aaah....help needed to unstick tape

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Julie Walsh

Julie Walsh

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
In Memorium
Rest In Peace

Gone but not forgotten
Joined
May 30, 2007
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Toronto, Canada
A customer brought in a signed cycling jersey that was framed elsewhere and didn't like the picture that was covering an important area of the jersey and wanted the orientation changed.

I can appreciate that not all framers take the time and care to mount jersey's as I would.....however, I have uncovered a nightmare.

Paper board, pins, staples (yes staples straight through the fabric) and some double-sided tape that also has fine threads running through it. Cycling jerseys are longer at the back and this framer pulled the front down to match the back bottom edge and in doing so has created holes in the jersey where the staples were. This work was done less than a week ago and you could already see the jersey pulling up from the stretched position it was in showing this goey tape. (Note the picture where blue styrofoam was used as spacer material...do you think it's conservation quality??)

The customer appreciates the work that is ahead to make this right (and has 3 others in the same condition).

My problem is removing the tape. I've tried picking at it, using other tape to try to lift it but am still having trouble. I've never seen this tape before. This tape is everywhere; sleeve, neck and bottom edges. See attached pictures.

Hopefully, I can get some suggestions of approach. Do you think leaving it in the freezer for a while might help?
 

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Wow, Julie ...what a mess.

I've found low heat from a heat gun and patience helps to remove most adhesive tapes.

Good luck.
 
I'm nervous about using heat. I'm not sure of the survial of this poor abused jersey because it is made of polypropolene (wicking material) and along with the coloring process to imprint it, it may make things worse.

I know using peanut butter works to remove sticky labels, but this would require laundering...another thing I don't want to do.

This is why I'm wondering if freezing it would work.

By the way...the framing was pro bono
 
Could you find out from your customer who did the original job and call them??

"Hi, I saw your wonderful work on the biking jersey of so and so and was wondering where you buy your tape?? I just love the pattern it makes through the jersey!"

Well, maybe not that smoozy but try to find out where they got the tape. That may give you a clue as to how to handle the removal if you speak to their customer service people.

Good luck.
 
I would immediately try UnDo on a small brush, tickling the tape up a little at a time. Shame on that framer!
 
Tom, I'm not sure I would be very kind if I called up the previous framer, but with your suggestion, I'll try searching the net.

Ellen, Ques que ce "UnDo". what is it and where can I find it?
 
It looks like a Stich Witchery, a heatable/meltable tape for hemming fabric on the cheap and fast track. I would try an adhesive release like UNDO if you can find it,others have suggested Naptha in past threads, proceed with caution.
 
Julie Walsh said:
Tom, I'm not sure I would be very kind if I called up the previous framer, but with your suggestion, I'll try searching the net.

Ellen, Ques que ce "UnDo". what is it and where can I find it?
Click to expand...

SOme craft stores/hardware stores used to carry it, United used to but can't ship anymore I think.

I would call the previous framer up, better to know exactly what your working with. What's a few ruffled feathers, give me their number I'll call them for you;)
 
If indeed it is Stitch Witchery, there are removal directions on Prym's website. Unfortunately it involves use of heat, which would probably melt the jersey.

From Prym's website (accenting the word "attempt" is my edit):

Stitch Witchery is a polyamide fusible web that permanently bonds two layers of fabric together.

If I have incorrectly placed it, how do I remove it?
Stitch Witchery is designed as a permanent bond but you can attempt to remove any unwanted residue by following these steps:
  • Reheat iron on a dry cotton setting or as hot as your fabric will allow.
  • Place a scrap piece of a cotton terry towel over the residue.
  • Reheat the area with the iron for about 10 seconds.
  • Immediately pull away the heated scrap - the reheated residue should pull away from the fabric and adhere to the scrap.
  • Repeat this process until the residue has been completely removed. Be sure to use a clean area of the scrap fabric each time.
 
If you can't find UnDo, Lighter fluid by either Zippo or Ronson works almost as well, plus, you can use whatever is left over to fill your lighter and burn down the other framer's shop!
 
