material back on itself & cleaned the residue with Goo Gone.
I think the varnish clings more aggressively to the wood than the Velcro to a glossy surface.

[Robert Hughes]

Why would you want to remove the velcro? The prior owner used an appropriate method for holding the dark cloth in place. I'm considering putting velcro on my home made view camera to hold the dark cloth. And you already have it.

Maybe we should trade - even up!