Any good household remedies for removing silicone?

[MadMike]

Hey boys and girls, I need your help.
I had an old plastic-lamp formed like a moose, and I inserted a bottle in it (don't ask me why, I just thought it looked good :lol). To set it in properly, I had to cut a hole in the back of the moose, which I planned to cover with bondo, prime and re-paint completely.

I wanted to seal the parts where the bottle didn't really get in touch with the plastic, so I just some silicone - and that turned out to be a huge mistake.

It got a little messier than I wanted it to be, and to make a long story short, now almost the whole back is covered with a very thin layer of silicone. I wanted to remove this, but it's some kind of Sisyphean task due to the moose's curvy back (as I can't really use a knife to cut it, I have to rub it with my fingers, which takes hours).

Now my question is, do you know any good household remedy for removing silicone? I know that there are special silicone removers available, but as I don't know how aggressive this stuff is against the plastic, I wanted to ask here before buying such a remover.

Thanks a lot,
Mikey

 

[bunker1]

White spirit generally removes silicone. It shouldn't attack the plastic.

 

[OdiWan72]

acetone should work, but try it on a small spot first to see if the plastic of the lamp can stand it without melting

Markus

 

[fettster]

soak the piece is white spirit and the silicone should come off very easily

 

[Alan Castillo]

You wife's / girlfriend's /mother's , nail-polish remover. It has consequences, but it works :lol

 

[Risu]

I'm in a similar situation, I had a failed caulking silicone molding experience and have a thin film of silicone left on the piece I'm trying to cast. Will acetone or nail polish remover have an adverse affect on styrene, bondo, glazing putty, or primer?

 

[Alan Castillo]

I'm in a similar situation, I had a failed caulking silicone molding experience and have a thin film of silicone left on the piece I'm trying to cast. Will acetone or nail polish remover have an adverse affect on styrene, bondo, glazing putty, or primer?

Besides the YUK smell, I never had any 'side-effects'. I must say though, it has always been on 'hard' surfaces. I must also say that logic tells me that the effects on paint / primer and the likes will be terrible.

 

[exoray]

Will acetone or nail polish remover have an adverse affect on

styrene

Yes, very much so, like a taking a hot flame to an ice cube...

bondo

Very short term exposure will not do any noticeable harm except maybe slightly soften the surface, longer exposures will soften it up and start to dissolve it...

glazing putty

Yes, it will dissolve it quickly like water removes mud...

primer?

Maybe, some paints/primers will resist others will peel right off upon contact...

 

[Risu]

That's definitely not an option for me then. Any other ideas?