White Labs Vial Label Removal

I am having a tough time removing the glue that holds the labels on the yeast vials. I soaked some all day in PBW and the paper comes off but the sticky glue won't budge. Andbody have an tip on how to get this off? I guess a solvent of some sort would work.

Blender said:

I am having a tough time removing the glue that holds the labels on the yeast vials. I soaked some all day in PBW and the paper comes off but the sticky glue won't budge. Andbody have an tip on how to get this off? I guess a solvent of some sort would work.

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Yeah, use a product called De-Sole-it. It comes ina spray bottle, and does a great job, smells good too. I think it must have Orange oil in it or something like it......

I have used 90% isopropyl alcohol and contact cleaner spray to remove label glue.

Goo-Gone is another orange citrus glue remover that works well. (walmart, Lowes, etc...)

Some label glues will come off if you rub some mayo on them, let it set for a bit and then wipe it off. I guess the oils from the mayo soak into the glue.
Works on some glues, doesn't work on others.

paint thinner/lacquer thinner...hopefully it won't mess up the plastic vials...

Is there a good way to get the labels off in one piece so they can be mailed in for WL customer club stuff? I don't particularly care about the actual vials, I have a bag of new unused ones at home.

They sure don't look easy to get off in one piece

Buford said:

Is there a good way to get the labels off in one piece so they can be mailed in for WL customer club stuff? I don't particularly care about the actual vials, I have a bag of new unused ones at home.

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I'd try an Oxyclean soak. It'll take a lot of beer labels off in one piece, although the labels on those vials are on there pretty good. I wouldn't get my hopes up, but it's worth a shot.

There are paper labels put on with glue, which can be removed with your everyday isoprops and citrus goo removers.........and then there are White Labs labels (another matter entirely). I've tried alcohol and several citrus based goo removers. I've even soaked them in PBW for days. I'm convinced there is nothing to easily remove those labels. I managed to get a few good ones, but the effort involved (soaking, scraping, chemicals, etc) certainly isn't worth my time. I'll just collect them to send back for goodies.

ebeer said:

There are paper labels put on with glue, which can be removed with your everyday isoprops and citrus goo removers.........and then there are White Labs labels (another matter entirely). I've tried alcohol and several citrus based goo removers. I've even soaked them in PBW for days. I'm convinced there is nothing to easily remove those labels. I managed to get a few good ones, but the effort involved (soaking, scraping, chemicals, etc) certainly isn't worth my time. I'll just collect them to send back for goodies.

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Found out this morning that Bug and Tar Remover for autos removes the glue residue. I am using them to store harvested yeast so I want them clear if possible.

Good to know........ I am having the same problem. I had two, one of them peeled off leaving nothing but a few pin point size glue spots. The other... entirely different matter. I soaked in my always effective Oxy/Clean to no avail!!! I'm heading to Oh-oh-oh-O'Riley's. I bet that stuff will work great on keg tape and labels. Now I can polish my kegs with sandpaper, finally, without gunking up the sandpaper.

What are the vials good for?

rohanski said:

What are the vials good for?

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10 vials:Coupon for a FREE Vial
15 vials:White Labs Glassware
20 vials:Classic Beer Styles Series Book (choose one) Altbier; Barley Wine; Bavarian Helles; Belgian Ale; Bock; Brown Ale; Continental Pilsner; German Wheat Beer; Kolsch; Mild Ale; Oktoberfest: Pale Ale (2nd Edition); Porter; Scotch Ale; Smoked Beers; and Stout. Other Brewers Publications titles available upon request (number of vials may vary due to retail price of publication). Non Brewers Publication items from the BA on-line catalog are not available for this offer.
30 vials:White Labs S/S T-shirt OR baseball hat
45 vials:White Labs Short Sleeve Polo Shirt
60 vials:White Labs Hooded Sweatshirt
75 vials:White Labs Fleece Vest OR Long Sleeve Denim Button Down Shirt
125 vials:Brewmaster: The Craft Beer Game OR (1) year subscription to Brew Your Own magazine
5000 vials:Chris White will come to your house, bring the yeast, and brew with you.

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I think I have maybe, oh... five vials kicking around (I'm usually a dry-yeast kind of guy ).

You can take the entire label off in one piece if you use a plastic laminate. The large 2" clear tape also works.

Well this post got me curious...so I gave it another shot and here's what I found.

If you can remove the WL sticker in one piece, by going very slowly so as to take the paper backing along with the sticker (leaving only gooey residue) it's not to hard to get them clean. If all that remains is the gooey adhesive, my run of the mill "goo off" got the job done. I did 4 in short order....for the vials where I couldn't get the sticker off with out separating the paper backing, I just cast them aside and started over.

