Glue solvent

[nidchow]

Does anyone know of a product that will dissolve or weaken glue. I want to remove some some arms, legs, claws, etc from several models.

I've tried Simple Green with limited success.

[Trygon]

Well I would use battery acid ONLY for metal. There are also other products you can use.

[nidchow]

terribletrygon said:

Well I would use battery acid ONLY for metal. There are also other products you can use.

OK, I'll take the bait ... other products such as?

[Trygon]

I do not know. Normally I just get my models right first time. There is bound to be some vets around here that know a good product for this though.

[Titan Zero]

www.joggles.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?language=en¤cy=USD&products_id=11492

usuly you can break super glue off.
my paint remover "lift off" works as a super glue solvent. and does not hurt plastic models. however there is a soak time.

[nidchow]

terribletrygon said:

I do not know. Normally I just get my models right first time. There is bound to be some vets around here that know a good product for this though.

Thanks Titan Zero ...

Trygon, I try to get mine right the first time, but I'm just not perfect

[General Chips]

Hmm, ask carno, he might know. I just usually take the clippers to my models, the fix with Green Stuff, always seems to work.

[zzapper]

Tyrant Chips...ouch

nidchow: What went wrong?

[nidchow]

I've got a number of models that i want to repaint and remake. I've got two older Hive Tyrants I want to take the arms off and give wings and talons or claws ... or both.

[Titan Zero]

if your going to repaint them it would be best to use lift off. you could take the super glue off andthe paint all in one stroke. paint-and-supplies.hardwarestore.com/50-278-paint-strippers-removers/motsenbocker''s-lift-off-paint-and-varnish-remover-615053.aspx

[nidchow]

i did an experiment the other day and soaked a fully painted lictor in straight Simple Green overnight. All the paint came off, and it weakened the super glue enough that I could take all the limbs off (They were pinned and glued). didn't work that great on a plastic model. The primer wouldn't come off and the glue didn't weaken. Simple green didn't harm the metal or plastic though.

[Terminus Prime]

If it's a metal model, if you're really careful and depending on the type of glue you use, you can sometimes just break it off without causing any damage to the model itself. Superglue is actually fairly weak stuff for the most part, surprisingly.

And no, the simple green doesn't take the primer off, but for the most part, that's ok - just reprime it, the paint is what's really thick and makes it a pain to repaint. I repainted 99% of my army by stripping off the paint using simple green.

[vigilant]

Nail Polish Remover is the Bane of Super Glue. Its active ingredient, acetone, dissolves the bond that Superglue forms.

I've used it to remove a screw that I superglued into place...tightly

I don't know its effect on plastic models (I've heard about acetone used on plastic models that will make them 'soft' after soaking for too long) but it should work wonders on your metal models

Oh, and superglue is very strong, but very brittle. Any torque applied to it (rotational pressure or impact) will shatter it. Although you have to be careful, as too much torque will bend/break your model.

[nidaphile]

An easy trick is to soak in warm (NOT boiling) water, for about an hour, and then stick them in your freezer's ice box for 40 minutes or so. The rapid change in tempurature usuall kills the super glue pretty well. The optimal idea is to incurr rapid and extreme changes in tempurature and If it doesn't work the first time, repeat a few more passes.

[Devil's Advocate]

DO NOT USE nail polish remover on the plastic models. it will likely dissolve or damage your models.

part of the issue with plastic models and plastic glue:
Testors model glue chemically melts the plastic of the model and then welds the 2 bits together. once the chemical reaction is done and the model dries, the bond is fairly solid. depending on how much glue was used, you may have to cut the plastic pieces apart. This can be difficult or dangerous, so I usually try prying or "popping" the parts off, using pliers or cutters as the lever.

if you are going to re-glue those spots with plastic glue, make sure you spend some time shaving the surfaces of the model, cleaning off the melted plastic.

vigilant: thanks for the tip on the nail polish remover vs superglue. I've been trying to figure out how to pull a pin from a model without seriously damaging the model. that helps a lot!