Can one use safely WD-40 to remove sticky goo from duct tape and electric tape on computer soft plastic wire? And how do you properly remove the WD-40 once the job is done?

Thanks
Frankie

Use lighter fluid, it works to dissolve the glue and evaporates to nothing in a min or so. I use it all the time to remove all kinds of labels and glue residue.

Denature alcohol. Evaporates in a minute or two, leaves no residue unlike petrochem derivatives (WD-40, lighter fluid).

Lighter fluid leaves no residue, I've been using it for years and have never had any.

Goo Gone or De-Solv-It work really well for removing that kind of stuff. (I degrease my entire bike during overhauls with De-Solv-It.) It shouldn’t hurt the insulation on the cords or wires, but it may leave a residue that can be wiped away with a paper towel after a few minutes.

I’ve also had really good luck with Simple Green. No residue… bit more work than with Goo Gone or De-Solv-It… signature Simple Green smell.

In my experience, the result depends on a particular cable material. Some rubber imitating soft plastics are slowly decomposing in contact with adhesives from duct tape or electric tape. At some point of time nothing will help to restore such a plastic to a "dry" condition, it will stay "wet" forever. Moreover, the alcohol based cleaner may trigger some sort of other chemical reaction on that "goo", which will make plastic crumble.

Never tried WD-40 on those cables, though.

If it’s a cable or wire that is mounted in something and not easily removed (replacement not an option) and you want it to not be sticky. Remove all residue with lighter fluid, if it’s a case of the plastic or rubber coating degrading and is the cause of the stickiness. Give it a rub down with wipe-on-polyurethane. It will seal it and provide a protective coating to slow or stop the degrading.


But for the most part just wiping it down with the lighter fluid should work.

OK how do you use the lighter fluid ? You dont break a Bic lighter do you ? Do you use a re-fill canister for the purpose and what is the best technique to do it. ( Now it sounds like rocket science LOL).

BTW, wont the fluid evaporate at once ?

I've seen it used by others for years. And opened several cases that smelled like Zippo fluid as late a week after it was used in them. Sure, no sticky residue, but if you can still smell it, that means it has either accumulated in or between components, or it has infiltrated the insulation.

On the other hand, denatured (unless you just pour it in there) is gone in under five minutes. No scent, no muss. And it doesn't weaken as many synthetics as petrochem-based agents.

some plastics breakdown when WD-40 or that bane of techies 409 spray cleaner is used try olive oil or other light veggie oil.
I would highly recommend CRC 2-26 for all electrical and outdoor gear it is a silicone base food,plastic safe, spray. If you have a Home Depot nearby look in the Electrical section the stuff is wonder full, use it on my cars engine to clean and prep for the winter to protect from the salt put down for snow.have used it for 20- 30 years.
http://www.google.com/search?q=CRC+2-26&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

He is probably talking about the old fashioned liquid filled lighters (Zippo's et al). Every grocery/liquior store will sell Ronson lighter fluid, I use it all the time for de-greasing stuff. Being lighter fluid, it is of course highly flammable, so use at your own risk. And no smoking while using it...

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will try one of the solutions on a small spot and see if there's a melting reaction and if after 20 min nothing happens then I'll use it.

Frankie

Lighter fluid, aka Naptha, is a pretty good solvent on most adhesives, but has some persistent flammability issues that I don't care for around electronics too much. I prefer to use aresols that are specifically made for electronics cleaning, like electro-wash, which are mild freon based solvents that leave no residue, are safe to use on electronic equipment, and won't hurt plastic in the least.

Electro-Wash

It may not be as aggressive at removing/desolving the adhesive, but better to be conservative about such things in my opinion.

Skip the lighter fluid, naptha. It is more aggressive and hazardous than you need it to be.

Common cooking oil will do the job. Apply it sparingly with a cloth rag and rub a bit. You will be surprised how fast it dissolves the stickum. Once the glue is gone wipe the area clean with a paper towel. The only material you don't want to use it on is natural rubber. Almost all modern insulation on wires is PVC, nylon or Kynar. None of these are damaged by the oil. You can use it on painted surfaces but wipe it off well because if it pools or is allowed to stay in quantity it will peel the paint. Brake fluid, essentially glorified vegetable oil, similarly damages paint if it isn't removed.

Naptha will degloss paint and attacks many more plastics. And it is a significant fire hazard around electrical equipment.

Any cooking oil or margarine will work.

All right then, I'll try that first. If it works, my interest in ethnobotany will rise. Thanks.

I've been looking for something to remove the label glue left behind on the plastic bottles used to dispense prescription drugs. I decided to come to the forum to ask for suggestions when a search turned up this topic. Thank you, akabu and Art! Veggie oil is surprisingly quick and effective at removing the glue and I now have a nice clean supply of plastic bottles for use in my kits.