Pallet Rubber Replacement

[sqslabs]

Is contact cement the tan stuff that acts like.. well.. cement on pallets and is nearly impossible to get off?

[mooseman]

I often wondered if contact cement would work

Although, I too have used regular contact cement the one time I added rubber tops, I have to think that the high temp stuff holds up better to flashing.
Moose, you have no issues with the bond weakening?

Actually Frog no except for the pallet i burned to a crisp .
It actually holds quite well with no lifting provided you get the two surfaces sufficently coated. If one side or the other is weak in coating you might have some issues otherwise it holds even on a hot pallet.

 BTW my pallets are heavy steel (Vastex manual press) and they do tend to get HOT and hold the heat, I have never had a problem even on sone 3/4 inch  cabinet ply pallets I made with the same process.

mooseman

[Action1]

Hi everyone. I'm at SGIA and unable to respond adequately now. However - I've always believed in the Newtonian principle...pay attention to what smart people have to say. That is Tony knows best. I hope to see some of you here and will do my best to follow up on this thread when I return.

[alan802]

Is contact cement the tan stuff that acts like.. well.. cement on pallets and is nearly impossible to get off?

most likely.  I use contact cement on the ones I replace and of the dozen or so I've done I've never had one let go that I used the contact cement on.  I've seen factory pallets fail after only a few years, and about 5 of our sleeve pallets have let go at the ends but out of our 24 adult/youth pallets I've not seen any of them let go on the RPM.  I think they use the 3M version of contact cement and the stuff I've used is straight off the shelf at Lowes.

[ebscreen]

Here's a second vote for contact cement. I used the 3M super fancy stuff once and ended up replacing the rubber that peeled off
with CC and never had another issue.

[nobrainsd]

In CA and many other states MEK is no longer available in hardware stores and paint stores. That's because a lower VOC alternative is now available for the types of uses MEK is properly used for like as an adhesive thinner when installing linoleum tiles. But that doesn't mean that MEK is banned, which is what you will hear from many retail establishments. MEK is properly used in other industries where a lower VOC alternative  isn't available. On the west coast TAP Plastics has many store locations and will ship. I just found a local supplier of resin and glass for the boat building industry (for me Fiberlay). They stock MEK. The low VOC alternative doesn't clean stuff well and won't bond PVC boats either! Get the real thing.

They are also selling a low VOC contact cement here in CA at Home Depot. Worthless. 

[SteveS]

Should I expect the rubber to tear when I start pulling it off after heating it good with the flash or will it slowly come off in one piece?

[mooseman]

Removing the rubber depends on either breaking the bond of the adhesive used or most likely shearing the adhesive leaving a mess of it on the rubber and on the pallet that you will nedd to address after the rubber is off.
There is no clear answer, get started on a corner, roll it back work on it with a scrapet or sharp edge , use some lacquer thinner to help break the bond and just keep working on it. I would not expect the rubber to tear but so what if it does...just pick another corner or edge and continiue as before.
You might even try a heat gun as any heat you apply to just about any, not all but many of the flexible adhesives, will weaken the bond.
It is a PITA and a mess but more than possible.
mooseman

[SteveS]

Well, we finally resurfaced the pallets. Under the quartz flash they went until they got real hot and sure enough, after getting a blade under a corner and starting to peel, the rubber started to come off. Some rubber tore and some rubber split but it all came off with fair ease. After it came off, we made a small pan of mineral spirits about an inch deep and soaked the pallets face down for about 15-20 minutes each and the excess old adhesive wiped right off.

We then went the Action Engineering route and used the peel and stick rubber. We followed those instructions and the rubber went right on without a hitch. We cut the excess overhang with a box cutter blade on top of cardboard and then used a belt sander to sand the edges flush perpendicular to the pallet edges and then put a very slight 45 degree bevel on the top rubber with a 120 grit belt.

Viola! Brand new pallets. They sure make a difference.

[mimosatexas]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I messed up my first pallet yesterday and after peeling it up I am seeing this (see photo).  Doesn't look like any kind of contact cement I've seen before, and much more like some kind of tape.  Any thoughts on removal?

[SteveS]

That's definitely old adhesive that has wilted under the heated environment. I would get the old rubber off and do what I suggested and soak the pallet face down in mineral spirits for about a half hour and it should all come off. Even if it's some kind of tape residue, the mineral spirits ought to soften it all up.

We get our mineral spirits and denatured alcohol from Home Depot in quarts. It's in the paint section.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I've had good success with kerosene to remove over cooked transfer paper from rubber tops. I don't know if it will work on the stuff you've pictured, but if you happen to have any lying around it might be worth a try.

Good luck!

[Binkspot]

The rubber can be attached with the 3M glue or they have a self adheasive backing. Have had a lot of luck using WD40 and a utility knife blade and literally cut the adheasive off. Buy the new rubber with the self adheasive backing so you don't have to mess with the glue.

[Mr Tees!!]

I've had good success with kerosene to remove over cooked transfer paper from rubber tops. I don't know if it will work on the stuff you've pictured, but if you happen to have any lying around it might be worth a try.

Good luck!

r

Get the one with the pre-applied adhesive, its soooo worth the minimal extra cost.

Also, keep a couple of extras on hand. I burned up two in a three-month period, so last time I ordered I got a couple of extra to have on hand. That was two years ago, and haven't done it since. Paging Mr .Murphy!

[mimosatexas]

mineral spirits didnt touch it...been around 45 minutes now.  It isn't tape residue, its like actual tape, so while the adhesive on the top of the tape is now gone, the adhesive actually binding the tape to the aluminum isn't budging.  about to try a heat gun and razor.  I was hoping my rapid remover would work like it did with pallet tape residue, but this stuff is some kind of plastic so it cant get through it to the adhesive...annoying.