Forgot to Remove the Plastic from my Reflectors...

[Rychek]

I've got 2 IceCap T5 reflectors. Being new to lighting of this type and being over zealous to install my new reflectors, I neglected to remove the protective plastic coating from the reflectors. I know, I'm retarded. Anyway, now that a good month or more has passed, I'm trying to remove the plastic, but only parts of it will come off.

I know I can't burn the plastic and glue away and WD-40 was no help. What else is likely to remove the backed on glue/plastic? TIA!

[LoneStar]

Try GooGone


Also, I hope you have the reflectors taken off and away from the tank so that any chemical you may use (or have used) will not drip down into your water!

[Rychek]

I removed them. I feel like I've finally got the tank going well, so I'm not taking any chances with dripping chemicals. ;)

My wife was recommending GooGone, so I'm planning on trying it. Thanks for the second opinion. :)

[Rychek]

Well, GooGone doesn't seem to be helping much. It seems the plastic is baked onto the reflector. I can scrap it off, but it is extremely tedious. I'm hesitant to try anything abrasive or corrosive because I don't want to damage the finish of the reflector. Are there any other products I should try?

[jroescher]

3M Adhesive Remover, available at auto parts stores. Or, if you can find something like Acrysol at a automotive paint company. It's serious stuff, not for general retail.

[Rychek]

Are those products likely to tarnish the reflector?

[jroescher]

I don't think it would, but I really don't know. It's used to clean stickers off of painted cars.

I think no matter what you do, you're going to end up scratching them up. The alternative is you have to buy new ones.

Maybe try heating them up to soften the plastic, or making it really cold so the plastic gets brittle?

[loans_n_fishes]

Maybe use a hair dryer to heat it up. I did this on my dining table to take off wax and it worked great. Not sure how it would do on the reflectors/adhesive, but it is probably your best bet to avoid scratching.

[Rychek]

I've managed to remove quite a bit of the plastic. I've decided to take a break from cleaning them though. I'll try the hair dryer next time I take the reflectors off the tank. Thanks for the help all.