Remove and Save Beer Bottle Labels

Hey all, long time no see!

So, Im planning on refinishing a guitar of mine and I have a F*UCKING great idea, though slightly stolen from someone else.

Im going to put beer bottle labels all over the guitar,

Much like this:




So, I need to remove the beer bottle labels without damaging them, which seems to be a pain in my ass. Plasticy ones come off with no issue, its the paper ones that are giving me issues.

Ive heard many suggestions from OxyClean, PBW, Vinegar, Baking Soda, and just plain warm water.

I dont know if any of these would ruin the label, well, I know OxyClean and PBW would.

But anyway, Im getting ready to go shopping and pick out 6r's of my favorite beers and get sometime in the near future. So Ill have all the labels I need, I just need an effective way of removing them.

Thanks

This is an awesome idea! I may just steal it too for a Thunderbird bass, so I'd be interested in what method works for you

This may help:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UVJP6O/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I also just read something about contacting breweries and asking them for a few labels, it's free advertising for them anyways!

MBasile said:

This is an awesome idea! I may just steal it too for a Thunderbird bass, so I'd be interested in what method works for you

Click to expand...

Ill be sure to post the process and results here once I get moving.

I feel bad stealing the idea from this other guy, but damn, its amazing, I cant NOT have a guitar like this

NoNothing said:

Ill be sure to post the process and results here once I get moving.

I feel bad stealing the idea from this other guy, but damn, its amazing, I cant NOT have a guitar like this

Click to expand...

Check the link I added after you quoted my post.

MBasile,

I like that option, but Im more for something cheap, or free

Worse comes to worse Ill order two of those

Oxyclean is your answer. I have yet to find any bottles that the label won't just slide off after a soak is HOT water with OC. You have to scrub a little on the bottle to get glue off the bottle but the label slides right off. Not fighting no tearing!


Good Luck!! that will be badass!

John

The easiest way I found to remove the labels is to take a razor blade to one side of the label, and pull away slowly.

If the label starts to stick more to the glue/bottle than the paper itself I just take a quick slit with the razor and its all good again.

Adding heat with a hairdryer helps, but its a pain in the ass.


Ive taken off 4 labels in the past 15 minutes. Easy as pie.

I have been removing whole intact labels with the plan of covering my keezer with them for awhile now. Use simple dishsoap( I use Dawn). Fill a bucket with water and add couple teaspoons of Dawn. Mix well but don't make it foamy. Submerge and sink all the bottles that the bucket will hold and put the top on. Come back next week and remove the delabeled bottles. The labels wil be intact in the bottom of the bucket. Rinse under clean water and lay them out to dry. They are now ready for reuse. No cuts, tears, thin spots, or old glue. This works well on paper labels but I havent figured out how to remove the foil ones yet. Only need another 200 or so different labels to cover my keezer.

beerthirty said:

I have been removing whole intact labels with the plan of covering my keezer with them for awhile now. Use simple dishsoap( I use Dawn). Fill a bucket with water and add couple teaspoons of Dawn. Mix well but don't make it foamy. Submerge and sink all the bottles that the bucket will hold and put the top on. Come back next week and remove the delabeled bottles. The labels wil be intact in the bottom of the bucket. Rinse under clean water and lay them out to dry. They are now ready for reuse. No cuts, tears, thin spots, or old glue. This works well on paper labels but I havent figured out how to remove the foil ones yet. Only need another 200 or so different labels to cover my keezer.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Ill give this a try once I have more than 6 bottles.

I cant wait to see pictures of that Keezer

I have used a steam cleaner to peel off all my labels. I used to keep the bottles but they started taking up space. Success with this process is 90%-100%. I use the steam cleaner to first heat up the bottle it self by putting it into the bottle, then slowly work across the label heating it and moistening it at the same time, very easy to peel off, I started this process to put all the labels in a book. I'd post a picture but it's hard to from my iPhone.

I've always used baking soda to remove labels. One cup per gallon warm water, soak for up to an hour and there usually floating in the bucket already.

Definitely +1 on the Oxiclean soaks. I use a cooler of hot ater and 1-2 scoops of Oxiclean. Labels usually fall off in an hour or 2, or just a small peel off after soak. Some fall off very fast and some take more time. A green scrubbie and the glue comes right off the bottles. That is how I clean my bottles before the dishawsher.