Bogframe said:
If you can't find UnDo, Lighter fluid by either Zippo or Ronson works almost as well, plus, you can use whatever is left over to fill your lighter and burn down the other framer's shop!
Click to expand...

Test the UnDo in an inconspicuous place first, as some of it will leave a spot that looks like grease. Well the Scotch brand that comes in a pen will leave a "greasy spot" .
 
I'm not 100% sure about the Stich Witchery, the webbing throws me off, but it might come in a heavy duty version or is it tacky like adhesive or atg?
 
It is not stitch witchery; more of a double-sided re-inforced tape. Very sticky like atg but more difficult to remove. atg on matboard can be rolled up into a ball; this won't (maybe because of the jersey material)

Has anyone used Goo-Gone? it's a petroleum/naptha product.
 
I use Stitch Witchery for making curtains, etc. It doesn't look anything like that webby-stuff. I doubt the nylon in the jersey would hold up to the heat needed to "witch" it down.

B-a-a-a-d Framer. B-a-a-d Framer! You'll be a g-o-o-o-d framer by...-what Ellen said- picking that stuff off. Will probably take a few hours. I've had many stitcheries that were stuck onto that sticky-board stuff by framers-that-didn't-know-better-or-didn't-give-a-rat's, and that's what it took...Undo (Un-Seal? etc) and a lot of picking. Any chance your customer could send a repair bill to the framer who did that ?
 
You could try to remove it with a pice of tape pressed onto that tape. sometimes it will stick to the adhesive of the new tape enough to release the fabric. It's worth a try.

Also, before you use any of the chemicals suggested, do a tiny test on the fabric in an inconspicuous place to see how they react to the colors of the fabric.
 
Try using duct tape to remove this nightmare stuff - it has a much more aggressive tack than many other tapes and it might just work.

What a mess!!!!!

Good luck!
 
My daughter decided to come to my aid: using fingers to pull away the goo was taking about an hour to take a two inch strip off (got to love child labor!).

Tried another section using duct tape; was able to lift enough to make the picking easier and faster. Duct tape worked better than some of the lower tack tapes we tried.

It will take a while but at least no further harm will come.
 
You could also test on an inconspicuous area to see if a few of solvents I've found helpful would aid in removal. The first two are polar solvents - acetone (hardware store) or methyl ethyl ketone (similar to acetone, but evaporates more slowly so works better in many cases, available at chemical supplier). The second is odorless thinner (similar to undo, but evaporates much more slowly available from art supply stores). There is also xylene (chemical supplier) but this is even more toxic than the others. I wouldn't suggest you use it unless you have very good ventillation or can work outdoors on a breezy day.

If tests show the solvents don't damage the fabric (and separate testing would need to be done for each solvent on each of the different areas of the jersey - lettering etc) you can try each one to see if they soften the adhesive: brush a small amount of solvent on the small sections of the tape (I use a small watercolor brush), and if it softens in the right way, it can be scraped off with a blunt scalpel. Unless you have a fume hood, you would need to do this outdoors so as not to poison yourself. I wouldn't let a child do it at all.

Best case scenario, the adhesive will crinkle up and lift right off. This is most likely to happen with the acetone or MEK. Worst case scenario, the adhesive becomes too gummy and gunks into the fabric. This is most likely to happen with the odorless thinner or xylene.

Maybe you could duct tape what you can off, and try solvents for any intractable residue. Or, just leave the intractable residue.

Good Luck!

Rebecca
 
Yikes, good luck with that one Julie.

UnDo is VERY hard to find. We stopped carrying it at Joanns, there was a recall on it and no new product has been sent to us :(
 
Cretin75 said:
Yikes, good luck with that one Julie.

UnDo is VERY hard to find. We stopped carrying it at Joanns, there was a recall on it and no new product has been sent to us :(
Click to expand...

We sell a product called Scrappers Solution, it is the exact same thing.
 
Rebecca said:
There is also xylene (chemical supplier) but this is even more toxic than the others. I wouldn't suggest you use it unless you have very good ventillation or can work outdoors on a breezy day.
Click to expand...

