what product will take sticker residue off of BHR, metal and celluloid without causing harm?

Lighter fluid = napatha. If you feel more comfortable, you can rinse after cleaning.

like zippo fuel (butane) or charcoal lighter fluid? down here they go by the same name.

"Zippo" fluid, I do not think that charcoal lighter fluid is napatha or at least not as pure.

I have used "Ronsonol" lighter fuel on all manner of plastics, rubber, and metals and it works very well in removing sticker residue completely.

stoddard is a good substitute, and it provides great surface lubrication, it renews the look on BCHR better than anything I have tried so far (that is if the pen is not discolorated, it wouldn't dye the pen, but actually cleaning it good and leaving a oily coat that can be wiped away with a microfiber cloth or a soft tissue paper. Good for refinishing plastics on the lathe, for brushing between coats of electroplating, for de gunking from the most heavyweight industrial piece or the delicate pens or other trades fine parts. (watches, musical instruments, etc)

On most surfaces, I'd use UnDu Sticker Remover (aka "Scrapper's Solution by UnDu") -- it works better and stinks less than anything else I've tried (e.g. naptha, "Goof Off", or lacquer thinner). I think Best-Test "Bestine" rubber cement thinner is the same thing: heptane. If they're in your area, I've seen UnDu at Menard's and Bestine at Michael's.

If Ron says solvents are OK, they probably are, but for myself, on something like hard rubber, I might first try pulling off as much of the paper as possible, saturating the remainder with vegetable oil for a few minutes, then rubbing it off with a cotton cloth.

-- Brian

depending on the type of vegetable oil you can do more damage than with paint thinner on hard rubber :shock:

I have always used Ronson lighter fluid after a recommendation from my main pen shop many years ago.

Lacquer thinner! Lacquer thinner will most certainly damage many plastics. I found that very early on as a kid. I would also avoid using any of the "orange" solvents or cleaners because I've found that they're not as benign as they would like you to think.. They also can and do damage plastics. I don't know what their effect is on hard rubber.

Naptha, which is what most lighter fluids are, evaporates very quickly. It's the only thing I can say with any certainty, that I consider to be safe for use on pens. I've used it for the nearly 20 years that I've been collecting and working on pens, and have never had it harm a pen in any way. I can't say the same thing for other solvents or things that might remove adhesive.

Brian is right though, you should try to remove as much as you can without the naptha. Most people don't know that a a little heat from a hair dryer (where have we heard THAT before?) will soften the adhesive enough that a label can be lifted. Works on box labels too.

thanks yall

Not shocked, but interested (plants synthesize all sorts of dang things ) -- what types of vegetable oils will harm hard rubber (or other materials)? I once read a recommendation to use corn oil to lubricate the soft rubber bushings of a car's anti-sway bar when pushing it into place. Generally, if using vegetable oil on something, I'd probably be using CanOla.


Mea culpa -- I was drifting into generalities. I've used lacquer thinner in the past to remove stickers from miscellaneous "things", but it would never occur to me to put it on a fountain pen (without some specific instructions for some hypothetical specific operation)! Sorry about that.

-- Brian

I took a graphic arts class at the University. For the offset printing project, we were expected to clean the plate, trim it to 8 1/2 x 11, and bind it into the course notebook.

I grabbed lacquer thinner by mistake. It not only took the ink off, it took off most of the plate developer (which is itself very close to lacquer). Thankfully, there was enough image left on the plate to redevelop.

Hmm. That gives me an idea: "Blanket wash" is specifically intended for the rubber blankets used in offset printing, and it's also safe to use on offset plates. And it takes printer's ink off practically anything. I wonder if it would be safe for cleaning hard rubber pens.

tweel, more than the plant itself we should be concerned about how the oil is extracted from the fruit / seed. Some industrial procedures uses SOLVENTS to "rescue" any particle of oil still present in the fruit/seed after the prime quality oil is drained by the 1st cold press method.

Some "cheap" vegetable oils will degrade latex, rubber, bushings, etc. Premium quality corn oil could be used with no issues on a silent block bushing on a car, but you do better with mild soap and water.

BTW paint thinner does not affects HR (I mean, it doesn't softens or damages the surface, it leaves a extremely degreased surface wich can be perceived as discolorated but it takes a deep gulp on wax if you rewax it shortly after using the paint thinner. It's like shining your shoes the old way: if you keep greasing them forever they look funny, every once in a while you have to strip all the old dyed grease and the leather will absorb the new coat as a nutritional coat, keeping elasticity and improving the overall look.