Windshield Adhesive Removal

bilbo · May 16, 2017

I wasn't sure where to put this, so if it should be elsewhere let me know. I'm trying to remove the adhesive that held the windshield on my 1983 Ranger. The glass is already off and I want to get all the goop off so I can fix some rusty spots before having a new windshield put on. This stuff is tenacious to say the least. I read somewhere to hear it with a torch, which doesn't seem to be helping much. I'm worried about burning something or wrecking paint. Is there some chemical that will soften this up?

Mark_88 · May 16, 2017

That stuff is hard to remove without damaging the paint but if you are going to have to refinish it then you can try some acetone or something similar.

The area is pretty easy to get a razor blade in though and I used one of those blade holders for cleaning glass to scrape and then followed that with a small amount of cleaner.

Goo B Gone might work on small amounts but I'd just go with a paint thinner to make the job quicker.

Maybe someone knows specific products designed for that application though...

alwaysFlOoReD · May 16, 2017

I'm going to be in the same boat soon. No first hand experience but my thoughts are to start, like Mark suggests, with a blade of some sort. Then I'll use a knotted wire wheel to get it as clean as possible, then go to chemicals for final cleaning. I believe the urethane caulking used for windshield will stick to itself so chemical cleaning might not be necessary. I do know that a primer is used on bare metal.

Doofy · May 16, 2017

Also, lacquer thinner may work or 3M makes an adhesive remover.

bilbo · May 17, 2017

Thanks for the tips. I was able to get the last of the thick stuff with some elbow grease, frustration, and a couple of new blisters from working with the utility knife. Now all that's left is a thin skin on the frame.

Every so often there is a spot weld that catches the knife, otherwise it would work much better for scraping the thin layer left on the metal. I tried just wire wheeling it but it would get hot and gummy and just kind of push around. I found last night that I must have left my jug of acetone open the last time I used it, and now it's empty :annoyed:

. I tried some brake cleaner on a scotch-brite pad and it seemed to work well, so I'll get some more acetone and give that a shot; hopefully that will take care of it. Maybe I'll get a buffet of solvents and see which works best. I'll report back the results. Thanks again!

alwaysFlOoReD · May 17, 2017

IIRC BrakeKleen is two main ingredients, toluene and acetone, with some other proprietary stuff added. But my memory isn't what it used to be.....
Also both of those ingredients are highly toxic with long term health consequences. Wear long sleeve gloves and have fresh air available.

Mark_88 · May 17, 2017

You're correct on the ingredients Richard...

https://www.conncoll.edu/media/website-media/offices/ehs/envhealthdocs/Brakleen_Brake_Parts_Cleaner_(Aerosol).pdf

I worked as a box maker years ago and we used to wash the print rollers with toulene. It was later banned in Canada because it is toxic and requires special handling for protection.

Like asbestos, toulene was banned and we were no longer able to use it in making products but product containing asbestos and toulene can be imported in finished products like brake pads and brake parts cleaners.

Better off using the knife and very small amounts of anything else you may need. One small project might not expose you to serious levels of anything but in a manufacturing environment the exposure is bigger, longer, and pretty much unavoidable.

Always better to be safe and whatever protection you can get is recommended though.

alwaysFlOoReD · May 17, 2017

Hmmmm, I can still get gallon jugs of toluene locally.

Mark_88 · May 17, 2017

Hmmmmm indeed. Maybe they loosened the ban...or maybe it was wishful thinking on my part...

I hated the smell and feel of the stuff because we dipped our hands in it to wash the rollers and typically we had multiple paper cuts from feeding the presses so it was one of those "manly" things we live to regret. The company started providing us with rubber gloves when they tightened the health and safety laws.

bilbo · May 18, 2017

Back when I used to do plastic models I used xylene a lot. It was one heck of a solvent. It would easily take care of paint, and would also dissolve the styrene plastic the model was made of. You could soften parts with it too. Nothing else seemed to work as quickly or as well. Luckily I didn't have to handle it much, but I remember if I had cracked skin anywhere and got some on it it burned terribly. I kept it in a little glass jar a bit at a time and if I forgot to put the lid on it was usually evaporated in a couple hours. Wicked stuff.

