Bicycle Mechanics - How to remove bar tape/clean bar

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redfooj
03-24-04, 04:02 PM
Ran a search and came up with no results -- googled also but didnt help

I have this black cloth bar tape that's been on this bar for a few epochs now.. it doesnt roll off at once but rather breaks off often in section... so now i have skeletal remains of the tape still on the bar. What kind of solvent can break off the tape completely and get the bar all shiny clean :D

roadfix
03-24-04, 04:06 PM
acetone
RainmanP
03-24-04, 04:50 PM
But use it with great care outside! It is very nasty stuff, highly flammable, and the fumes are very bad for you. Use rubber gloves.

redfooj
03-24-04, 05:35 PM
paint thinner work? and just as volatile?
supcom
03-24-04, 06:20 PM
If it's just old adhesive from the tape, then you can try goo gone or equivalent adhesive solvents. However, if your tape had been laquered, you may need some laquer thinner or paint thinner to dissolve the old laquer.

If the tape itself has been permeated by the stuff, then it's probably laquered.
Dutchy
03-24-04, 06:48 PM
Eucalyptus Oil, removes old sticker residue easily and clears a blocked nose at the same time.:D
redfooj
03-24-04, 11:49 PM
what it took was paint thinner and a wool pad... slapped some paint thinner on there... let it sit, and wooled the hell out of it. took about 20 minutes but its clean :D

paint thinner and a rag helped take all the sticker/adhesive residue off the frame, too, without stripping the paint. good, because i was afraid it would take off the paint


http://www.thuan.org/temp/comparison.jpg

here's before and after. the red wheels on there are really inapropriate... but i just found a red 531 Trek today that is more modern looking onwhich the red wheels will look perfect!!! and it has some nicer, lower-profile gunpowder mavic rims which will complement the Takara perfectly :D those godawful seats are being replaced with a modern slimmer-profile black/silver Fizik Pave :D
steveknight
03-25-04, 12:04 AM
paint thinner work? and just as volatile?

paint thinner should work. it does not evaporate as fast so it is easier to use. Plus it is dirt cheap and not super toxic to your lungs.
lotek
03-25-04, 07:57 AM
Goo gone works well and you don't need the precautions required for
acetone.

Marty