Plumber's goop is a very effective and powerful adhesive. Removing or reversing it, however, is not very difficult. I, personally, have had great success in removing/reversing Goop by using acetone or solvent alcohol. The process will take a little time, but plumber's goop will loose its adhesive tendency. Once that happens, the goop will start granulating. At this point, it can easily be scraped off with the help of pick ups or other automatic means. You can't always be sure if it will come out cleanly, but most of the time you will see that the object will look as good as new after the removal of the goop.
