Methods for removing labels from floppies

[diablothe2nd]

Has anyone got any tips on the complete removal of labels from floppies?

obviously if you pick at it with a fingernail it generally wont come off clean. I'm guessing you cant just drop the floppy disk in a bowl of warm soapy water without wrecking the disk itself either.

any ideas?

[kipper2k]

k,

you're gonna love this one... a hairdryer...

it works well, not too much heat, it will make the glue tacky and a breeze to come off

[diablothe2nd]

sweet! i'm not sure what the fiance will say when i go to pinch her hair dryer but thanks for the tip!

[s2325]

I'm using Incidin liquid spray to remove glue and damaged labels.

[diablothe2nd]

hair dryer method works in most cases (10% failed to remove) some they need alot of heat and still dont come off. one floppy actually curled slightly under the heat

how much heat can these things take before the magetic disc is wrecked?

used ethanol to clean the gum off... worked a treat

[sneeker]

I use WD40 to remove price tags etc off orginal games without damaging them, So Im guesing it would work on floppy disk labels too. (Also remember using nail varnish remover back in the day without melting all my disks)

[Retrofan]

I was just now wondering about this matter. I've got my original Workbench 3.0 floppy, but it's unreadable. I was doubting about opening the floppy and putting the content of another inside, or if (better) taking out the sticker and using another blue floppy disk.

I know the hair dryer works with the usual stickers, but the labels of the floppy are more paper than plastic.

Edit: Finally I've formatted it and recorded again.

[Retroplay]

Originally Posted by sneeker

I use WD40 to remove price tags etc off orginal games without damaging them, So Im guesing it would work on floppy disk labels too. (Also remember using nail varnish remover back in the day without melting all my disks)

That WD40 trick works beautiful on labels too.

[DaveMB]

I just pull the label off then use White Spirits/Turpentine on a cotton swab to remove the glue.

[Retroplay]

That's what I've been doing all day long and I still have 6 boxes of floppies to go.
Why do some people use ballpoint pens to write on labels, use a fecking pencil dammit.

I never would have guessed about the hair dryer, I guess you peel with one hand while heating the label with the other. Why not just put them in the window a while and let the hot sun do it? What is the max temp a disc will take?

[roy bates]

i actually use a dewalt paint stripper with the heat turned right down

wd40 on a rag removes the adhesive pretty well or lighter fluid.

it took me a few hours to completely remove labels from 700 disks this way.

[pandy71]

Special liquid named Label Remover but it is made from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_...28medicinal%29 and the same as used in most non alcohol based charcoal lighter fluids.

[JonB]

In the UK there is a product called Sticky Stuff Remover. It seems to be made from white spirit and has a lemony scent. Try soaking the tricky labels with it, then lift label and gunk off. Lakeland sell it.

[DaveMB]

Originally Posted by JonB

In the UK there is a product called Sticky Stuff Remover. It seems to be made from white spirit and has a lemony scent. Try soaking the tricky labels with it, then lift label and gunk off. Lakeland sell it.

True but actual White Spirits is far cheaper and can be used to clean paint brushes also .

It's also extremely effective at removing 'baked' thermal paste.

[lesta_smsc]

Originally Posted by roy bates

i actually use a dewalt paint stripper with the heat turned right down

wd40 on a rag removes the adhesive pretty well or lighter fluid.

it took me a few hours to completely remove labels from 700 disks this way.

First of all... wow commitment! Secondly, does this not affect the magnetic strip inside or causing bending of the plastic of the floppy disk?

[xc8]

I am using Pro Power PPC108 label remover, excellent results even on 5.25" floppies.

[roy bates]

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

First of all... wow commitment! Secondly, does this not affect the magnetic strip inside or causing bending of the plastic of the floppy disk?

no mate i had the heat turned down,but first i tried to remove a label from a dead disk to see what heat setting to use after a few it just gets quicker.
the trick for me was to keep the gun moving and dont let it stay in one place for too long.and the label just peepls off in seconds.
after that i just had to remove the adhesive residue.
the failure rate was about one in 60-80 disks.

[ElectroBlaster]

This old chestnut! Buy an amiga and it comes with a bundle of hookey floppies. Almost all will have dodgy labels, badly applied, dirty, scribbled on etc. I got really anal about this years ago and did thousands of them by pulling the labels off and re-doing them.

Did this with a wet rag, finger nail and white spirit. Kinda got fed up after a few thousand or so. Tried again with some fresh disks and found my stored labels will not stick properly lol... left em too long I guess!

Has anyone got a template that can be used to print labels out?

[roy bates]

Originally Posted by ElectroBlaster

This old chestnut! Buy an amiga and it comes with a bundle of hookey floppies. Almost all will have dodgy labels, badly applied, dirty, scribbled on etc. I got really anal about this years ago and did thousands of them by pulling the labels off and re-doing them.

Did this with a wet rag, finger nail and white spirit. Kinda got fed up after a few thousand or so. Tried again with some fresh disks and found my stored labels will not stick properly lol... left em too long I guess!

Has anyone got a template that can be used to print labels out?

i have a feeling its the white spirit,the labels wont stick to it even when dried.
try alcohol after to get it off