Friday, April 1, 2011

help needed please

I have a couple of questions which I am sure someone here will be able to answer.

Problem No 1.  I have bought some "vintage" mens handkerchiefs which are still in the box.  They are made of swiss cotton and unfortunately they have been kept in place in their box with sticky tape.  Over the years the tape and glue have deteriorated and now there are nasty yellow marks that I would like to remove.  Any help would be most welcome.


Problem No 2. This is more of a general question.  I have a hot glue gun which I have all kinds of difficulty with.  Should I just throw it in the bin or can it be useful.  It seems to take forever to heat up but once it does the glue seeps even when I don't want it too and it is really stringy (like cheese on pizza) and I end up in a terrible mess.
If it is a lost cause can I have some suggestions regarding the use of adhesives/glues.  They are my most problematic materials but I do find they have their uses.

7 comments:

Linda said...

Hi Dian, I am not much help, but will offer a thought. I wonder how vinegar and/or lemon juice would go on the hankies. I am in the same boat with the hot glue gun, that's what this silly one of mine does, so I turfed it, as I hate glue anyway!! Told you I couldn't help.

Jensters said...

I cant help with the first question Dian! As with heat guns you are right but i love mine use it for so many different things.

Karyn said...

My hot glue gun sounds very similar to yours Dianne. When i use it, I make sure there is newspaper under it to catch the drips. Mine is very stringy too.
As for the sticky tpae residue; my trusty Gloria Oxford Take-a-hint is not being very helpful. My only suggestion is maybe eucalyptus or tea tree oil?

Anonymous said...

hanky problem....try eucalyptus oil. usually works. apart from that, soak in nappy san (or similar) after the treatment with eucalyptus oil, then wash by hand using "sard" soap on the affected area. If all else fails, just pop on a suacepan of water, bring to the boil, and boil the stain out...just like our grandmas did.
Melissa

suziqu's thread works said...

Hi Dian I threw my heat gun out years ago - I found it hopeless! I only know that eucalyptus oil removes stickiness but not sure whether the box or the hankies are discoloured. Not sure here how to help with this one.
Thanks for lovely comment.
Love, Suzy

Radka said...

You have probably found a solution by now, but I would go with the vinegar. Let us know how you got on and what (if anything) has worked :)

Anonymous said...

Try the vinegar or just soak in napisan. I've been amazed at what that stuff gets out! My glue gun doesn't cause me too many issues. Maybe it is the brand. If you use it often enough you could probably justify the more expensive ones on the market.