Victor, I have removed old residues from paint by wrapping the tube with a single layer of paper towel that has been soaked with WD40, then covering the tube with plastic or foil (to reduce evaporation) and waiting 24 hours. I remove the wrappings and use a plastic scrub pad and plastic scraper if needed to remove the softened residue. The paint never seems to be affected by WD40, and I've used this method on bicycle and motorcycle painted surfaces with good results.
Automotive waxes and rubbing compounds similarly tend to soften hardened adhesives if allowed to penetrate for a while without drying out, but the WD40 is the one I trust most to spare the paint.
David Snyder
>I have a couple of 60+ year old frames that I am not going to re-paint but
> that I want to preserve in all their faded glory. They both have residue
> left from various bits of adhesive tape that when pulled off basically
> turned to dust.
>
> The residue is like crust, it is not coming up easily with polishing
> compound and the areas are over top of box lining and decals in areas.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Victor Penner
>
> Vancouver BC Canada