Tape On Boxes - A Crime Against Humanity

[+the1hatman]

I was sent a Shark! Shark! box recently that was sealed at the bottom with black duct tape... ugh!

 

 

 

 

Normally this would kill a box's usefulness, especially one with the cart retention in the bottom. But sometimes you get lucky and the box can be saved.

[+the1hatman]

A better look at the extent of the tape.

 

 

[+the1hatman]

The glue on the tape was not dried out and still very sticky so it could be CAREFULLY pulled away. Sometimes the glue has either dried to or soaked into the graphic and cannot be pulled away without taking the art with it. But thankfully not here.

 

 

The new issue is the box is still coated in tape residue and glue.

 

[+the1hatman]

Goo Gone to the rescue!

 

 

It takes a lot more Goo Gone than I'm used to using but it eventually did clean off.

 

 

A lot of this required more than one application as the tape glue would build up on the paper towel and you have to trade it out.

 

 

You can also see the few places where the glue had dried to the point where it could not be removed.

 

[+the1hatman]

The duct tape did do damage and pulled some of the box surface away but in general it came off pretty well.

 

 

The top flap was halfway separated from the box at the seam and had to be taped back together on the inside.

 

 

Overall the box came back to life pretty decently and can now be used to properly hold a cart and paperwork.

 

 

Now the box had damage unrelated to the duct tape. It clearly had a lot of wear over the years but still kept its shape and was not crushed down the sides. That plus a complete cart retention piece made it a candidate to be restored.

 

 

It will never be a highly collectible piece again but at least it can be a good placeholder in someone's collection and look decent enough on a shelf.

[+the1hatman]

Special thanks to JasonlikesINTV for sending me the box and letting me take a shot at repairing it

[+JasonlikesINTV]

Wow, nice work. Hopefully it didn't take up too much of your time. I have a bunch of stuff that I can't get myself to throw away even though much of it isn't worth saving. Glad this one got a 1up and hopefully a new home.

[+the1hatman]

Wow, nice work. Hopefully it didn't take up too much of your time. I have a bunch of stuff that I can't get myself to throw away even though much of it isn't worth saving. Glad this one got a 1up and hopefully a new home.

 

Nah this is about a 25 minute job. Sounds like a lot for a fairly common game but doing stuff like this gives me experience for restoring rare items down the road. Also, I already had a manual and overlays for it and a cart is currently on its way so it will be CIB soon. Doesn't have much value but I'm sure I will find it a home

Edited August 1, 2018 by the1hatman

[Keatah]

Now to take a color-matched sharpie and fill in all the cracks and crevices, with a white basecoat if needed.

[GenetixJ]

Nicely done sir!

[+the1hatman]

Now to take a color-matched sharpie and fill in all the cracks and crevices, with a white basecoat if needed.

 

I've used Sharpies in restoration before but they tend to darken the exposed cardboard and stick out just as bad as the underneath brown material. I usually let the colorful boxes go without this kind of retouching since it looks bad either way. I figure natural looking wear is better than an obvious cover up. A notable exception is a black box. A basic black Sharpie will do wonders to cover blemishes on a matching box. You just have to be careful not to bleed color to the finished edges or over any artwork.

[Intymike]

Well done!

[atarilovesyou]

I would tried other measures before using Goo Gone. It's oil based, and is impossible to remove the staining left behind. Tape is gone, but those stains bug me almost as much. This box was far too old and frail to really take much abuse in any case. High powered rubbing alcohol works but requires a slightly glossy surface, and also can mar if not removed right away.

 

In this case, an old book trick works...razor blade and blow fryer. I use this on price tags all the time. You heat up the sticker, or this case tape, the lift a corner and slowly lift. In this box, it would have been very tricky. The razor is used only when you can't lift a corner, just to get started. Use it at an ultra flat angle...but sticker residue will remain.

 

Maybe the previous owner was trying to waterproof it? SHARK, SHARK!

[colormesticky]

I use a razor and lighter fluid. It evaporates without staining. I wouldn't have had the patience for that much duct tape though.

[Humblejack]

I use Un-Du. It removes stickers, glue, tape and other yucky stuff. I have about a 99% track record with it. Sometimes if the cartridge labels have been sun baked on it leaves a white residue that Un-Du won't take off.

[+the1hatman]

I would tried other measures before using Goo Gone. It's oil based, and is impossible to remove the staining left behind. Tape is gone, but those stains bug me almost as much. This box was far too old and frail to really take much abuse in any case. High powered rubbing alcohol works but requires a slightly glossy surface, and also can mar if not removed right away.

 

In this case, an old book trick works...razor blade and blow fryer. I use this on price tags all the time. You heat up the sticker, or this case tape, the lift a corner and slowly lift. In this box, it would have been very tricky. The razor is used only when you can't lift a corner, just to get started. Use it at an ultra flat angle...but sticker residue will remain.

 

Maybe the previous owner was trying to waterproof it? SHARK, SHARK!

 

I have used a hair dryer and rubbing alcohol before as well. That's my favorite method for removing price tags. Rubbing alcohol would not have been powerful enough to cut through the thick amount of glue residue on this box however. That duct tape stuff is a different animal from clear tape or sticker residue. I haven't tried the razor blade method but will keep that one in mind for next time

 

The trick with Goo Gone is to only use a tiny bit at a time, like barely soaking the corner tip of your rag/paper towel. That way you avoid the staining from the citrus oil. The stains you see left behind on this box are a combination of the duct tape glue and the exposed surface fading more over time than the part covered by the tape, not the Goo Gone. Otherwise there would not be a perfect line where the tape used to be because lord knows I'm not that careful with where I'm spreading the Goo Gone, lol

 

Yeah they must have wanted to take it back to the ocean with them, lol. I'm not sure what the point of anyone using that much tape to seal a box really is though. At that point, just toss the box out since you obviously don't care what it looks like. The only reason to keep a box is for display purposes since there are more compact and protective ways of storing cartridges. Who knows?

[m-crew]

Be "one" with the tape