Removing Silicone Caulk with Heat Gun?

Hello,

Has anyone tried using a heat gun to soften the newer kinds of silicone caulks, like GE's Silicone II, to make it easier to remove? Does it actually get soft enough to help remove it?

Thanks

Reply to
Blackadder III
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Silicones don't soften with heat enough to notice. Sharp blades (razor) work well, then get the residue with a paint remover based on methylene chloride. It won't dissolve, but it will swell and lose adhesion slowly. Follow all safety precautions on the label, etc. It ain't easy, so budget a fair amount of time.

Joe

Reply to
Joe

Never use a heat gun unless you're a trained professional. Heat guns can do major damage to the surrounding area.

I recently saw an ad for gunk that removes silicone. Googling (sorry Google, but the verbing of your name is here to stay) turns up products like DSR-5. Ask around at paint stores, hardware stores, and home centers. Siliconized latex caulk is not the same thing as Silicone, and that which removes the former may not remove the latter.

Reply to
TakenEvent

I've used heat guns to soften caulk for removal. It works just fine. I'm not sure what kind fo caulk it was, but believe it was put in 1987.

Reply to
scott21230

Heat guns can also bubble paint, scorch or otherwise mess up Formica and drywall, melt plastic and vinyl, remove fingerprints, and do a host of other undesireable things if the user isn't careful. It's a good bet that you were careful. In the hands of Josie Housewife, no offense to Josies or housewives, a heat gun can be dangerous.

Blackadder can try it, but there are less risky methods available.

Caulk is not the same thing as silicone, necessarily.

Reply to
TakenEvent

They work great for removing hardened window glazing.

Bob

Reply to
Bob

OK...thanks everyone...so far I have used the brute force method, but I have mostly used plastic tools so they don't scratch the paint as much as opposed to metal tools. Also, my wife found that white vinegar helps, which it does when you get down to the little pieces that are left as you are scraping...

I will probably not go down the heat gun road...

Thanks everyone

Reply to
Blackadder III

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