Why does nobody talk about using a heat gun on old window trim adhesive?

I was pulling a door skin off a 90s Civic last month and the butyl tape was like concrete. Tried prying, scraping, even a putty knife. Nothing moved it without risking the metal. My buddy in the next bay said 'just warm it up a bit' and handed me his heat gun. I held it about six inches away for maybe 30 seconds on a low setting. The whole strip peeled off in one piece, left the surface clean. Saved me at least an hour of cleanup. Anyone else have a simple heat trick for stubborn old adhesives?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.mark5d ago

My old man taught me that trick on 70s car trim. He used a regular hair dryer on high, kept it moving about four inches back. The key is you don't want it smoking, just warm enough that the adhesive gets soft and loses its grip. Works on a ton of that old foam tape too, like on mirror mounts.

averywright5d ago

Guess my dad was too busy yelling at clouds to teach me that, @black.mark.