Thread: Perspex Protective Film Removal

Drop in warm to hot detergenty water and leave overnight....I'd keep metho in reserve if that didn't work...and metho is about as nasty a solvent I'd want to try.

Stronger ones (turps) can cause stress cracking, and even some of the stronger citrus (d-limoline) based ones can have a solvent-like effect on perspex.

An old techo at work taught me about using kero and sure enough it works.

If the perspex is in fact very very old, all I can say is, "Good Luck". I would not expect any type of solvent or soap to remove it cleanly without a lot of work by hand using some sort of scraper that will not damage the surface.

Working with acrylic in a signage shop on a daily basis made me learn very quickly to avoid using old stock. However, i couldnt avoid it everytime. Metho + elbow grease works. Be careful with the metho near the edges, it can "craze" "craise"? the surface.

Success.
I tried the hot soapy water in the kitchen sink with dish washing detergent.
The longest I have stood at the sink for ages.

I think the difference is that the film becomes softer and more pliable, it stretches rather than breaking.
But, still significant small tears and it took some time to coerce and tease the film off with lots of scraping with the fingernails.

Thanks guys,
John.

The only think that works is something you get in the supermarket called something like "Gunk off", it smalls like citrus or something from the cheap shop called "Sticker Remover".
The one from the cheap shop works better and is cheaper.
Correction:
The stuff from the supermarket (IGA) is made by Planet Ark (Orange Power) and is called "Sticky Spot & Goo Dissolver".
Follow the instructions on the bottle.
I found that water only removed the paper part but it made it easier to remove the gunk

After the old techo retired at work the new techo had a good clean out and threw away many pieces of 40+ year old acrylic/perspex. I still have some of these and they are now more than 50 years old with the backing paper baked on hard as nails. I just lay the acrylic flat and paint on the kero, and next day the paper and glue just peels off. Yes it is messy but no it does not affect the perspex.