Friday 7 March 2014

ULTRA STICKER REMOVAL!!

Ultra Sticker Removal!!

Good afternoon people. I have been rather busy lately so haven't had time to blog but I thought I would share tactics on removing stickers from game boxes.

Many of us buy and collect computer or console games that are housed in cardboard boxes. Unfortunately, many of these boxes end up tarred with promotional or price stickers or even worse over the years. At times, these stickers are simply impossible to remove without causing damage to the box.

Or are they?

I will now take you step by step on how to remove even the most insane stickers from your games.

What you need. 
1 x iron.
2 x sheets of baking paper.
1 x horrendously disfigured videogame box.
1 x Ironing board.
1 x heavy weight.
Electricity.
Plenty of patience!

Here is the game in question. I think you will agree it's utterly horrific! Never seen anything like it!


This game is not only wrapped with several layers of hard to remove parcel tape, it also has a layer of sellotape underneath! I can only think it was a revenge taping from a ex friend or partner!


The Process. 

First step is to cut two pieces of baking paper to a size that is a decent amount larger than box to ensure you do not iron it directly.

Next up you need to turn on the iron and set it to maximum temperature. No water is needed.

Now the game needs to be placed inbetween the two sheets of baking paper, ensuring the oiled sides of the baking paper are in contact with the box to prevent sticking.



Once the iron is hot you need to then simply iron the game. Iron the box as it is placed between the sheets for no longer than 5-6 seconds. Lift back the backing paper and check the stickers in question. If there is not enough heat, iron for a further 5 seconds.
5 seconds does not sound long but you are applying immense heat to the box. It's better to use shorter bursts rather than cause any potential damage.



Do not be afraid when ironing the box. The baking paper will protect the box completely and provided you don't leave the iron there, no damage will be caused.

When enough heat has passed through the sticker, it will melt the glue that binds the sticker to the box. You can then gently start peeling. Small stickers should come off in one go but tougher stickers may require more heat.

Here you can see how easily the tape is coming off. Sellotape is probably the easiest thing to remove as it melts the fastest. Parcel tape takes a bit longer and stickers generally take the longest.



Here you can see just how much tape there is on the box.



Once the stickers have been removed there is a next important step. The box has been subjected to a lot of heat so if you do not take the right action, it will warp and lose shape.
So, once you have removed all stickers, the game must be placed under a heavy weight on a firm surface while it cools down. This will allow the box to completely flatten while cooling and retain form.
Also keep the box between the baking paper to avoid damage and make sure the heavy item has a completely flat underside to prevent gouging the box.
Ideally you would probably want something heavier than what I have shown here but this is simply for picture purposes. A fair few very heavy books would do the trick.



After about 15 minutes of cooling, it should be safe to remove the box and reshape it for use. It will be a bit stiff on the joints so be careful when folding it out. If you fold carelessly, the middle of the box can bend. Make sure it is completely cool before folding.

If you follow this simple guide, you can pretty much fix any box. You can also use it for excessively squashed boxes to simply reshape them as the heat softens the box slightly and it hardens again when cold.
I have done this umpteen times and as you can see by the result, have removed even the most extraordinary of stickers.


The amount of tape on this may never be matched!

Good luck!

@nakamuramartin

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