Removing construction adhesive

[Greg Guarino]

We've got a nice big mirrored bathroom cabinet. It stores my shaver, some band-aids, Advil, and about 100 other items I have no earthly idea about.

It came with the house, and we liked the size, but it was transcendently ugly; a mirror-chrome frame with gold accents. The whole room was pretty amazing actually. The walls were done in floral metallic foil wallpaper. My wife said it was like being inside a birthday present.

But I digress. Many years ago, before my woodworking skills advanced to their current "novice" level, I made a frame out of oak molding to replace the chromed monstrosity.I recently built a much nicer frame to hide the ragged edge that some "professional installers" left around a "through-wall" air conditioner at my Mom's house. It looks ever so much nicer than our bathroom cabinet, and something nearly identical would fit there perfectly. What's more, it was a cinch to build.

But...

I recently re-attached the old frame with some sort of construction adhesive (just before I had the "better idea" naturally). It feels pretty strong, too; wood molding attached to flat sheet metal. I can't remember which brand I used, a piece of info I'm sure would have been useful.

Any ideas?

[chaniarts]

a heat gun carefully applied, with a fire extinguisher nearby. other than that, a pry bar.

[Lew Hodgett]

------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hot wire" is an easy solution.

A piece of nichrome wire, 12V car battery, couple of handles and a potentiometer is all you need.

Wire nichrome wire across battery in series with the potentiometer.

Add handles so you can get wire between molding and sheet metal

at one corner.

Pull hot wire thru adhesive.

SFWIW, an old boat yard trick for when you are trying to remove port lights to re-bed them.

Lew

[Bob/Barb Alexander]

I remember hearing on the radio recently that your local ACE hardware has some new adhesive softener and cleaner, maybe worth a shot on your cabinet mirror.

Bob

[Pat Barber]

These folks will know about that:

toward the bottom of the faq