Removing old caulk

[Brownleaf]

I can deal with old dried crumbly caulk, with gummy like caulk that you can peal up. I am having difficulty with very very sinewy caulk. Goo gone did not do it. Paint thinner supposedly threatens the surface around, I've heard controversial things about using a heat gun- so I have no solution even with all the special tools. I end up making a mess, part out , part still intact and a bad area thus for adding new caulk. This is all about the side not the top. Thanks Doug

[Brownleaf]

All ^good points. This is my first time and i find myself forgetting something or making some kind of mistake each time out. On the other hand, for a guy who has not been handy, I am proud of myself and $1000 better off since it did not go to camping world for the work. Doug

[C_Schomer]

^^^ I scrape the ugly discolored stuff off the surface and I stop when I get down to the good viable stuff, underneath, and then I put a layer of new caulk on top.
As far as a solvent that cuts the caulks fairly well w/o dissolving the everything else... I've had good luck with naptha or lo-vol mineral spirits, depending on the type of caulk. Craig

[JimK-NY]

If the caulk is not dried and crumbling and does not peel off, why remove it?

[agesilaus]

Ja, heat gun. I used mine on some old chalk a week ago and it pealed right off. I'm going to redo the chalk on my camper over the next month.