looking for advice to remove a clear self adhesive pick guard

[Bob Orr]

Hi a friend has asked me to replace the clear plastic pick guard on his Oakwood bouzouki and I am looking for any advice on the best way to tackle this.

Regards, Bob

[Mark Fogleman]

Mild heat from a desk lamp w/incandescent bulb will loosen the adhesive. Mask the rest of the top w/a piece of corrugated cardboard. I have an old plastic credit card ground to a thin edge on one end to use as a knife to pry it away from the top once the adhesive is softened.

[Ryan Mazzocco]

Just grip it and rip it!

Kidding... Heat should do the trick. start around the edges and slowly peel it up with maybe a thin putty knife or something careful not to dig into the instrument. Then clean the any remaining residue with warm soapy water.
If you need to use something to eat the adhesive be sure you know what kind of finish it has and use something that will not hurt it. Do you know what kind of finish it is?

[Barry Daniels]

I would use an eyedropper to apply naphtha or mineral spirits along the edge as the pickguard is slowly removed.

[Bob Orr]

Thanks for the advice guys. Cheers, Bob

[Michael Lewis]

Hair dryer for heat. Naphtha or mineral spirits to dissolve the adhesive after the old guard is off.

[Todd Stock]

Start removal with unwaxed dentil floss...lift an edge and flood with naphtha. On poly and intact lacquer, gentle heat from a heat gun...does not take much...either to release or to damage the finish. On delicate or damaged finishes, naphtha alone will work, although it can be slow going. Some pick guards use a three layer adhesive - 3M 468 is an example...layer of transfer adhesive on either side of a thin scrim of mylar or similar. If possible, try to pull the scrim with guard...if it does not come, treat it like another guard...lift it with floss and naphtha release.

I've had a couple custom guitars where lacquer finish pops opened during the process - this is a damaged/degraded finish situation...remedy for repair guys is to be patient and let the naphtha work. Worst case is some drop-filling, but that can be a real mess on a burst. Builders can prevent the problem by not trying to get four coats of lacquer on a guitar in one spray session.

[Clay Schaeffer]

"Start removal with unwaxed dentil floss...lift an edge and flood with naphtha. On poly and intact lacquer, gentle heat from a heat gun...does not take much"

Keep in mind that naphtha is also sold as Coleman fuel. You may want to use naphtha - OR - gentle heat, but maybe not both at the same time.

[Todd Stock]

Heat gun better than a blow torch for this

Gentle heat...keep fingers near guard while using heat gun...if your hand is uncomfortable, it's probably getting close to flash point for naphtha and well above melt point for adhesive.

Re: those PM's...I know it's hard to find 'Dentil Floss' - check the molding and millwork department at the BORG and specialty millwork stores - usually available by special order...when I was a trim carpenter's helper, it was a common job given to us newbs to go find the stuff at a local yard during lunch break. If you can't find any, always an option to use 'Dental Floss'. Just saying.

[Bob Orr]

Hi guys thanks to all for the input. Used a combination of lighter fuel (only way I can get naptha here!) and a hair drier and it came off a treat. masked rest of top with thick cardboard. Fitted new one using a spray of water and a cork block and it went on first time with no bubbles. Friend is delighted with the results so thanks for you assistance.

Cheers, Bob