Here's finished one, filled with StarSan. I think I'll use it for transporting/storing yeast strains I swap with buddies. Which reminds me...anyone in the East Bay around Walnut Creek or Concord that wants to swap strains? Shoot me a PM.

Buford said:

Is there a good way to get the labels off in one piece so they can be mailed in for WL customer club stuff? I don't particularly care about the actual vials, I have a bag of new unused ones at home.

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Where did you get them? Sounds like something I'd like to have. I hate dealing with the sticky WL vials...

ebeer said:

Well this post got me curious...so I gave it another shot and here's what I found.

......
Here's finished one, filled with StarSan. I think I'll use it for transporting/storing yeast strains I swap with buddies. Which reminds me...anyone in the East Bay around Walnut Creek or Concord that wants to swap strains? Shoot me a PM.

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Mine are nice and cleaned up at like this one...I haven't in the past saved yeast for more than 2-3 brews but I woud like to save 5-6 strains other than 1056.

ebeer....I will trade some with you if you want to ship it. I'm in lovely Santa Cruz. If so, let me get a few strains in the vials.

Good brewing.

Brewing Clamper said:

Where did you get them? Sounds like something I'd like to have. I hate dealing with the sticky WL vials...

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http://www.testtubesonline.com/Giant_Test_Tubes_p/207-0031w.htm

They're not exactly the same, but they are similar enough to not matter.

I always have a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket of Star-San in the garage. Whenever I drink a beer with a label on it, I just dunk it in there. Whenever I have a full bucket, I clean them all and put them away, and set up a new bucket. I threw my White Labs vial in there and when I pulled it out, almost all the glue had fallen off. I barely had to scrub the rest of it.

Why do it at all, save 10 vials and get a free vial of yeast from white labs customer club. I sign up for it and that what I save my vials for.

kinison_fan said:

Goo-Gone is another orange citrus glue remover that works well. (walmart, Lowes, etc...)

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This is what I use.

Goop gets the glue off for me.

I currently have 70 vials of (mostly washed) yeast in my fridge...

Buford said:

Is there a good way to get the labels off in one piece so they can be mailed in for WL customer club stuff? I don't particularly care about the actual vials, I have a bag of new unused ones at home.

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You don't need to remove the labels from them if you are sending them to White Labs for the customer club. They will accept vials with labels.

Dude said:

You don't need to remove the labels from them if you are sending them to White Labs for the customer club. They will accept vials with labels.

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Yes, but why pay for shipping the weight of all those vials when you can get the labels in an envelope...

Yes, but it's much more expensive to mail a hundred vials than it is a hundred labels

Just use your fingernail or a razor blade and get one side to come up to where you can grab it, then pull it over. Even if the gum does stick, the top stays in one piece.

Damn you HB99! Quit sneaking up behind me!

soak the vial in hot water for 10 min, peel off the outer part of the label then put back into the hot water for another 15 min. , roll off the rest of the label with your thumbs down to the highfalutin glue. take a can of CRC Brakleen ( Brake cleaner) spray the vial , let sit for 10 sec, wipe off with a paper towel. Worked great for me.

Goof Off works well for me, and when that doesn't get it 100% I hit it with some brake cleaner.

Zombie thread, but what I've noticed is that the vials have two different glues. If after pulling the label off you are left with a thin layer that is uniformly coated you are best to just toss them. If you get the more standard, thicker glue, larger bubble type, then use cold water to get most off and goo b gone to finish up.

I tried a few options listed on this thread without too much success. Being a man of little patience, swmbo sensed my frustration and suggested oven cleaner.

After removing the outside label and soaking in oven cleaner, she was able to wipe the glue right off. I soaked for a few minutes in sanitizer to clean off the chemicals and the vials were glue free and unmarked.

Googling brought up this thread, so I figured I would revive it with my discovery. I had about 30 preforms that I wanted to wash and reuse. After trying many things then stumbling on what works, here's the easy answer...

1. Hot water in the sink. Let the bottles soak for 10 or 15 minutes.
2. Labels peel right off, but the glue and some paper stays. That's ok.
3. Let them completely dry (maybe overnight)
4. Spray WD-40 on the now dry glue and label remnant. Let sit about 15 minutes. Having the remnants dry allows the WD-40 so soak in.
5. Wipe everything off with an old rag or washcloth.
6. Chuck them in the dishwasher for a nice cleaning.

WD40 does not appear to do anything to the outside of the bottle but absolutely softens the glue where it wipes right off.

Or... Just get lazy and buy preforms

Search for "B008MB1QNY" (asin) on amazon

I miss the vials.