How do I remove contact adhesive from plywood?

[bails]

I am recovering an amateur-made amp that has thick deposits of contact adhesive on the plywood. Whoever covered it originally must have used gallons of the stuff. It's so thick that if I lay the new tolex over the amp, and rub my hand accross it, I can feel the ridges made by the old glue. Not really an option to recover until I can remove the existing glue.

If no one can help, then I guess I'll have to use an electric sander to sand it off...

[johnhall]

Acetone. Lacquer thinner works too but requires a little more care and safety. A sander will only just gum up the paper quite quickly.

[jingle_jangle]

Take the cabinet outdoors, find an old towel or thick rag that will cover an entire face of the cabinet. Soak the towel in acetone or lacquer thinner and lay it flat over the face from which you wish to remove the cement. Cover the towel with a piece of a plastic Glad trash bag, and let things set for 10 or 15 minutes. Lift up a corner and use a 1" putty knife to scrape away the glue. If it scrapes easily, OK, if not, re-saturate the rag and repeat.

It goes without saying that the rag or solvent should be kept away from any control knobs or panel graphics. But if you're recovering the amp, you're removing the guts anyway, right?

[doctorwho]

Also, make sure that you leave plenty of time for the solvent to evaporate from the wood (preferably outdoors) after the treatment. Solvent-impregnated wood is definitely a fire hazard!