Remove and re-use labels?

I have boxes with beautiful artwork on the inside of the lid. I'm wondering if there is a way to remove them in one piece, and remount them on the outside of the box. Some of the lids are rounded on the edges, so just flipping them over will not work,at least not without some trim or binding of some sort. This sort of ties in with the question from Uncle Blues about sealing the paper labels too I think. Anyone been able to do this?

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • Thanks all for the advice. The one I tried to get out did not work well. I tried heat, more heat, no go. Tried soaking in goo-gone, more goo-gone, no go. It soaked through label but did not loosen glue. I then tried steam, this made the colors in the ink go weird and the whole label hazed over. I finally gave up and just scraped the label out which was no small feat. The box smells nice though from all the goo-gone! I guess it just depends on the brand and the glue they use.
  • Thanks David. I will try that for sure! Great tip.
  • I've taken off quite a few labels from the inside of boxes - my technique is to soak the labels using wadded-up damp paper towels left in place for an hour or two, then use a steam iron (over the damp paper towels). I then try lifting a corner..if it shows the least sign of resistance, then it's a matter of repeating the procedure. You need to be very careful peeling the label off as it will be VERY fragile...but after a couple of attempts you'll get the hang o it. Most of these are stuck on with some sort of water-soluble gum, so moisture, a bit of heat and a great deal of care seem to work.
  • I just successfully removed a label using mineral spirits. I soaked it good, let is sit for about 20 minutes and it lifted right off. I am not trying to reuse the label so I'm not sure I could but you might try it on a label you don't care about and see.
  • yes I tried that, I have a feeling it was carpenter glued on no big deal I'm sure it'll work well for other labels
  • A cool looking box is always nice but , aint it better to have a great sounding box?
  • Okay... I removed the paper from two boxes without difficulty using bestine. It may be that some boxes use a different glue. I'm very sorry if this information has mislead anyone. I have two more Macanudo boxes that seem to have labels stuck on with a less "gummy" more "hard" adhesive. I was totally unaware of this. The two boxes I did went so well, and bestine has worked for every other type of paper adhesive I have encountered. This includes postage stamps, envelopes, rubber cement and 3M contact adhesive. I would still say it's worth a shot but obviously it's not fool proof. Matt, did you try pouring a little between the paper and the wood?
  • it's not working for me I've soaked this label maybe 8 times and it's peeling off in tiny shredded bits :( and the bestine was 20 bucks ouch
  • Hey Yall'...
    Just to let everyone know... I saw Bestine at a local Michael's craft store. In the art supply section.
  • Excellent tip!!
This reply was deleted.