Help! Sticky gum from tree
 

Can anyone help with advice to remove a blob drop of sticky sap from a tree?

Some kerosene dabbed on a cloth will remove it, then wash/wax afterwards.
gary

You need a tar/wax remover. One Grand and Wurth make good products, as does 3M. I can't find the really great 3M solvent in the US anymore (it's probably lethal or something), Turtle Wax makes some stuff that barely works. You might try a citrus based degreaser as well.

But once you use any of these things, you need to cover the area back up with wax.

At least it is tree sap. The stuff that comes out of birds is nearly toxic to paint. ;)

If you are concerned about damaging the paint, you might try the Avon product "Skin So Soft" before resorting to one of the solvents suggested above. It sounds strange, but it works well and might be worth a shot.

Good luck!

Try WD-40. The stuff takes many different things off, and is apparently harmless to paint.

Last summer, I drove to Arizona in my new Passat. Somewhere... I hit some gum with my front tire. It spun round and round and the resulting 'web' was all over the side of my car. To make matters worse, blowing sand stuck to the gum as I continued my drive. Once home, I took a can of WD-40 and sprayed the side of the car. Then, I used a soft rag and slowly worked the gum off. It came off cleanly. Afterwards, some good wax and the doors were like new!

WD-40.... this stuff works great for many uses.

Calspeed

I would think "OFF" would be better to get something off?;)

Yes, "Off" would be perfect trade name for such a product Michael!

Thanx for the suggestions.

I've been told bya technical person at BP petroleum to use white spirits. He seemed quite confident.

white spirits? Is that what we call kerosene? BTW, kerosene is the primary ingredient in most of the "tar removers" on the commercial market...

No, I don't think, I believe white spirits refer to Naphtha.

White Spirits isn't kerosene. The guy I spoke to at BP didn't like Kerosene ... he said it would leave a grease mark which would have to be carefully cleaned and polished and may take off a bit of paint.

Still have to buy the white spirits.

If "white spirits" is what we call naptha here? Then you're talking lighter fluid, aka coleman fuel. Either one is harder on paint than kerosene or WD40, which also removes pitch (aka "sticky sap") well. (BTW, those who still use a zippo lighter? Coleman fuel works well as lighter fluid, and sells for much less per ounce.)

The plot thickens ... the guy at the hardware shop said exactly what pwd72s said. Both kerosene and white spirits are dissolvents and far, far too strong to use on the car's painted surfaces.

He suggested using a more natural product, like natural citrus based De-Solv-it or eucalyptus oil. Alternatively a little methylated spirits - which is what I eventually tried. It came off easily enough, wash and polish and pretty well near perfect. If I look real close I can see the slightest mark but no on is going to pick it - not even me once I forget where it was.

Don,

I picked up a can of the 3M Tar, Adhesive & Wax remover at Schucks this weekend. I used it to remove old weatherstrip adhesive. It was $7.50 for a little can.

Jeff

Go to your local paint store and pick up a can of PPG "Acryli-Clean". It's safe on paint, and will remove almost anything.

I use a product called "sticker shock". It comes in a spray can at local auto part stores. It is designed to remove bumper stickers. It also works well on 100 deg. chewing gum. Trust me...

"Goof Off"
I've used it on many items like this. Including dried adhesive on my black BMW. Totally safe!

Having tried most of the produts listed here, I can say that most of them are either pretty harsh or don't work all that well for removing the blobs of sticky sap. When i did detailing the one thing i found to work really well was the citrus cleaner, made by Stoner. I'm not sure who sells Stoner products, but the stuff is killer... Its an aerosol, just spray a little on a towel, and it'll take off most any sticky substance on your paint. Plus it doesn't leave any greasy residue or anything either.

WD-40 or Wonder Mist
Used them many times and they work great!

I've been paranoid about my cabriolet top though???
So far, so good.