Maintenance Question: How to remove stickers and the goo residue?

[milkolate]

How do I remove the stickers?

Related question: What's a nice way to clean a cube? (soak in water?)

 

[Jason]

www.cubesmith.com sell plastic blades that are very good at removing the stickers. You can then get rid of the remaining goo (glue) using alcohol (alcohol for burners, not for cocktails : ) ).

 

[TimMc]

Try getting some ScrapeRite plastic razor blades to remove the stickers.

Rubik's and CubeSmith Stickers:
- Remove with the ScrapeRite razor blade

Cube4You Stickers:
- Partially remove the edge with a ScrapeRite razor blade
- Remove the rest of the sticker with your fingers

The later seem more "stickier" and the quick/constant force that's applied when tearing the sticker off takes the "stickiness" off with it. If you only use the blade you may find that "stickiness" gets left on it because you may not be "cutting" under the stickiness (rather, slightly above it). Which can be annoying :-/

Remove Stickiness:
- Try rubbing some citrus oil on the cube (not sure if it's safe but it works wonder on removing sticky-tape residue off plastic)

 

[Radu]

alcohol should remove it fine

 

[fourdown00]

the blades get a little messed up after getting some really stuck on stickers off. I suggest getting 2 or 3 of them, i mean they are only $.75

 

[Pedro]

I think removing Cubesmith stickers is better with just your hand, not the blade...that way, less glue remains on the cube...at least that's how it went for me

 

[AvGalen]

Why is less glue better?

I wouldn't mind some glue-residue being there. It wouldn't hinder the new stickers/tiles from sticking!

 

[Pedro]

Why is less glue better?

I wouldn't mind some glue-residue being there. It wouldn't hinder the new stickers/tiles from sticking!

so you don't clean the old glue before applying new stickers?

 

[AvGalen]

I used to clean them extremely well untill I realised how dumb that was

 

[DarkArcher]

I really think you should get all the sticky stuff off first. If you don't, your new stickers will be uneven and may not be as aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Pedro]

I really think you should get all the sticky stuff off first. If you don't, your new stickers will be uneven and may not be as aesthetically pleasing.

yep, that's what I tought...

but if Arnaud says they look fine and stay nicely in place with the sticky stuff...well...who knows

 

[TimMc]

I just use the ScrapeRite blades for CubeSmith stickers.

I usually remove the stickers from one face and put new stickers on and then repeat that procedure for the rest of the faces.

This avoids stuff sticking to the cubies if there's stickiness left on them while you're handling the cube. If one face is exposed then it's less likely that you'll touch it

Tim.

 

[abbracadiabra]

Easiest way to remove stickers? I use a blow dryer - the heat softens the adhesive which makes for easy removal with a ScrapeRite blade.

I also work one face at a time, and I prefer to clean off any remaining adhesive prior to putting new stickers on. Lighter fluid does a great job of dissolving adhesive, but if I don't have any handy vodka works pretty well, too. I understand AvGalen's point that the remaining adhesive can only help make the "stickiness stickier," but I'd rather have a clean, dry, flat surface for my new stickers. I guess it's a matter of personal preference, however if you lube your cubes at the same time that you resticker them (I do), you want to make sure that there is absolutely no lubrication on the face of the cube prior to putting the new stickers on.

 

[pajodaep]

try applying silicone spray on the stickers. i accidentally removed my stickers before because i wasn't quite careful with the lube.

 

[amateurguy]

Reviving this thread, I just restickered two cubes with cubesmith vinyl stickers. But somehow (maybe because my fingers were slightly stained with it), the stickers have a bit of the gunky glue on the outer surface after I restickered the pieces. Sure the cube still works fine, but I don't like the sticky feel of it now and it looks a bit ugly with its dirty appearance.

Is there something I can do like use a solvent to wipe the residue off the stickers? Water doesn't work, and the only real solvent I have is thinner but I am afraid it will damage the stickers.

 

[abbracadiabra]

You're right - using solvent will damage the stickers, and possibly the cube. Have you tried using a little soap? Perhaps you can wipe off the stickers with a damp cloth that has a little dish soap on it.

 

[linkmaster03]

Best to remove sticker adhesive?

Which should I use to remove sticker adhesive?

-Goo Gone
-Alcohol
-Steel wool

 

[n00bcubix]

goo gone It sounds the best

 

[DAE_JA_VOO]

I used isopropyl alcohol.

 

[PCwizCube]

I used steel wool, and it works great. It rubs everything off with a couple of rubs, and doesn't remove a lot of the plastic on the cube.

I tried rubbing alcohol, it didn't really work - and it got my cube all wet and smelly. I use a cotton ball so.... but I think steel wool is better.

Goo gone - I've never used it before. I've heard people say it's good though.