removing old silicone caulking

bmcald · #1 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003

Any tips on how to clean out dried up silicone caulking? The books say to use a knife, but that doesn''t seem to work for me. My cabin hatch caulking needs to be replaced and I don''t think I can just lay in new caulking on top of the old...need to dig out the old, somehow, without spending hours and hours at it.

Silmaril · #2 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003

There is an interesting product called "Anti-Bond" (Bet Gold Finger wish he had some!) It does a great job of breaking down the bond in caulking. Comes in a small pump spray can, a little goes a long way. They have it at West Marine, or just about any boating supply source.

Good Luck

jklewissf · #3 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003

I suspect that course bronze wool would be helpful in removing silicon caulk. The adhesive properties of silicon caulk are not that great. I removed it from hatches on my last boat with a screwdriver.

bmcald · #4 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003

Thanks for the tip on the anti-bond. I''ll check it out. The stuff is so rubbery and fastened so well it resists efforts to cut it out with every metal tool I''ve tried, and the seams vary greatly in width, from a hairline to an 1/8th of an inch.