I feel like such an idiot!!!

[Sphinx]

I had to send my Brinsea mini advance in to be repaired. When I got it back, there were several places on the plastic where they had stuck tape, and it left a ton of gross residue. I'd tried to rub it off, and use water, but the goo wouldn't come off.

Forgetting how sensitive some plastics are to acetone, I wiped a little nail polish remover on the sticky spot. Good news? Goo is gone. Bad news? Huge cloudy spot on my incubator.

I'm really angry, both at myself for not thinking clearly, and at Brinsea for sending my incubator back with tape goo all over it.

 

[chickenbaguette]

Oh no! D: That must be very annoying! At least it works, I hope xD

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Oh Yeah, I've done stuff like that. On a good note, you won't do that again.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

It is alittle late now, however I have used WD 40 and Goof Off on plastic and alot of surfaces to get glue off. They both work fine!

 

[Sphinx]

I think peanut butter or vegetable oil would've worked just fine too.

 

[cheekyerica]

Quote:
Aww, well we all make mistakes! On the plus side I can at least tell you what to use in the future to get the goo off--and I can tell you how you can go about making that cloudy patch less cloudy as well. Bear in mind that I've not used these on an incubator before but I have used the same technique on a lot of plastics. (if the glue and goop was on the interior of the incubator then I don't really recommend it since I don't know how sensitive eggs are to chemical residue).

To remove stubborn glue, goop and stickiness: try lighter fluid (like the Ronsonaol you use in lighters.) that'll usually work really well although I recommend doing so in a well ventilated area. If you're sensitive to chemicals wear rubber/latex/vinyl gloves while doing it. I usually use a paper towel that has been dampened (with the fluid) and hold it against the offending goo. Rub and repeat. When you've got it off wash down the area with some dishsoap and water. Just use your hands--not a scouring pad! LOL!)

If you want to go through the effort of trying to clear up the cloudy plastic this is the best method I've found (again I haven't used it on an incubator--since I haven't gotten that far in my chicken-journey) although it takes a bit of time and effort.

First you'll need some wet-dry sand paper in a few grits: 600 grit to start with and 1200 grit to finish.
(Depending on how bad the damage is you could possibly skip the 600 grit and go right to 1200-- I can't say without a photo of the damaged area) Please make certain they are wet-dry sandpaper and ONLY use them wet. Dry will make the situation worse! Have a cup of water handy to keep dipping the sandpaper in. Cut a small piece of the sandpaper (about 3inches square folded in half) wet it with warm water and use it in a small circular pattern.

Use the 600 grit until the area is smoothed down to a unifrom scratch pattern (matt in appearance when dry). At that point you can start using the 1200 grit (again wet). Use that also in small circular motions---until it is also matt in appearance when dry (hard to explain this bit--but when it is dry it will be slightly clearer than when you had it dry with the 600grit).

Once you've gotten to that stage you can either polish the plastic with a car paint cutting paste (you might know someone who has some--especially if you know someone who's into doing automotive work) or you can use a metal /chrome polish like Autosol (you can generally find a small tube online for about 6-8bucks) you get a soft lint free cloth and apply some of the paste/polish to it and apply in a circular motion on the plastic (do this slowly and gently--if you go to fast or hard you can melt the plastic or mark it). Periodically wipe the area clean with a soft cloth until you can see through it.

I hope this might help!

 

[Sphinx]

Thanks so much for the advice.

I actually have eggs in it now, so I'm not going to mess with it any more until they're done and out. I think I'll give it a shot when I'm done though.

 

[cheekyerica]

Well if you give it a go please do let me know how it works out for you (or if I can help at all!) And COngrats on the new babies in the incubator!

 

[Sphinx]

I just thought I'd update you all.

6/7 chicks hatched that were in the incubator when I scuffed up the finish.

My dh told me he had a special buffer at work that is designed to use on plastic. He took it to work this morning, and he just texted me a picture, and it looks absolutely perfect again. I owe him big time!