Xylene was the carp (now I know why people misspell C-R-A-P all the time....it makes those #### characters for it) in that satellite that we shot down a couple months ago. It IS VERY poisonous....at least that's what the pentagon said before they tried out their space weapon, I mean, saved the world.

On another note, I bet a framer didn't even do this, I bet the guy who owns the jerseys framed them up himself, and realized, oh ####.....this looks like poo. I guess I should go to a professional. Irony of all ironies.

dave.
 
as this tape looks rather thickish, what about freezing it & trying to pick it off in chunks???? anyone ever try this ??? if you use undo would it noit just melt the adhesive and allow/force it to become one with the cloth????
 
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Experimentation with solvents seems risky to me. Rebecca knows what to look for, what to expect, and what to do next if anything goes wrong. Most of the rest of us don't. Personally, I would not apply any solvent to a cycling jersey, which is probably made of Lycra. I'd be more inclined to send it to Rebecca and let her use her expertise and bear the risk for a price.

What do you do if the solvent melts the adhesive residue into the fabric, as Bill cautions? Or worse, could the solvent melt the fabric?
 
I sincerely appreciate all of the comments. I am not going the solvent route, instead I have had success with using duct tape to secure the adhesive to lift it off...so far so good.

This piece was done by a framer, just not a framer educated in correct ways to mount textiles! It had a double mat with a picture opening at the bottom resting on household styrofoam as as spacer. This is an old style and the customer stated he would prefer a simple look of the jersey in a more natural look with the group photo nestled in, ensuring that the signature and sponsorship parts look good.

Once the tape is removed, I'll stitch it taking care and creativity to hide the holes made by the staples, using the existing frame!

I'll send a picture once it is done
 
here's the finished product

This ended up being quite the task; just about all the tape came off (using duct tape to lift). I was able to tuck in and invisibly stitch where the staples had done damage so that they would not be seen.

The natural state of of the jersey looks a lot better than the "frightened" stretched-around-a-form state it showed up in!
 

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The Finished Product

I think you did a beautiful job! Your patience and persistence in removing the adhesive has certainly paid off. No doubt this customer will return to you again and again.

About 1/4 of all framing jobs I get in are re-frames. Either because of improper materials being used or just plain old bad design. It kills me to open a picture to find messes like that. No doubt, your customer suspected something wrong or simply wasn't happy with the job to not go back to the original framer.

If ever you have a problem like this in the future, it is best to get the customer to sign a release to protect you from any liability. What if in trying to restore the piece it got damaged further? It can happen, and easily.

My customers know that if I come across a rarity in framing that I'll take the time to do my research to make sure the item is framed properly. The earlier framer should have as well.

Preserving and conserving the items...is what separates a quality framer from many of the rest.

Now, don't you feel good! :)
 
I hope you have charged for your time. My mechanic does, so does my accountant, and my attorney..............

Job well done!!
 
Thanks for your comments. Yes, the customer is so very happy (hasn't even seen it completed yet, but knows its in good hands), and has paid a fair price.

It's very satisfying to see a customer recognize me as a framer who has their best interests top of mind and willing to go the extra distance to ensure the best outcome. This doesn't go unpunished (haha); it is met with repeat business and their willingness to tell every one they know of the attention given and that they can trust me to take care of their art/objects no matter what the monetary value.

It's been a good day!
 
Carpet tape

A late entry.
For those interested I believe the offending tape may have been 'carpet' tape. A pressure sensitive tape used to keep rugs in place. (Imagine the mess on the floor)

Glad that there was a warning regarding heat. Heat used incorrectly would have been a disaster.

In the end the world is going to be one big huge gob of pressure sensitive tape......

Shan Linde
 
UnDo is great on everything. Someone once told me it's really just lighter fluid. I've also used goo-gone but it's more harsh. I would try it in a hidden area first to make sure the fabric is colorfast. I always worry about using adhesive removers on "paint like" graphics on jerseys. You can get UnDo from Larson Juhl.
 
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