BMF Glue Residue Removal

[NOBLNG]

On 8/26/2025 at 12:51 PM, slusher said:

just rub it off with you fingers or a little windex on a soft rag..

I think I like your approach the best Carl.🙂 I find very little if any residue left afterwards. I am however very cheap with the foil and I burnish down the finished edges with a pointy Tamiya swab.

[Beans]

7 hours ago, Cool Hand said:

@StevenGuthmiller how would you approach adhesive residue removal when doing Bmf before paint ??

Reason I ask is, I apply the foil after 1st coat of primer/surfacer, and will use enamel thinner to remove residue as that just evaporates.

If I was to use WD-40 could it be absorbed into the primer surfacer, and even if cleaned thoroughly effect paint adhesion ??

 

From what I have seen of your work, I would say just keep doing what you are doing now.  

[Zoom Zoom]

Novus #2 fine scratch remover/polish for plastic. A lot of hobby shops carry it. It will remove adhesive residue and do a fantastic job polishing the foil to make it look even more realistic. It does not contain silicone, it's also great for polishing the paint job itself. Been using it for 4 decades. If you screw up something along the way, it won't create fisheyes in subsequent layers of paint. 

Back in the day (mid-80's) I got my first bottle of Novus (at a motorcycle shop, it works well for cleaning/polishing face shields) and realized that it was identical to the polish that Bare Metal Foil used to sell under their own label, I used it a lot. I'm pretty sure it's the exact same stuff as Novus #2. Some people swear by "The Treatment", but I tried it and and hated it. I swore at it. It has some sort of solvent in it that can soften various paints, probably fine for old 1:1 cars with single stage paint, but in my experience for model paint jobs it failed. Novus has none of those hidden solvents, I can tell by the smell of certain polishes whether or not it will work for model car paint. 

WD-40 has no value to me whatsoever on my model workbench, it can stay in the garage where it belongs 😊

[StevenGuthmiller]

9 hours ago, Cool Hand said:

@StevenGuthmiller how would you approach adhesive residue removal when doing Bmf before paint ??

Reason I ask is, I apply the foil after 1st coat of primer/surfacer, and will use enamel thinner to remove residue as that just evaporates.

If I was to use WD-40 could it be absorbed into the primer surfacer, and even if cleaned thoroughly effect paint adhesion ??

 

That’s something that you’ll have to decide for yourself.

The only thing that I apply foil to prior to paint is the occasional script, and I don’t do that until just before the final color coat, so it’s over paint, not on the primer.

Ultimately, whatever you decide to use to remove adhesive is up to you.

I’m just making a suggestion.

And contrary to popular belief, WD-40 is not some evil elixir.

It’s just another tool.

As with any other material, if you use it correctly, it’s not going to create any problems.

 

 

Steve

[Rick L]

3 hours ago, Zoom Zoom said:

Novus #2 fine scratch remover/polish for plastic. A lot of hobby shops carry it. It will remove adhesive residue and do a fantastic job polishing the foil to make it look even more realistic. It does not contain silicone, it's also great for polishing the paint job itself. Been using it for 4 decades. If you screw up something along the way, it won't create fisheyes in subsequent layers of paint. 

Back in the day (mid-80's) I got my first bottle of Novus (at a motorcycle shop, it works well for cleaning/polishing face shields) and realized that it was identical to the polish that Bare Metal Foil used to sell under their own label, I used it a lot. I'm pretty sure it's the exact same stuff as Novus #2. Some people swear by "The Treatment", but I tried it and and hated it. I swore at it. It has some sort of solvent in it that can soften various paints, probably fine for old 1:1 cars with single stage paint, but in my experience for model paint jobs it failed. Novus has none of those hidden solvents, I can tell by the smell of certain polishes whether or not it will work for model car paint. 

WD-40 has no value to me whatsoever on my model workbench, it can stay in the garage where it belongs 😊

Just a word of caution:
Novus polish may work fine on BMF but not on the manufacturers chromed plastic parts. 

[Zoom Zoom]

27 minutes ago, Rick L said:

Just a word of caution:
Novus polish may work fine on BMF but not on the manufacturers chromed plastic parts. 

I often spray my chrome plated bumpers with Tamiya LP clear in case I need to handle them much during paint detailing/attaching headlight lenses, etc. 

 

 

[peteski]

4 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

And contrary to popular belief, WD-40 is not some evil elixir.

It’s just another tool.

Tool?  It is a lubricant. It has hundreds of uses, but I'm not sure if I call lubricants "tools". 

[Bainford]

43 minutes ago, peteski said:

Tool?  It is a lubricant. It has hundreds of uses, but I'm not sure if I call lubricants "tools". 

I'm not sure if I would call it a lubricant, actually. I use the stuff a lot in the garage, but I NEVER use it as a lubricant. It is an extremely poor one. I generally use it as a solvent and cleaner. It's primary purpose is a water displacement, and I use it for that on occasion.

[peteski]

4 hours ago, Bainford said:

I'm not sure if I would call it a lubricant, actually. I use the stuff a lot in the garage, but I NEVER use it as a lubricant. It is an extremely poor one. I generally use it as a solvent and cleaner. It's primary purpose is a water displacement, and I use it for that on occasion.

Ok, here we go: Quoting https://www.wd40.com/products/ez-reach/

WD-40 Multi-Use Product protects metal from rust and corrosion, penetrates stuck parts, displaces moisture and lubricates almost anything.

I'm not suggesting to fill your engine crankcase with WD40. It is not that type of lubricant.  The way it protects metal is by leaving thin oily film on the bare metal parts, which act as a barrier to water and oxygen (which cause corrosion).  Because the lubricant in it is dissolved in its low viscosity solvent it can penetrate stuck parts to lubricate them.  To prove it is a lubricant spray some WD40 into a small container (like a bottle cap, and let it sit for few days.  After the solvent evaporates you will see a viscous honey-colored oily liquid. That is the lubricant. There isn't much, but it is there. 

Also nothing is mentioned about using it as a cleaner, but if someone enterprising  person wants to, they are more than welcome to do that.  Hey, if Coca-Cola can be used as a rust remover, why not use WD40 as a cleaner.

[Rodent]

Can't we just accept that WD-40 is a floor wax and a dessert topping?

 

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

6 hours ago, peteski said:

Tool?  It is a lubricant. It has hundreds of uses, but I'm not sure if I call lubricants "tools". 

I consider anything that I use for a particular model building purpose a tool.

 

Steve

[Bainford]

There are many thousands who use the stuff as a topical to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. I'm betting that's not on the website either. 

[Rodent]

3 minutes ago, Bainford said:

There are many thousands who use the stuff as a topical to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. I'm betting that's not on the website either. 

That's an "Off Label" use Trevor 🙂

 

[Bainford]

1 hour ago, Rodent said:

That's an "Off Label" use Trevor 🙂

 

And, I must stress, NOT recommended.