Goop.

So yesterday I mentioned I was playing with a new way to strip old tubular glue off of wheels. Effetto Mariposa's Carogna tubular gluing tape requires an extremely clean and smooth surface to attach to, so I can't leave a bunch of old glue boogers on the rim. That is, unless unexpected tire/wheel separation is a racing tactic I want to pursue. Even sanding the rim, a tactic sometimes used to increase glue adhesion, decreases the ability of the tape to stick to the surface. It requires a clean, smooth, shiny surface to work. When you've already glued a set of tubulars to a rim, the mounting surface is anything but clean and shiny. If I did the gluing, the mounting surface looks like a brutal multiple homicide crime scene.
 
Like most of my romantic interactions, my usual method of glue removal is labor-intensive, ineffective, and ultimately unsatisfying. Because gouging the glue off of the rim with an old spoon probably would leave the rim somewhat less than smooth, I decided to give Effetto Mariposa Carogna Mastick/Glue Remover a shot.
 
I applied it as directed, then put the wheel on the back porch to "cure". I gave it a few hours to go do that voodoo that it does so well (I was watching the Effetto Mariposa YouTube video and Blazing Saddles simultaneously), then looked tested to see how well it worked. You could tell the glue was softening, but needed a lot longer to get through the uneven layers I had inflicted on the wheel. The ambient temperature outside probably had something to do with it, so I brought the wheel in the garage and tried again.
 
The directions said you could strip six wheels with a tube, so I used the rest of the tube for the one wheel. If I can't make a mess gooping on the glue, I can make a mess with the glue remover. I gotta be me.
 
I checked it this morning, and I think by the time I get home from work it will be done softening the glue enough so I can wipe it away without excessive pressure. Once clean, I can tape on a new tubular and my big, fat, Chinese carbon wheel will be all ready to leak air once again.
 
Or not.

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