Re: Removing Stickers

["Jerry A. Cohen" <cohen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michiel van Wessem  wrote, in part,

"Nailpolish remover works too and is even cheaper. Get the most basic 
kind, it's the acetone that you want. I think Goof Off is mainly 
acetone too."

Goof Off is mainly xylenol, the stuff that dissolves paraffin.  Very 
useful in the microanatomical world when you need to imbed and 
microtome a specimen, put it on a slide and then remove the paraffin 
so you can stain it with water soluable stains.  Acetone dissolves 
other ketones, plastics and and lipids.  I tried acetone (with great 
fear because of its great ability to dissolve plastics) on the airbag 
warning label on my sun visor.  It did not hurt the visor and it did 
not remove the label.  Goof Off worked well, but it does temporarily 
soften and warp the underlying material, which returns to its 
original condition when the solvent evaporates.  This is due to the 
transient effect of solvents on the 3-D shape of polymers and 
membranes. It may in fact underly the ability of many solvents to 
induce a reversible state of general anesthesia, by reversibly 
changing the exact shape of excitable membranes on the molecular 
level. 

Practical information: Use GoofOff.  Test it on a small area 
first.  Don't worry, the vinyl will unwarp after 30 min.  Use only in 
a well ventilated area or it might warp your brain and other vital 
organs (may or may not go away in 30 min).  

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