Removing Turners Tape

[Lonnie Hull]

Hello,

To start, I wasn't turning anything but I did use turners tape, so I'm hoping someone might have a solution. I started with a board 6.75" X 17" X .25 and I cut some pieces on my CNC (1.5 x 8 x .125) and then thought I'd just plane off the backside off the board to give me the final .125 thickness. So I took a larger scrap board, applied turners tape to the face of the work and taped it down to the scrap. I ran it through the planer, ended up with exactly what I wanted, except now I can't get the pieces off of the scrap because of the tape. They're only .125 thick and I'm pretty certain if I pull up too hard they'll break.

So, does any have a good solution to removing the tape without damaging the wood. The wood is walnut and it will be stained (once I get it unglued, that is).

I know there's industrial solutions out there, Goo Gone, and such, but I want to make sure that they won't leave a residue that I won't be able to stain over later.

Thanks for your help.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

2 sided foam tape? Pass fishing line, (as heavy as you can) and use it like a saw. It will cut through the foam. You can then rub off the sticky parts.

[Trevor Howard]

I have done scroll saw work with patterns glued onto the wood with 3M Spray Adhesive. Once done I spray pattern with Mineral Oil and after a few minutes the pattern peels right off. Any excess I spray the wood again and wipe away. I have not tried it on tape though.

[Brian Brown]

Heat will soften the adhesive. If the parts are small enough, put them in the oven, or microwave, and heat them up. I don't know what temperature to tell you, you will need to experiment. Start at about 150* and work up. I wouldn't go over 200*, and heat the wood slowly. A microwave should be used on a lower power setting because it heats too quickly and unevenly. You can try an iron if the piece is too large for an oven, but I would imagine that it would be slow and awkward. When the wood and tape is warm, it should release more easily. With thin parts, pull slowly, and a putty knife will probably help keep them from bending and breaking. Any residue can be removed with acetone, and it shouldn't cause a problem with finishing if it is completely removed. In the future, if you don't need the full adhesive effect of the tape, give it the finger first. Press your finger (or your whole palm if it is a larger piece) into the adhesive, and a small amount of oil from your hand will reduce but not remove the effectiveness of the adhesive. You will have to experiment to get it right, and YMMV.

[allen long]

The finger and palm trick would be worth including in the tips and tricks post as well.

[Greg Just]

the ideas to remove the wood are good ones. For future use, I recommend indoor carpet tape. You can get most wood off pretty easily. For a stronger hold, use exterior carpet tape. Both are available at Walmart.

[Lonnie Hull]

Thanks guys for the information.

I didn't have any fishing line, but I did have some fine nylon twine that worked great to get the pieces off. I needed to do some more and found that if I ran the tape across the long side of the piece I was able to gently / slowly pull them off.

Thanks again for your help.

[Steve Excell]

I use interior double-sided carpet tape from the Big-Box stores...cheaper than turner's tape from the woodworking catalogs and it is basically the same thing. I never blanket my bowls with tape, but use strips that leaves some gaps between strips of tape. The gentle use of a heat gun makes it easy to remove most of the tape if you cannot twist or pull it off easily. Any residual adhesive comes off with acetone...which evaporates away very quickly and should not impact your finish.

[robert baccus]

I had horrible luck with the foam 2 sided tape--removing it. Someone clued me to but genuine woodturners tape ay Woodcraft. It is not made with the foam inside and comes off very easily.