Removing Sealant

[Highndry]

Finally managed to remove the leaking Houdini from my Hunter Medina. I suspect it was an original 30+ year old fitting and the wafer thin sandwich of black silicon was a bu88er to get a craft knife into. I actually bent the aluminium frame breaking the seal!
So the question is, what do I use to fully remove the remaining bits of black sealant? Is there a chemical I should be using or is it a case of carefully paring off as much as possible prior to fitting the Gebo?

 

[30boat]

Are you sure it's silcone sealant?That comes off with celulose thinners and patience.I usually soak a rag in thinners and leave it on top of the sealant for a while.A plastic bag over it will slow evaporation down.Petrol is even better but too risky and smelly.Sikaflex is another matter.A sharp chisel used with care will remove most of it.

 

[Boathook]

Scrape off as much as possible and then try lighter fluid. If it is really well stuck on and the new frame covers it not a problem. I now use arbo mast br for sealing / bedding fittings as it is non setting. It does not like uv (sun) light though, not really a problem for more fittings.

 

[Highndry]

Are you sure it's silcone sealant?That comes off with celulose thinners and patience.I usually soak a rag in thinners and leave it on top of the sealant for a while.A plastic bag over it will slow evaporation down.Petrol is even better but too risky and smelly.Sikaflex is another matter.A sharp chisel used with care will remove most of it.

Not sure it's silicon at all. It's black and has a rubbery texture although it's not cured. You can roll a small ball of the stuff you've removed between your fingers.

 

[VicS]

Not sure it's silicon at all. It's black and has a rubbery texture although it's not cured. You can roll a small ball of the stuff you've removed between your fingers.

Perhaps it is one of the black Bostiks that were around several decades ago

there was an outdoor adhesive and an outdoor sealant

Try paraffin, white spirit or petrol. It'll shift one of those two but IIRC the other was trichloroethylene based.

 

[Marinestore]

And don't forget meths, this can sometimes work where others fail.

 

[Highndry]

Thanks all. Any advice on what paint to use on the ceiling of the cabin while I'm at it? Half the cabin is lined with what appear to be original plastic headlining panels but the ceiling forward of the compression post is painted. It's starting to flake/peel off in places and I'm tempted to sand it down and re-do it.

 

[Halo]

If all the above dont work try some try No3 thinners - seems to be completely different to other solvents and remove different stuff

 

[yoda]

Not sure it's silicon at all. It's black and has a rubbery texture although it's not cured. You can roll a small ball of the stuff you've removed between your fingers.

I sounds like it is a mastic, try white spirit and then something a little more aggressive if necessary (like cellulose thinners). Scrape off as much as possible first.

Yoda

 

[alahol2]

This... http://www.ct1ltd.com/multisolve.html may be worth a try.