HP Laserjet bumper sticker remover

Can you get it apart far enough to put the panels through the dishwasher a few times?

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

I've had pretty good success with mineral spirits, but sometimes it takes a while. First, make sure there's not a left-over plastic film on top of the adhesive -- if there is, the solvent won't do anything.

Get a folded rag pretty damp with the spirits and drape it over the printer (you may have to do this one side at the time). As you said, sometimes the goo just won't dissolve, but it will get soft, so go after it with a toothbrush (to loosen) and a nearly dry paper towel (to wipe up); it will load up with goo and need to be replaced fairly often.

Also, *carefully applied* heat can do wonders; many of the adhesives that are rock hard at room temperature soften up nicely after a few minutes in front of an incandescent bulb in a reflector. If you can do the heat trick first, it's often possible to pull the stickers off intact, especially if you peel slooooowly.

Or, I suppose you could just take it to Earl Scheib 8^}

Isaac

I always start with a hot air gun on low heat and finger nails (not simultaneously)

That was my thought, just paint over it. Mikek

I'm surprised Goo-Gone won't remove it.

Ditto for MEK. That'll dissolve anything -- including your lungs.

"Jeff Liebermann" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

I always use white spirit though it might be too strong for the plastics involved. Some stronger solvents usually tend to damage the surface so I kept away from them. If anyone ever used a solvent that solves the plastic only slightly, part of the dirt may be catched in the surface and (almost) impossible to remove.

petrus bitbyter

Jeff,

You're right in the area:

the Plastics experts for YEARS! These guys KNOW plastic.

San Leandro HQ 510 357 3755

TAP Plastics (408) 292 8685

1212 The Alameda San Jose, CA 95125

TAP Plastics Inc (408) 265-6400

1008 Blossom Hill Rd # F San Jose, CA 95123

TAP Plastics Inc (650) 962-8430

312 Castro St Mtn View, CA 94041

Should take less than one can of spray paint -- choose your favorite color at an auto supply store...

Jonesy

Yes, but I'm not sure a dishwasher is such a great idea. The ABS plastic will probably melt in the dishwasher. I also tried hot water and laundry detergent, without much luck.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

I haven't tried mineral spirits, but I'll give it a try. So far, I have about 2-3 hours of brute force cleaning. I'm making progress, but so far, it still looks "dirty".

No film. This is genuine, uncoated, ABS.

Good idea. I've been using paper towels, but I think I can get more force and deeper into the surface finish with a rag and brush. At this point, a toothbrush is probably too weak. A laundry brush might be better.

I don't want to try heat quite yet. I'm afraid of melting the dirt into the "textured" surface.

Too late. They closed up in 2010.

This is more interesting:

I've been experimenting with small plastic parts and getting mixed results.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Great idea. Too bad the paint probably won't stick to the remaining goo on the plastic.

I didn't bother to take a photo before I started, but here's the eBay page:

See the 4 photos furthur down the page. The top cover looked "dirty" in the photo, which I presumed would be easy to clean. I didn't realize it was sticky goo residue, impervious to various mild chemicals. What's not obvious from the photo is that the entire top, and both sides were coated with the thin layer of the same sticky goo. It's far worse than it looks in the photos. There were tiny bits of bumper sticker material left attached to the sticky goo, which is a clue as to what happened.

On the good side, the price is right, it prints cleanly, is in quite good condition inside, has done well at 160,000 page, included an apparently good Jetdirect card, and included a "Bar Codes and More" ROM. Now, if I can only get it to look nice.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Try advertising for a completely cashed-in model, and take the shell.

Or you might find one on the side of the road. Much to my annoyance, no one sells plastic lampshades for torchieres. Years of incandescent lightbulb heat caused ours to crack and chip. Searching for a replacement went nowhere. I finally bought a bowl from a restaurant supply store and drilled a hole in the bottom.

But then, on our Sunday morning latte walk, I found an entire torchiere on the side of the road. I quickly unscrewed the shade and took it home. It was proof the the Lord smiled upon out Sunday morning ritual.

I don't remember everything from the original post. Did you try MEK?

No, and I won't try it. MEK eats most plastics including ABS. MEK and acetone are sold as "plastic glue" which works by liquifying the plastic. I don't want to try stronger chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

You're probably right, but... You can always test it on the inside.

Then go to MAACO, or use a rattlecan. :)

--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

Jeff Liebermann wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

when you wash electronic stuff in the auto dishwasher(ADW),you must turn off the drying heat.

remove the items and dry them outside the ADW.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

True, but... Just running cold water through the machine warms it, possibly to the point where it can melt plastic. I learned this 50 years ago, when GE supplied a clear plastic top to demo its "portable" dishwashers. You were warned not to run the demo more than one cycle without letting the water cool down.

The glue could gum up the pump and filter.

I'd stick to hand washing, maybe with Soft Scrub or other liquid abrasive.

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