Removing paper labels off dvd (Page 4): I've used Goo Gone - not to be confused with Goof Off (wall paint spill remover)- they look the same, smell the same, feel the same but work...

PAtony2000 Loc: Northeast Pennsylvania

I've used Goo Gone - not to be confused with Goof Off (wall paint spill remover)- they look the same, smell the same, feel the same but work differently...the secret is to just put enough on to saturate the paper and have the DVD level, wait about 5 minutes...a little bit more is okay if you can stand the smell...have the DVD on a old auto rag and it just peels off...I use a little a hand sanitizer alcohol to get rid of the Goo Gone were the paper label was and you can't tell there was any label. I use this with prescription pill bottles to save them bottle for storing my flash drives.

Bill P

DirtFarmer wrote:

Oh?

How do the data show through the label?

Good god, man, read carefully. The data doesn't get through the label. Get past your homemade expectations. It is read through the bottom, which is CLEAR.

Bill P

PhotogHobbyist wrote:

Actually, the discs are made with the shiny material on one side of the disc. There are no ones and zeroes on it. The ones and zeroes are placed there during burning, by the computer laser aimed through the plastic from the bottom of the disc. If any part of the metalic label is removed it will remove the data and information from the disc, causing it to fail.

Best advice is DO NOT remove any label, burn a new disc.

Any disc you burn at home has light sensitive pieces on the label side that are either ones or zeros, don't remember which, but the beam of light from a special laser in the burner changes one to make the other as necessary.

The ones burned at a factory are mass produced, not burned. The ones and zeros are formed into the plastic, and the silver layer is aluminum metalized onto the disc. The label is then printed on the metal.

John O.

quixdraw wrote:

Product called Goo Gone.

Goo Gone or other similar products may attack the label side of the disk. If you scratch or damage the label side of the disk you have destroyed the disk and cannot read the data. A scratch on the label side of the disk is much worse that a scratch on the data side. Plus, do not use Magic Markers on the label side of any disks. I have seen disks within our office fail to be readable within one year because the acid in the Magic Markers ate into the label side of the disks. Only use archivable felt pens to write on a disk with.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

chasgroh wrote:

...guys, naptha is pretty dang benign. It is a *v... (show quote)

It's not that it's an ultra strong solvent, the issue is that it's heavier than air (unlike many other volitile solvents), and it is flammable. Many woodworkers, myself included, won't use it in our shops. It pools around your feet and you can't really smell the accumulation, but it certainly will burn if ignited by a spark. Small quantities, as I said, no big deal, but like MEK, I avoid heavier tha air solvents in closed places (and it would never occur to use ANY solvent on a CD/DVD).

Cheers

stratmantes

One has to be careful, all the data is on the silvery surface under the label

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

TriX wrote:

It's not that it's an ultra strong solvent, the is... (show quote)

Careful work habits are not bad! ;0)

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Bill P wrote:

Good god, man, read carefully. The data doesn't get through the label. Get past your homemade expectations. It is read through the bottom, which is CLEAR.

Then why should it matter if the side with the label gets scratched since you are getting the data from the other side? True, you have to keep the scratches from getting deep enough to get to the data layer, but the data layer is not on the surface that you are scratching. It's buried down into the plastic.

I was not suggesting gouging the plastic to get the paper off. Just a light scraping.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

tcthome wrote:

I agree with reburning if these are important. If you decide to try with chemicals, try on the 1 that you wouldn't mind loosing least or reburn that 1 before you try. Make sure your in a well vented area if your using a lot of chemical.

Good luck, Tom

As a test/precaution, burn a few files to the DVD and add a label. Remove it and then see if you can read the files.

56HotRod Loc: Littleton CO

bsprague wrote:

That's what propane does. A little leak and your RV goes kaboom next time you light a joint!

Go to know it won't explode lighting up a bong. 😂

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Moomoo48 wrote:

Over the years I have created many slideshows for family members. I dressed them up with disk labels. Now I’ve discovered that with the new optical drives the paper disk covers do not spin in the drive properly.
Does anyone know how to carefully remove these paper covers?

Oxi clean.....try 1/4 cup in a gallon of cold water.... Stuart just enough to dissolve you don't need the foam. So come overnight and the labels will just lift off.

jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania

Moomoo48 wrote:

Over the years I have created many slideshows for family members. I dressed them up with disk labels. Now I’ve discovered that with the new optical drives the paper disk covers do not spin in the drive properly.
Does anyone know how to carefully remove these paper covers?

----------------
I have succesfuly removed the labels using "Goo Gone Sticker Lifter".

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Moomoo48 wrote:

Over the years I have created many slideshows for family members. I dressed them up with disk labels. Now I’ve discovered that with the new optical drives the paper disk covers do not spin in the drive properly.
Does anyone know how to carefully remove these paper covers?

After reading all the replies, I am absolutely shocked at the suggestions for various chemicals and with the scrapping, etc.

DVD's are very delicate. I would only copy them to another DVD.

And bear in mind that USB Thumb Drives aren't exactly permanent storage media. They use Flash Memory cells that hold their ones and zero's state by the presence of, or lack of, a few electrons on a floating gate. In time, perhaps 10 years, the charge on the gates can slowing dissipate and when it does, data is gone. It doesn't all happen at once. A bit here and a bit there. And then more and more.

But come to think of it, DVD's aren't exactly perfect storage media either and the data on them can deteriorate, but now we are talking perhaps a hundred or more years. And the storage conditions certainly will matter here.

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

Moomoo48 wrote:

Over the years I have created many slideshows for family members. I dressed them up with disk labels. Now I’ve discovered that with the new optical drives the paper disk covers do not spin in the drive properly.
Does anyone know how to carefully remove these paper covers?

Regardless of method used, TEST IT ON A CD YOU DO NOT VALUE.
I bet against anything but clean water.
Even soap film screws up music CDs.
Bill

ERay

A CD consists of a polycarbonate disk coated with the recording layer on one side which is covered by a protective layer and then possibly a label. It is recorded through the clear polycarbonate disk so if the other side is damaged or scratched it will cause problems with the recording layer. Scratching the recording side may cause problems because the laser has to read the data through that side. A normal DVD consists of two polycarbonate disks with the recording layer between them. The data as recorded/read through one side. The other side can be messed up a bit and it will not cause a problem.