[aj_chicago]

Made a paste out of peanut butter and canola oil. Doing an overnighter with that.

[yucatanPentax]

Made a paste out of peanut butter and canola oil. Doing an overnighter with that.

If it is adhesive, there's a fair chance that will work, as I've also found many adhesives are dissolved by cooking oils.

If it is SuperGlue stuff, you may have to make that 'one-time in forever' purchase. Wishing you good luck!

[pentageek]

In the end, the thing that worked was ordinary Canola cooking oil!

Definitely - I had to remove residue of glue from old masking tape, and cooking oil worked great. The method is rather slow, but safe for many delicate surfaces, like plastics or furniture.

[AggieDad]

For those of you who recommended alcohol: Alcohol is a very useful solvent for a number of things, BUT it seldom works on adhesives. As a number of us have stated, naphtha (or possibly WD40) is generally the best place to start when dealing with adhesives.

[Ontarian50]

I see the discussion continues looking for that perfect solvent, but I feel I must repeat my earlier advice - naptha - good old Ronsonol lighter fluid.

I'm often reluctant to state my credentials here on this forum, but my lot in life is to service cameras. I must do full CLA's on at least 100 35mm film SLRs a year, in addition to servicing digital stuff, lenses, TLRs, etc. etc. etc. And as I write this it occurs to me that doing this for 20 years means some 2,000+ 35mm SLRs have crossed my bench. Oh, that's weird, I've never considered that before.


But it's not uncommon to come across an old film camera where someone stuck something really well to the back door. Often it's a K-1000 that was used at some school or something in its former life, and the new owner wants it working well and looking good. But the school firmly glued some identification across the back - nothing that would peel off easily.

And my first choice in looking to get rid of the old residue is lighter fluid. In camera repair it comes closest to the "Universal Solvent", as it flushes out old lubricants and makes way for new. It cleans some kinds of grime that isopropyl alcohol won't budge. It has a 100 uses at least - and one of which is to dissolve old adhesives - especially epoxy based resins that will resist pretty much anything else. And it's awesome in cleaning off contact cement type residues - and it softens up that crap that gets left behind under ancient masking tape.

Aside from being flammable, lighter fluid is pretty easy to get along with. Hazmat suit not required.

At my shop, running out of lighter fluid isn't an option. While I probably go through less than two bottles a year, there's always a spare bottle on the shelf.

[ismaelg]

I see the discussion continues looking for that perfect solvent, but I feel I must repeat my earlier advice - naptha - good old Ronsonol lighter fluid.

I'm often reluctant to state my credentials here on this forum, but my lot in life is to service cameras. I must do full CLA's on at least 100 35mm film SLRs a year, in addition to servicing digital stuff, lenses, TLRs, etc. etc. etc. And as I write this it occurs to me that doing this for 20 years means some 2,000+ 35mm SLRs have crossed my bench. Oh, that's weird, I've never considered that before.


But it's not uncommon to come across an old film camera where someone stuck something really well to the back door. Often it's a K-1000 that was used at some school or something in its former life, and the new owner wants it working well and looking good. But the school firmly glued some identification across the back - nothing that would peel off easily.

And my first choice in looking to get rid of the old residue is lighter fluid. In camera repair it comes closest to the "Universal Solvent", as it flushes out old lubricants and makes way for new. It cleans some kinds of grime that isopropyl alcohol won't budge. It has a 100 uses at least - and one of which is to dissolve old adhesives - especially epoxy based resins that will resist pretty much anything else. And it's awesome in cleaning off contact cement type residues - and it softens up that crap that gets left behind under ancient masking tape.

Aside from being flammable, lighter fluid is pretty easy to get along with. Hazmat suit not required.

At my shop, running out of lighter fluid isn't an option. While I probably go through less than two bottles a year, there's always a spare bottle on the shelf.

Not to hijack the thread but this is very helpful for those of us wannabees shade tree camera techs
Question: Are there different variations of lighter fluid? Or are most basically the same?

Thanks,
Ismael

[aj_chicago]

Overnight tincture of canola oil and peanut butter did absolutely nothing to soften the glue. I googled bencina and everything I see says IT IS benzene by another Spanish name. No? I think I will try to find some super glue remover at Home Depot or Walmart. If not there, I see it online. Just takes days to get here.

[DonV]

Overnight tincture of canola oil and peanut butter did absolutely nothing to soften the glue. I googled bencina and everything I see says IT IS benzene by another Spanish name. No? I think I will try to find some super glue remover at Home Depot or Walmart. If not there, I see it online. Just takes days to get here.

No - despite the similar sounding name, Bencina is not benzene.
As I posted, it is a distillate cut of mostly alliphatic hydrocarbons pentane, hexane, and heptane; which are 5,6,7 carbon straight chain molecules.
I can't help it- I used to be a chemist.

[UncleVanya]

Overnight tincture of canola oil and peanut butter did absolutely nothing to soften the glue. I googled bencina and everything I see says IT IS benzene by another Spanish name. No? I think I will try to find some super glue remover at Home Depot or Walmart. If not there, I see it online. Just takes days to get here.

You might try Michaels or similar store.

[aj_chicago]

Tried Home Depot, Walmart, Michaels. No good. Ordered this stuff online. Sounds good. It's made for "super glue and other hard glues," and is safe for skin. It's a gel and applies with an included small brush.

[ismaelg]

Found this online, but mostly refers to superglue on skin:

Super glue solves a lot of problems … until it gets where you don’t want it to be.
Here are several common household products that will help you get super glue off just about anything:

Acetone/nail polish remover.
Unless you have very sensitive skin, you can use nail polish remover and a cotton ball to remove super glue from your skin. Once the glue is dissolved, wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap. Pure acetone or clear nail polish remover can also be used to remove super glue from fabric, upholstery, or wood. Test the acetone in an inconspicuous part of the item first, to see if it damages the color of the item.

Rubbing alcohol.
Super glue can be removed from glass, countertops, tile, and other hard surfaces with rubbing alcohol. Pour enough alcohol to cover the glue spot and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. It will loosen the glue’s grip on the surface and allow you to scrape it off.

Vinegar
If you’re nervous about chemicals damaging an item you’ve spilled super glue on, vinegar could be the solution. It’s a natural super glue remover that can be used on a wide range of surfaces. However, vinegar should not be used on rubber, stone, or wood because its acidity damages these materials.

Sandpaper.
You can use sandpaper to gently grind super glue off wood, metal, and many other surfaces. Just be careful not to ruin the finish of the item you’re sanding.
Nail file/emery board.
An emery board is really just a fancy little piece of sandpaper. You can use yours to remove super glue from all kinds of objects, including your fingers.

Coconut oil and baking soda.
Make a paste of equal parts coconut oil and baking soda, and let it sit on affected skin for 15 minutes. Once the oil softens the glue’s grip on your skin, you should be able to gently peel the glue away. If you don’t have coconut oil handy, any other cooking oil, margarine, or butter can be substituted.

Hot, soapy water.
If you don’t have any of these helpful products around but you do have super glue on your hands, run a sink full of hot, soapy water. Soak your hands and gently rub the affected area to encourage the glue to loosen its grip. This is the most gentle and natural super glue remover you can use. It’s also the best way to remove super glue from leather.

Thanks,
Ismael