Sticky goo on sail

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28664

New Member
While putting my sail away this weekend I noticed a few areas of sticky "goo" on the sail (less than 1 sf total). My guess is that these are either from a plastic buoy that sat in the sun for far too long or from pine tree sap. Any suggestions for getting this off? I hesitate to use anything with acetone or other hard-core solvents, as I don't want to damage the sail.

Thank you,
Don
 
I had the same thoughts, but when I bought a used sail from my local dealer, he told me that acetone is what they use to remove the numbers. I have since used acetone to clean other laser sails, and I haven't seen any adverse effects (yet). Maybe someone else has an idea here, but like I said, it worked for me, and it evaporates fast.
 
Acetone is safe for dacron, but can be harmful to humans..
Goo Gone (avail in Home Depot and other chain stores) works just as well without the harmful effects..

If you go with acetone, this is the most effective way to get rid of the goo...

Acetone is more effective the longer it is left on the sail, softening the glue residue. Since it's so fast to evaporate (hence the warnings about harmful vapors ), the trick to making it work is to keep it as liquid against the number and glue.

We usually start by pulling off as much of the numbers as we can, then we go after the rest with acetone. Start by putting a acetone proof barrier between the sail and floor, grass or whatever surface you are using. This will trap and keep the acetone on the back side of the sail and glue. Next be very liberal in wetting out the sail around the numbers with the acetone. Acetone will not damage the cloth used for Laser sails (or pretty much any dacron sailcloth material w/ or w/o a finish on it) I'm roughly guestimating I would pour out about 2 cups worth per side. Finally, get some toilet paper and put it top of the numbers - the paper will hold the acetone against the numbers, slowing down the evaporation. Let this sit for 5 minutes or more. If the toilet paper starts to dry, add more acetone. Rub a test area (we always wear gloves) with more tp or paper towels - when the glue has turned soft, you can use either more paper towels, or a 1" putty knife to scrape off the residue. It may take a second "coat" to remove every last drop, but with this method when it's done, you won't know that a number was ever there.

MEK (the liquid hardner used with polyester resin) will also work well, but it tends to be more expensive then Acetone
 
Acetone is more than just a vapour hazard, it easily easily passes through the pores of your skin and will carry other chemicals with it in the process. So listen to the advice that says wear rubber gloves.

There are also citrus based cleaning products available (Desolve-It is one in Australia) which are readily available, but I also think my bike chain solution is probably a similar substance. These are much safer products and work equally as well as acetone for removing goo, glue and grease from sales.
 
Make sure to rinse sail after applying acetone with a mild soap and water solution.
Use a med. course terry cloth.
Also, lay the sail out and place a board under the area in question.
JRF
 
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