Removing tape from lacquered surfaces

[Enelson]

I have a student that bought a used Bach 8 with duct tape and electrical tape covering contact points.

What chemicals can be used to remove adhesive residue without damaging the lacquer?

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Thanks!

[Crazy4Tbone86]

Ugh! It’s a shame that they did that. You will likely need to clip a lot of that tape, especially the coiled part.

Valve oil actually breaks down many adhesives….I use it to remove stickers and such from hard shell cases. You must let in soak in for several hours. It might work on the lacquer surface without further damaging the lacquer. I say “further” because there might already be some damage to the lacquer.

[Elow]

Goooooo-gone

[hyperbolica]

Personally, I'd get rid of the duct tape (and replace with a leather grip if you feel the need for a grip). The Goo Gone or something similar would be my choice for the adhesive cleanup. Leather can cause lacquer loss as well. Of course it all depends on your skin chemistry, whether you sweat a lot, the environment you play in, how tight the grip is, etc, etc...

I'd leave the coil on there. The neck pipe is one of the first places to wear, and you need some sort of covering there. I usually use a thick cork wrap (bicycle handlebar tape). It looks like they did a nice job with the coil.

Everybody has a different take on this, but if you need a horn to feel comfortable, then make it comfortable, as long as it doesn't detract from the sound. If you're more concerned with looks or resale value, then that's another matter.

[soseggnchips]

Is it just me or is the mouthpiece sticking out a bit further than usual?

[Matt K]

2nd the coil. That looks slick as-is imo. Although you do have to be careful about gunk getting under it. I have raw brass neckpipes on most of my horns and I just wipe it down when I'm done playing and that seems to be better than getting it trapped under there. I had a phone cord wrapped around one that caused some corrosion on the neckpipe that I had a lot of trouble getting out in the past

[BGuttman]

Another chemical I have had success with removing tape adhesive is isopropyl alcohol. Use the higher concentration 91% rather than the usual 70% rubbing alcohol.

You can try denatured alcohol, but don't leave it sitting around on the lacquer.

With epoxy lacquer (may be the case on a student Bach, but not a pro Bach) you could use acetone.

Neither is as good as "Goo Gone".

[Crazy4Tbone86]

Goo-gone is citrus-based, so it is somewhat acidic. The acidity could get into the smaller areas of compromised lacquer and erode the lacquer more. That’s why I’m thinking valve oil would be better. Valve oil does break down adhesive….you just need to be patient with it.

[pompatus]

WD40 might also break down adhesive, if I’m remembering correctly. I’d assume it would be safe on lacquer, but please don’t take my word on it.

[Kbiggs]

The coil looks nice. It looks like it has something underneath, which should reduce corrosion, provided it’s done well.

And yeah, ditch the duct tape. It looks tacky! (I couldn’t resist. )

[Enelson]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I learned some new stuff and appreciate how quickly you all dived in to help.

My student went forward with the valve oil method on the duct tape and it worked great. The neck pipe is next.

2nd the coil. That looks slick as-is imo. Although you do have to be careful about gunk getting under it. I have raw brass neckpipes on most of my horns and I just wipe it down when I'm done playing and that seems to be better than getting it trapped under there. I had a phone cord wrapped around one that caused some corrosion on the neckpipe that I had a lot of trouble getting out in the past

Yeah, I tried the phone cord deal on my beautiful 3B Silversonic back in the late 80's... Didn't realize that I needed to clean under it until months later. The horn is still in beautiful shape, but the neck pipe is an eye sore with heavy pitting.

Since my student doesn't know what condition the neck pipe is in or how well it was cleaned before the electrical tape/coil was added, I've advised taking it off.

[MTbassbone]

Could you heat up slightly with hair dryer to free up the tape and help make the residue removal bit easier? No crazy hot just warm.

[BGuttman]

Could you heat up slightly with hair dryer to free up the tape and help make the residue removal bit easier? No crazy hot just warm.

Sometimes that will cause the base of the tape to melt, making it harder to remove the tape. Also, warm adhesive does not peel as clean as cold adhesive.

In short I'd consider heat to be more of a problem than an aid.

[tbonesullivan]

ARGGGHHHHHH!!!

What year is that Bach? They used to use standard lacquer you could take off with hot water, so if it's got that type of finish, there may not be much hope.

I would definitely not use anything stronger than goo gone.