Cleaning Duct / Gaffer Tape Marks

[Witterings]

I was trying to tidy up my kit as pre buying O rings I used Duct / Gaffer Tape and tissue for dampening but it's left marks where I've taken it off.

Anyone any idea's for getting rid of the marks, I was tempted to use the wife's nail varnish remover which would probably cut straight through it but was concerened that it might eat into / damage the skin.

They're Remo pinstripes if that makes a difference.

Any help / advice much appreciated !!!

[Muckster]

Well i know that WD-40 will take it off in a heart beat but i'm not sure if you would want that on your drumheads. Try a little vinegar and water and see what happens.

You might also try some clear packing tape. Apply a little water to the residue, enough to get it mosit, then place the clear tape on the residue and pull it off.

[braincramp]

I used goof-off on a used cymbal I bought and it worked well

[dairyairman]

i've used this stuff made for that purpose called "goo gone". goo gone is designed to take sticky stuff off of surfaces without destroying them. i've used it successfully to get old tape residue off of cymbals and drum heads. i even managed to remove all the sticky goo from a bass drum impact patch once. i bought mine at the grocery store.

in the unlikely event that goo gone doesn't work you could try lacquer thinner. lacquer thinner is a very powerful solvent that will dissolve anything. you have to be careful with it though because it'll dissolve your hand and could possibly dissolve a hole straight through to china if you spill it.

[Travis22]

I've used soap and warm water to remove duct tape adhesive from my heads. Just dip a cloth in your mix and scrub a little and it should come off. The adhesive removers work great too, I just don't like putting chemicals on drumheads if I can avoid it because sometimes it'll discolor your head in that spot. Not a big deal, I suppose, but I'm picky like that sometimes.

[Bo Eder]

In the future, do not use duct tape. Get yourself a roll of real gaf tape (it handles like stiff cloth, and leaves no residue when it's removed). Here in So Cal, this kind of tape is readily available from photography-theater craft stores and some hardware stores. Last roll I bought cost me about $20, but it's worth it not having that goo left on everything.

[Witterings]

Originally Posted by dairyairman

lacquer thinner is a very powerful solvent that will dissolve anything. you have to be careful with it though because it'll dissolve your hand and could possibly dissolve a hole straight through to china if you spill it.

Now there's a thought, I could get a long fishing and hook up some decent drum gear at a fraction of the cost :-)

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I'll start by trying the soap and water and if that fails the vinegar as I have them both at home and see where we go from there although the goo gone sounds like something that may be handy to have around the house anyway !!!!

[dairyairman]

this is goo gone, by the way.

http://www.amazon.com/Goo-Gone-8-Oun...1226635&sr=1-5

and you're right. it's good just to have around.

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Originally Posted by Muckster

Well i know that WD-40 will take it off in a heart beat but i'm not sure if you would want that on your drumheads.

WD-40 works a treat....no worries about damaging the head at all. My local drum store has a shocking habit of placing the price sticker on the drums heads.....they're super sticky and a nightmare to get off. Until someone told me about WD-40, that is. I just spray a little on a cotton bud, rub over the sticker until it soaks in and then scrape it off. No marks, no residue and more improtantly, no damage. Once I saw the value in it, I went on a cleaning frenzy, all the gaffer residue on stands and other various bits of hardware etc....the stuff is a godsend.

[Chromium]

If they're not coated heads, furniture polish works well. spray some into the cap of the polish, dab it on with a cotton bud leave for a couple of minutes then polish off; it worked for me.

[Aeolian]

The solvent portion of WD40 is Naphtha. Basically, lighter fluid. Which you can use and not get any oily mess left behind.

As Bo pointed out, if you have gunk left behind, you aren't using Gaffers tape. Get some. I always have a roll with me. If anyone gets near my stuff with a roll of duct tape, I chase them away, show them the right stuff and tape it down myself. Or tear off a strip and give it to them. Give the roll to them and you might not ever see it again. Lots of places online like Camel Traders or Parts Express. They even sell it (albeit at much higher prices) at a local hardware store chain called Orchard Supply.

If you supply mics and cables for your kit, I tell anyone who carries a roll of duct tape on stage (gaff tape is always flat so it doesn't reflect into cameras, while most duct tape is shiny) that if they get any on my cables, they've bought them. Duct tape on stage is an instant way to spot amateurs and be wary of everything else that is going to happen.

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Originally Posted by Aeolian

As Bo pointed out, if you have gunk left behind, you aren't using Gaffers tape.

