Removing RTV from Paint

I think you may be screwed - all the RTV removers I know of also strip paint as well.... If you do find something that is paint friendly, I'd be really interested in knowing what it is.

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

Maybe an eraser?

If it 'is' RTV, it will rub off with your finger. An old credit card works.

You can also get a liquid gasket remover stuff that is supposed to dissolve it.

Gasoline will dissolve it, but it takes a little while.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

SoK66 wrote:

Rub it with your finger for a bit and it should rub off. Failing that, try rubbing alcohol and a rag, failing that, try gasoline and a rag.

HTH.

Carl

Thanks everyone for your feedback. So far I've got "nothing", fingers, erasers, old credit cards, alcohol and gasoline. Something has to work! ;-)

Jeez, Bill, what's trolling about that question ?

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

He didn't buy the tube that put it on though ..

Then you don't have RTV there.....

Maybe they used seam sealer or something really strong?

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

SoK66 wrote:

I just used 3m's General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner part number 08984. It is available at any decent paint store. It claims to be paint safe. I used it in my bathroom to remove the silicon caulk around the shower. I thought RTV was impenetrable, but this stuff did take it off. Well, sort of. It might have removed the thicker portions if I had days to wait. What I ended up doing was cutting away the thick stuff and then taking 000 grit nylon pads and scrubbing the RTV with this stuff. All in all I'm pretty happy with the results. Nasty smelling though, I had to put a fan blowing fresh air on my face to keep from breathing the fumes.

Good luck Dean

Could be a type of Aircraft sealant (like

) in which case itwould be very hard to remove with out the use of a paint stripper orsanding.

Snow

Thanks, Dave, I didn't consider my question inappropriate.

What I have, BILL, is standard black RTV which was inappropriately used to seal the rocker guards against the paint. As I explained in my original post, after a struggle I got it loose from the bare metal on the guard, but it's stuck fast to the paint. I can't just scrape it off as you'd do on mating surfaces.

It is indeed black RTV. Easy to identify anyway, but I confirmed it with the installers.

Indeed it's not, it's RTV. Had they used winshield urethane sealer I doubt we'd have been able to get them off. I use it to seal body panels from time to time and once cured it's distinctly different and much harder than RTV.

my bathroom to remove the silicon caulk around the shower. I thought RTV was impenetrable, but this stuff did take it off. Well, sort of. It might have removed the thicker portions if I had days to wait. What I ended up doing was cutting away the thick stuff and then taking 000 grit nylon pads and scrubbing the RTV with this stuff. All in all I'm pretty happy with the results. Nasty smelling though, I had to put a fan blowing fresh air on my face to keep from breathing the fumes.>

Good luck

Thanks, Dean, I'll give this a try. (Need to do a bathroom this winter, anyway!)

Unfortunately my problem is that it's smeared on the paint in a few visible areas that aren't; covered by the rocker guards. I can't scrub on it or use a harsh thinner for risk of damaging the paint. Frankly I think the idea someone had of using an eraser may be the ticket.