silicone removal

[marcros]

I bought a second hand greenhouse. the previous owner had siliconed the roof glass in which made it a nightmare to remove but I got it out in the end.

I want to strip it all off before I reassemble it. Any tricks for doing so? I presume that on the glass I need to get a scraper blade and use that, but it is on many of the aluminium profiles. Are there any solvents that will work.

 

[Spectric]

You can get silicone remover, Soudal Silicone Remover 100ml

 

[eribaMotters]

I tried that on bricks after removing my mothers conservatory. I was not impressed, although has to be said better than nothing. I did jet wash the effected areas first which did help, until the brick face started to be ripped off.

Colin

 

[Setch]

I've heard wd40 is very effective at breaking down silicone, albeit it can cause subsequent applications to fail prematurely.

 

[thetyreman]

I would use a stanley knife, it can be a pain to remove though but haven't found anything better.

 

[marcros]

I would use a stanley knife, it can be a pain to remove though but haven't found anything better.

just hack at it? I will start with that. the task today was taking it down so hopefully it isnt as bad as when I first looked.

 

[thetyreman]

just hack at it? I will start with that. the task today was taking it down so hopefully it isnt as bad as when I first looked.

I found a flat single bevel marking knife was very handy but that's for a bath, so it might not be relevant for what you're trying to do, I used that combined with the stanley knife and a razor blade, I use a fugi cramer kit now for all silicone jobs, makes a huge difference but again might not be relivant to what you're doing, good luck, it's a nightmare of a job.

 

[Tuna808]

I have a dewalt multitool an have used a tungsten blade which make removing silicone a walk in the park.

 

[Tuna808]

 

[mr edd]

Hi

I have had some success with Hg silicone remover. I think the company name is Hagesan. Other trades have recommended a product with a trade name similar to silligone but I have never tried that one.

best Edd

 

[mr edd]

I should have added that the silicone removal products rely on you using a sharp blade to remove most of the waste material first before application, the silicone remover then makes the thin leftover layer of silicone easier to get off with a nylon brush. eg. old toothbrush or plastic scraper

 

[TominDales]

I found this from Screwfix worked well on my kitchen to remove the old silicon. its a gel with a solvent/digester added. you pain it on an wait a few hours and when its softens the silicon you peel it off or scrape it off. No Nonsense Sealant Remover 100ml . Silicone is a thermoset ie its crosslinked so solvents such as hexane, white spirit, only swell the silicone, not break it back into the soluble linear polymers. You can get acid digesters that chew the cross links up leaving the silicon resin as a goo. But these are effective but messy. The Screwfix remover is only £5 for a small tub with a brush. You may need a few bottles for a very bit job. One bottle will do at least a baths worth.

 

[CornishWoodworker]

Heat gun and putty knife
Let the heat do the work, little force required.

 

[Lard]

Although I’ve never tried it on glass I’ll second the use of the multi tool. I’ve just finished removing ‘old’ adhesive from the back of reclaimed solid oak flooring which was an absolute nightmare until I remembered the resonator.....worked a treat.

As you use it flat I would think it should be ok with the glass....worth a try at least?

 

[pe2dave]

White spirit works.

 

[Spectric]

Petrol also works, learnt that lesson from using a silicon gasket sealer on a joint that got soaked in petrol and then failed.