old silicone removal?

[kerk fisher]

3M Adhesive Remover, Debond 2000, DSR-5, Goo Gone, West Marine Adhesive Remover, Mr Clean magic Eraser, the list goes on....and on.  Ugh. So many options and expensive at that, does anyone know what really works to take old silicone off gelcote and fiberglass.  If I were to buy one of these or something else what would it be? An age old problem I know..... Thanks, Kerk

[Jon W]

I've had very good results with Debond and keep some on the boat. It is expensive for a small amount, but works for me.

[britinusa]

I have been removing quite a bit of Sillycone on our boat.

Best method -IMHO - simply rub it off, scratch it off, wire brush it off and do it again.

Paul

[Ron Hill]

Paul : I used a small brass wire brush after rubbing most of it off by hand. 

A thought

[kerk fisher]

Thanks for the comments.  Im going with a combo: debond, rubbing, and brushing.

Jon, did you find that the 4 oz (aerosol or pump?) was enough to have on board, or 12 oz?

Ron and Paul, I can see a wire brush on rough fiberglass (inside the hull) but on the gelcoat?? Doesn't it scratch the surface?

Thanks, Kerk

[mregan]

I've had good results with Goo Gone and a new razor blade to get the majority off.  Then Goo Gone and some rubbing with a clean cloth to get the rest off.   

[Jon W]

I've gone through just about everything on the boat and used ~2 4oz aerosol cans in the process. I have a spare 4 oz aerosol on board for the unexpected. A little can go a long way if you're careful. In hindsight I could have bought one 12oz can and saved a few dollars. All depends on how much you have to do. The benefit to me of using marine debond is that it saves a lot of time and effort. Spray it on. Wait a couple minutes. Scrape it off with a putty knife. Wipe up the residue. Wipe with acetone and the surface is ready for new sealant.

[DaveBMusik]

These are an alternative to the wire brush are these polishing wheels for a rotary tool.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073DWT2TH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've found scraping as much off as possible with a plastic scraper and then moving to a razor blade and finally some kind of goo with a cloth or scotch brite pad.
You still need to rough up the surface a bit before the new application if you expect anything to stick for any period of time.

[Craig Illman]

When I was doing my starboard stanchions this spring, I was surprised how effective 409 was on the OEM silicone.

Craig