Silly Cone

**jabo** · 09-23-2010, 11:44

OK, I have made a mistake and I could use some help. I wanted to put some silicone strips on the back of my sleeping pad to keep it from slipping around in my hammock. I had some old silicone around from when my house was built so I opened up a tube and put a generous amount on the back of my pad in lines every couple of inches. Sooo, here is the problem. The caulk was old and never, and I mean never set up. It stayed wet even after weeks of drying time. So eventually I had to wipe it all off, but now I have the silicone all over the back of my pad and it is more slippery than ever. How can I get this left over silicone off of my pad so that subsequent silicone non-slip strips might stick to the pad?

Thanks in advance,

Jamie

**lori** · 09-23-2010, 11:47

Mineral spirits dilutes silicone. Also removes a lot of other things... sap, tar, etc. It's the main ingredient in Tecnu - that soap for poison oak/poison ivy removal.

**Shewie** · 09-23-2010, 11:48

You can get Unibond silicone remover over here but I think it's got some nasty stuff in it like sulphuric acid for a start. Have you tried white spirit at all, not sure if it'll work or not but I be tempted to do a little tester patch.

**Doctari** · 09-23-2010, 12:10

What ever you do, test it first on a small area. And sorry, but pretty much what you should have done with the silicone.

Some stuff (solvents, DEET, etc.) can melt: nylon, CCF Pads, etc. So be careful with that.

**PapaSmurf** · 09-23-2010, 12:37

If the other suggested methods don't work, you may consider making a cover for it. Maybe lightweight ripstop or fleece? Then you can brag to all your friends about your custom cover.

**Alamosa** · 09-23-2010, 15:03

Denatured or rubbing alcohol may remove it and is pretty unlikely to hurt your pad.

**turnerminator** · 09-23-2010, 15:12

Shewie is correct, the only way of removing cured silicon is with a propietary silicone digester, or mechanically. There are a few brands, but the chemicals are nasty.
If you decide to use, don't use alcohol, it usually reacts with the digester and stops it working.
I'd use some digester specially formulated for use on Upvc joinery, it is likely it won't do too much damage.

**gargoyle** · 09-23-2010, 15:28

If your pad is just a closed cell foam jobbie, trash it and go pick up a new one, $10-$15 bucks at wal-mart. You'll spend that in mineral spirits and time.

While your there grab some new silly cone!!

**wetware1967** · 09-23-2010, 20:22

Originally Posted by gargoyle

If your pad is just a closed cell foam jobbie, trash it and go pick up a new one, $10-$15 bucks at wal-mart. You'll spend that in mineral spirits and time.

While your there grab some new silly cone!!

I Gotta go with gargoyle on this one. Cheaper to replace the pad then it is to clean it.