Old gasket removal help

[lightweight73]

I must be missing a trick or two. I am trying to remove 25 year old gaskets and they are almost impossible to shift. Of course they are always stuck to the alloy side that is hardest to reach or clean.
I have tried foaming removers, acetone and plastic blade scrapers.
On the parts I can remove this seems to be effective if time consuming but for the parts that I can't or don't really want to remove what is the best way to remove gaskets and clean up the surface?
Thanks
Andy

[GreenV8S]

Use a scraper - just make sure that it is softer than the surface you are scraping. If your plastic scraper won't do the job, the flattened end of a copper pipe probably will.

[paintman]

+1 for flattened copper pipe.
Standard thinners or gunwash removes most stuff - used it for years.

[lightweight73]

Thanks, will see if I have any old copper pipe around and will check out gun cleaner.

[CrutyRammers]

Proper metal gasket scraper surely. Never had any issues digging into ally with mine.

[E-bmw]

With experience, mechanical sympathy & care any scraper will do, without all of the above you should always use a scraper that is made of softer metal that that which you are scraping it off.