I am reshaping a handle on a glass bow of mine and I have remove the exsiting one. The old beaver tail grip still looks good. What is the best way to prep it to remove the old glue?

I relly dont have a clue.But if it contact cement you might try soaking it in water for awhile.

Possibly a heat gun and putty knife, depends on the glue type.

I'm guessing you don't know what the original glue was. If its not stiff, its likely contact or barge cement. If its crunchy or stiff, likely wood glue. Either way, if its not peeling off the leather, sand it down a little and it should be good to go. If its not in good shape, sand it way down, or you should be able to soften it with denatured alcohol or acetone. I would not soak it with solvent, just lightly scrub it with a dampened rag or scotch pad.

If it is contact cement and not coming loose, glue it back down... won't hurt a thing and it will stay. Soaking it in water won't help if it's barge cement.

If I need to remove it, I sand it off with one of my belt sanders. It is incredibly difficult to damage that tail unless you over heat it. Too much heat will make it stiff.

I have lost more skin than beaver leather trying to thin tails by sanding them. I have tried with just about every sander in the shop and the only effective thing I've found was a carbide tipped grinding disc. Was very impressed with it as it took the hide away quickly and half of my thumb nail... and the tip of my thumb in a flash of stupidity!

BigJIm