I've been struggling with nasty adhesive on cigar boxes for the last 8 years. Heat helps with most, but there's always a box that has an ugly price tag or some other unwanted sticky tag. I've used rubbing alcohol and many other chemical concoctions until today! The answer for me is olive oil! Virgin if ya got it! Give it a try. I didn't even have to add an elbow grease-the adhesive just melted off!
P.S. And if ya say you've been using this method for years, I hope ya shared it with others before now! Hope this helps some builders in out community!
Cheers,
Wade
Victory Cigar Box Guitars
If the sticker is on the box lid, an alternative is to simply "flip" the lid. Just use a hobby knife to cut the paper "hinge", flip, and continue building. The inside cigar box label is often cleaner, brighter, and nicer anyways.
Joe O'Connor > Scott aka Farmer TedMarch 12, 2015 at 5:09pm
any advice on getting the surgeon general stickers off the the paper covered boxes without ripping the paper. I've tried white spirit with mixed results. some come off a treat where as others just go from bad to worse.
Wade, Thanks for that. I'll give it a try. The finish on the cigar boxes is pretty crappy, so anything like paint thinner is very likely to just take it off. Especially paint.
It seems these cigar stores always put the stickiest stickers on the nicest part of the box! I rarely shoot a clear finish over my boxes. Usually just a thin shellac which doesn't react to the oil. I will give a pencil eraser a try-sounds like another effective solution. As a side note, I also noticed boxes where the cellophane was opened with what looks like a box cutter or a dull axe blade in some cases-it is a sad sight!
Anybody that has made their first CBC has cussed those labels. For you folks that use oil based finishes, this is worth a look and see, however I would strongly recommend trying this on a piece of scrap if you are using lacquer or polyurethane.as top coat. Same goes with paraffin as a lubricant for saw fences and saw tables,featherboards and such. Also silicone spray is a guilty party. It will cause a finish defect I have heard called "fish eye" or "cratering". Learned this the hard way.
This is why using a pencil eraser is best. No oil soaking in. No fisheye. No endless trying to get the solution off harder than the sticker. Just rub rub rub and it is gone.
Replies
If the sticker is on the box lid, an alternative is to simply "flip" the lid. Just use a hobby knife to cut the paper "hinge", flip, and continue building. The inside cigar box label is often cleaner, brighter, and nicer anyways.
hmmm might just try that. cheers
any advice on getting the surgeon general stickers off the the paper covered boxes without ripping the paper. I've tried white spirit with mixed results. some come off a treat where as others just go from bad to worse.
Thanks for the tip! I was just trying to chisel off a sticker last night.
Wade, Thanks for that. I'll give it a try. The finish on the cigar boxes is pretty crappy, so anything like paint thinner is very likely to just take it off. Especially paint.
Anybody that has made their first CBC has cussed those labels. For you folks that use oil based finishes, this is worth a look and see, however I would strongly recommend trying this on a piece of scrap if you are using lacquer or polyurethane.as top coat. Same goes with paraffin as a lubricant for saw fences and saw tables,featherboards and such. Also silicone spray is a guilty party. It will cause a finish defect I have heard called "fish eye" or "cratering". Learned this the hard way.
Interesting. I generally use bar soap for a lubricant for putting screws in hardwood or general lubricating on wood. Like sticky windows, etc.
Oils can cause fish eye in lacquer finishes. Definitely test on a scrap board first.
If you're mixing your own finishes (like with a spray gun or Preval sprayer), you can add fish eye eliminator to the lacquer.
Usually it's best not to cause fish eye in the first place.
This is why using a pencil eraser is best. No oil soaking in. No fisheye. No endless trying to get the solution off harder than the sticker. Just rub rub rub and it is gone.
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