Not very clever

[Sidewinder]

Bought a AG case for a mechanism I have. Unfortunately ....

Any ideas how to remove the tape without damaging the decal & finish. My thought was a hairdryer, but I wanted to see if anyone had solved the problem already. Some motor spares are secured inside the case.

[travisgreyfox]

That picture made me cringe When I made my last cross-country move the movers did this to my old vintage TV set (which is in MINT condition). I just had to take my time with a blow dryer and cup of water with Q-tips.

I used the hot air along with water and just went really, really slow. Luckily nothing was harmed.

Good luck.

[bigshot]

The theory for removing tape without damaging anything is to fold the tape back on itself as you peel. If you peel straight out, it rips the surface. If it's doubled all the way back, the pressure is only put on the thin line at the fold. Hard to describe in words.

[cmshapiro]

Wow, thats a shame. Heat may or may not be good, but hard to test. If the heat does soften the finish/decal and adhere it more strongly to the tape, you can't really undo it as you can't really apply the mild heat to a very small test area.

This may be something you want to consult a conservator at a local art museum on. I guess it depends on the value of the case to you, as this could get pricey. adhesive tape can be removed from paper (book, photographs, etc), so Im sure they could apply similar techniques to this situation, but Id imagine they move every slow and delicately, which will likely equal expensive.

[tomb]

Since you have tape over a decal chemicals may be out of the question. The heat will probably loosen the tape but I do not know what it will do to the decal and it will leave a residue. If you have something similar that can be experimented with and you will not need it to show try that. I had some duct tape on my truck and heat took it off but it had a modern finish. Tom B

[FellowCollector]

This may sound like a lame suggestion to most but I know what I would try in this instance. Almost any possible removal procedure could risk injury to what is presumably an original decal as well as to the surrounding cabinet finish. I would cut off a small section of that same tape where there is no risk of injury to the decal and try putting that small cut off piece over a decal on a junk cabinet with a bad original decal (but enough original decal to support a test removal procedure) and then try removing the tape. It would be a real shame to damage that decal. The good news is that the tape has likely not been in place over the decal for very long so removal damage may be far less than tape that has been in place over a decal for a long time. Who knows...it may come off with zero damage but, as with testing paint matching, it's always best to work on a junk piece first. Since the top part of the tape covering the decal is lifted out from the cabinet it's also possible that something as benign as furniture lemon oil such as Olde English dribbled gently into that section of tape above the decal where the tape is lifted out may loosen the tape's grip. Good luck.

Doug

[outune]

I once had tape over a painted glass piece. I used baby oil and q-tips to slowly work against the seal of the tape. Worked well.. I don't know how it will work on a decal, but I can't imagine the baby oil itself doing any damage-- Whether it will loosen the tape will be the unknown.

I hope the seller has been informed of his/her poor packing technique! Please let us know how it goes.

Brad Abell

[jboger]

Don't risk it. Return it. Demand all your money back including shipping.

[briankeith]

Return it to the seller and complain !!

[EarlH]

I used to sell sewing machine heads on ebay a long time ago, and the sewing machine ladies told me that all that grease dried on those old sewing machine heads can be soaked off with turpentine and it won't damage the decal work on those heads. I would try a little of that with a brush somewhere in a little spot on the decal where it won't show if it did take a little bit of it off. A good grade of turpentine will not stain the wood and if you put a drop of it on a sheet of paper, it should dry and not leave a mark. The worst part of it is not knowing exactly what the finish is and what may dissolve it of course. But pure gum turpentine would be what I would start with. The baby oil might work too, but it might also discolor the wood if it soaks in.

What a mess though, and it really is shocking how stupid someone can be at times. Good luck with that one. If I wasn't really sure I wanted THAT machine, I would send it back to them and save myself the nervous frustration. I'm getting too old and impatient for projects like that. Haha!