Last night I was able to get most of the adhesive off. I did what I could with a knife and patience, then took a cup brush to it. It made a lot of nasty smoke and there are gummy rubber pieces about the size of a pinhead stuck to everything throughout my garage. Definitely do this outside if possible. All that's left is a very thin layer of adhesive smeared by the cup brush. A little bit of solvent on a scotchbrite should easily take care of it, then I'll treat the rust and coat it with something.

The rust hasn't made any metal spongy yet thankfully, so I was going to wire brush it and treat it with rust converter, then use epoxy primer around the windshield frame. Will this work ok? There is still some of the black factory paint around the frame. It's tenacious stuff and doesn't seem to come off even with the cup brush. Is it a bad idea to put the epoxy primer over this?

Mark_88 · May 18, 2017

bilbo said:
Last night I was able to get most of the adhesive off. I did what I could with a knife and patience, then took a cup brush to it. It made a lot of nasty smoke and there are gummy rubber pieces about the size of a pinhead stuck to everything throughout my garage. Definitely do this outside if possible. All that's left is a very thin layer of adhesive smeared by the cup brush. A little bit of solvent on a scotchbrite should easily take care of it, then I'll treat the rust and coat it with something.

I'm sorry but that image of black splatter all over the place brought back memories that were both unpleasant and funny...I did the same thing myself and on top of the spray I also often found broken off wire brush pieces in my clothes that I would regularly discover rather painfully...

If you have invested in a 6 in 1, 9 in 1 or other tool they are immensely helpful to remove the factory coating on the frame before wire wheeling or whatever.

I used that tool for just about everything but managed to lose the 9 in 1 on a job somewhere and haven't replaced mine yet.

I would not try painting over it because with an older frame it has likely separated so there may be rust issues lurking underneath. I did often find patches of it that were sticking like they were welded on and that took a combination of elbow grease and sharp tools like a good metal chisel and hammer. The chisel is an excellent tool for framework and other things like removing scale (shale??) and other things that find their way onto the frame.

Once cleaned it is a good idea to follow your other project and hit it with rust converter and some epoxy or other sealer.

Problem I found was always thinking I could have gone a bit deeper with the cleaning...so I think I was a bit OCD with that when it came to my trucks...

Not a bad thing on any project but I always had to add time to everything for those "too clean" moments.

bilbo · May 18, 2017

I too seem to find the bits of wire in my clothes. Makes me thankful I use safety glasses/shield when I use the wire wheel. If I understand correctly, you are saying not to paint because of delamination of the panels that make up the windshield frame? Having scrubbed out what I could, and passivating any remaining rust, wouldn't I want to paint it to keep it from coming back?

Mark_88 · May 18, 2017

Definitely paint it again when you finish cleaning and degreasing. Just a matter of what you use whether it lasts forever or just a few decades.

If you didn't find any rust it'll likely last a few more years without problems. On my 88 cab once I removed the dash I found rust in the seams just behind the dash where the firewall meets the side panel. It wasn't too bad but I had to spend a few days prepping and hitting it with rust converter.

alwaysFlOoReD · May 18, 2017

Re; wire wheels.
I'm cheap so buy cheap Princess Auto [harbor fright Canadian version] stuff. Sometimes I come home feeling like a reverse porcupine, little wires have gone thru the clothes and stuck in my skin and I don't notice until getting changed out of work clothes. Maybe I shouldn't be so cheap.....nah.

bilbo · May 24, 2017

For what it's worth, we have what I assume are nice SAIT-branded wheels here at work and they still throw bits out. The wires that stay in probably last longer than the cheapos I use at home, though.

I've got all the rust I could find passivated or ground out and I'm going to be putting epoxy primer on this afternoon. Hopefully I will have a new windshield and be back on the road next week!

A few things I learned, for anyone doing this in the future:

After I had already removed the windshield I found a video that mentioned using dish soap to lube the knife while cutting the adhesive. It was difficult to push the knife through the glue and this probably would have helped. I didn't use/try the piano wire method, just a standard box cutter. One of those box cutters with the break-off blades would probably work much better.

The remaining glue I cut off as best as I could with a knife, then wire-wheeled it. Do this outside if you can, there will be tiny globs of sticky black rubber thrown all over your garage if you don't.

After wire-wheeling there was a thin film of glue that I could feel with my finger. A scotchbrite with acetone took it off easily. Be careful with the acetone so it doesn't drip or run where you don't want it and damage something.

Windshield Adhesive Removal

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