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Old 21-02-17, 04:46 PM
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David Tremain David Tremain is offline
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Location: Ottawa, Canada
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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
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