Pine Sap Removal

Lynnmor wrote:
Acetone will melt some plastics instantly, be careful with using that chemical.

Thanks for the pointer. If the need comes up again, it will be used sparingly and with caution.

bradnailer wrote:
If you have an oil jobber handy, they sometimes have Varsol. I keep a couple of gallons on hand all the time. It will remove pine tar, road oil and most other stuff and is safe on paint. Elstwise, WD-40.

Varsol fluids are traditional aliphatic solvents that are also known as mineral spirits or white spirits. I think ExxonMobile has the trade mark. I think the carrier solvent in WD-40 is mineral spirits. You don't have to go to a oil jobber for mineral spirits, in any Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, even Wally World, etc. I sold the stuff for 30 years. When I retired I stocked up on a few gallons of OMS (Odorless Mineral Spirits) which is the more refined version of regular mineral spirits that does not have as much of a petroleum smell. Mineral Spirits is not a very aggressive solvent and it would take a little work to get it to remove pine sap.

I used mineral spirits.

My side grinder was too hard on the paint.

run100 wrote:
Just had to deal with some serious sap on fiberglass and also the ladder. I started with the ladder and tried everything imaginable with no luck. I'm thinking with temps around 110-degrees, it becomes a permanently glazed surface.

Then, several people suggested acetone. Man, that stuff worked amazingly well! I barely even touched the sap on the ladder and it came right off. I also used it on the fiberglass and had the same results, with no damage (afterwards, I washed the areas thoroughly with soapy water).

Acetone will melt some plastics instantly, be careful with using that chemical.

Just had to deal with some serious sap on fiberglass and also the ladder. I started with the ladder and tried everything imaginable with no luck. I'm thinking with temps around 110-degrees, it becomes a permanently glazed surface.

Then, several people suggested acetone. Man, that stuff worked amazingly well! I barely even touched the sap on the ladder and it came right off. I also used it on the fiberglass and had the same results, with no damage (afterwards, I washed the areas thoroughly with soapy water).

We had a brand new tow car out the first week we bought it. We were camped in some pine trees that were infected with Pine Beetles. I used Mayonnaise. Took it all off. And the mayo just happened to be in my Fridge, and I could also use it for my sandwich.

Ok, tried both hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol. Both worked well but the rubbing alcohol seemed to do it quicker. Thanks all for the suggestions.

Non-gritty hand cleaner such as GoJo. Also good to remove sap from dog's fur.

mikey98e wrote:
I was very careful and removed most of the sap from my truck with a single edge razor blade. Then I used alcohol.
-mike

That's what I call having ALOT of extra time on your hands!

The tarminator stuff works well on sap. It WILL permanently stain tail light lenses and black plastic trim though.

I've used mineral spirits (sort of like turpentine) on my windshield to good effect. If using it on the painted portion of yout truck or on fiberglass, test a small area first.