Yeah, this one interests me. I've read this here on DW several times now. I use nothing but gaffer tape and (prior to my discovery of WD-40's cleaning properties) I could have shown you numerous examples of sticky residue left over from using gaffer tape. I'll throw in a disclaimer and state that for the most part, the tape was applied and left on for long periods of time......would that make a significant difference?

[azrae1l]

Originally Posted by dairyairman

i've used this stuff made for that purpose called "goo gone". goo gone is designed to take sticky stuff off of surfaces without destroying them. i've used it successfully to get old tape residue off of cymbals and drum heads. i even managed to remove all the sticky goo from a bass drum impact patch once. i bought mine at the grocery store.

in the unlikely event that goo gone doesn't work you could try lacquer thinner. lacquer thinner is a very powerful solvent that will dissolve anything. you have to be careful with it though because it'll dissolve your hand and could possibly dissolve a hole straight through to china if you spill it.

don't use lacquer thinner. i use that stuff every day and it will eat threw a head in a second. if it can eat threw tupperware then a drum head isn't even gonna slow it down.

mineral spirits will eat threw glue and other adhesives but i wouldn't put that on a good head before i knew what it was going to do. chances are not much of anything but better safe then sorry...

but in my own personal opinion, i would just get new heads........

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by Pocket-full-of-gold

Yeah, this one interests me. I've read this here on DW several times now. I use nothing but gaffer tape and (prior to my discovery of WD-40's cleaning properties) I could have shown you numerous examples of sticky residue left over from using gaffer tape. I'll throw in a disclaimer and state that for the most part, the tape was applied and left on for long periods of time......would that make a significant difference?

Well, it depends on how long long is. But with the gaf tape I've been using, it usually stays good for days. The longest I left something taped down was about seven days with no residue left behind.

[audiotech]

Originally Posted by Pocket-full-of-gold

Yeah, this one interests me. I've read this here on DW several times now. I use nothing but gaffer tape and (prior to my discovery of WD-40's cleaning properties) I could have shown you numerous examples of sticky residue left over from using gaffer tape. I'll throw in a disclaimer and state that for the most part, the tape was applied and left on for long periods of time......would that make a significant difference?

You're absolutely correct about gaffer's tape. It's beautiful stuff as long as you take it off the surface that it is being used in a timely manner. If the adhesive dries, it sort of turns into a cement like substance that is difficult to remove. Real gaffer's tape, such as the Permacel products are worth their weight in gold and have a thousand uses. Just don't tape it and forget it. A lot of people use the words gaffer's tape and duct tape interchangeably, but they are really night and day.

Dennis

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Originally Posted by audiotech

A lot of people use the words gaffer's tape and duct tape interchangeably, but they are really night and day.

Definitely gaffer tape mate....I'm certainly aware of the diff.

Originally Posted by audiotech

Just don't tape it and forget it.

This one however, I am guilty of. I had stands with no memory locks etc and used to put a strip of gaffer around the shaft to denote heights etc....honestly, it was probably there for years.

Thanks for clearing that up though mate.....makes perfect sense. :-)

[BassDriver]

In the future, do not use duct tape. Get yourself a roll of real gaf tape (it handles like stiff cloth, and leaves no residue when it's removed). Here in So Cal, this kind of tape is readily available from photography-theater craft stores and some hardware stores. Last roll I bought cost me about $20, but it's worth it not having that goo left on everything.

That's why its more expensive. I find it leaves a little of residue, but not the annoying amount that duct tape leaves behind.

[jeffwj]

Originally Posted by Witterings

Anyone any idea's for getting rid of the marks, I was tempted to use the wife's nail varnish remover which would probably cut straight through it but was concerened that it might eat into / damage the skin.

I was told to use nail polish remover (acetone) to get rid of the Remo logo which as in the way of the JJ on my bass drum. It worked wonders and did not damage the head. The logo was at the top center (see pic).



Jeff

[Aeolian]

+1 for the Permacel tape. I have seen some offbrand stuff that I wasn't sure what it was and that left a residue. I just left that behind one gig for someone else to steal.

[Bo Eder]

Like Jeff, I've used nail polish remover to take logos off of shiny bass drum heads (coated heads are another matter, I think). Nail polish remover is basically a light acetone. Either way, don't breathe in the fumes and wear gloves!

And then all of a sudden I wanted to show the world what kind of drums I was using - even if that changed every other year.... ;)