Glue at the back - soap and boiling water don't work....
 

I bought these badges over the weekend off a board: the seller had a couple of boards stuck with badges. I thought I could get rid off the glue at the back by putting them in warm water (like what I do with my stamps...). It does not work...

The front of the badges is actually very nice. The glue is old. Is there anything I can do? I went through all the threads on cleaning but none on getting rid of glue on badges.

Your title indicates boiling water and in the body of your message you mention warm water. I've always found that boiling water will do the trick. That said you may need to use your fingernail (or similar) to scrape it off. I would be a little more careful with the anodised aluminium badge.

Dave.

Apologies. It's boiling hot water, not warm water for the WM badge :) For the anodised badge, it's warm water. Neither works. Maybe I leave them alone?

Anodised badge use hot water,washing up liquid and an old toothbrush. Always works for me .

Nitro Mors (paint stripper) will get your glue off and not damage the anodised badge. Apply some with a cotton bud and leave for a while and scrape off with a tooth pick - it'll do the trick.

Regards all

Bess

Hi,
Try a cellulose thinner, if you have a Wickes near you they do a small 125ml bottle for less than £3, I have used some to remove solvent from paintwork.
Paul

glue remover
 

Hi wife's nail varnish remover always works for me chris

As a general rule 'lighter fluid' removes just about everything. I always keep a can around the house. That's not to say I'm recommending it or have ever used it on any badge.

Cheerio,

Roy

Not all adhesives are the same, as you have obviously found out.

Any glue or adhesive that derives from animal by-products (e.g. hide glue, mucilage) is normally soluble in water (temperature to be determined, but the hotter the better usually works). Adhesives made from synthetic resins, polymers, etc. tend to be soluble in a variety of organic solvents, such as those mentioned - lighter fluid, which is really petroleum spirit, nail polisher remover (acetone). Beware of the latter, as some contain other products (like glycerine) and are not pure acetone. Alcohol (ethanol) can occasionally work, so try using vodka (yeah, I know, it's a waste, and you can't drink it afterwards). Otherwise, stronger, more toxic solvents have to be resorted to, such as toluene (do it outside, or in a well-ventilated area). Freezing can also make glues brittle, and so chip off. You can try putting the badge in a freezer (fridge-type or chest freezer). If you have access to liquid nitrogen (not many of us do, unless you work in a lab), treating it locally can also do the trick.

I have an example of an anodized badge (Queen's Regiment) which someone has obviously tried to clean, and has partially stripped off the coating from the anodizing process. So I suspect that paint stripper might be too drastic. Probably the best (and safest) solution is softening the adhesive with whatever you've already tried (hot water), then swabbing and scraping with a tooth pick or dentist's pick.

David

I've used isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.

Phil

Many thanks for all the suggestions. Much appreciated.

I will try again, with a bit of patience.... Will post result when done. :)