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De-magnetizing a titan


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Good day everyone,

 

I recently traded for a Forgeworld Warhound titan, which is eagerly awaiting the first opportunity to join my Wolves and Flesh Tearers in crushing the enemies of the Imperium. It will probably be painted as a space wolf titan.

 

Unfortunately, the fellow I got it from got it from another guy who paid someone else to assemble and magnetize it for him. He did a pathetic job. Just pathetic. The magnets at the hip joint are a joke, and the weapons aren't much better. The weapons will stay on the arm (barely) but the tips point down, and they fall off easily. The hip joint just doesn't even hold - I can pick up the top part without feeling any resistance. Sadly, all but two of the 14 magnets are either flush with the surface, or sunk beneath the surface, of the model. The hip joint I might could just ignore - they are so small they're irrelevant, for a model that size, and they're set to the back, not the center, so I can put appropriately sized magnets in the center. The weapon joints there's no way around though. I'm afraid to even try to pry the magnets out, b/c I don't want to mar the resin and lower the retail value of it.

 

All that to say...any ideas? I'm not sure what the magnets are glued in place with, or even their size. Judging by the poor quality of the job I don't think it will be anything fancy, like an epoxy glue, and I can see there's no epoxy putty (green stuff, grey stuff, etc) over the tops. It's probably locktite, cheap superglue, or Gorilla Glue. Ideally, I would love to soak the titan in something, then use a big stack of strong magnets to pull the magnets out of the titan. Nothing is ever that easy, so even something that would soften the superglue enough to scrape it out a little at a time would be better than my option now, which is cutting the resin away from the magnets till I can pry it out...damaging the titan, potentially where it will show (depending on how far down they're sunk), and damaging the portions where I will be putting appropriate size/strength magnets.

 

The one thing I've found so far (via Google, not actually tried) is acetone, but doesn't this eat plastic? Also, I have tried nail polish remover (with acetone, I checked) on plastic models I used gorrilla glue on, and it didn't do anything. It actually may have fused the model more tightly together, I couldn't tell for sure though.

 

I would appreciate any advice - I traded my guard army for the titan, b/c I knew once properly fixed the titan would hold its value better, so I'm trying to preserve that investment as much as possible.

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Superglue debonder can, and usually does, warp or 'craze' the area around the super glue when you use it.

 

If it's a silver-coated ND-rare earth magnet, they can be carefully drilled out; once past the protective surface, the magnet's themselves are very flakey and will come out with ease. I'd recommend getting a dremmel with a drill bit to knock a hole in it, then use a rotary grinder bit to work yoursel fin a slow circle until you clear it away. If you're careful, you should be able to core the thing straight out without having to worry.

The silver-sides of ND-rare earth magnets are pretty slick, so make sure you put in a tapping point (take a small nail and a hammer and give it a little tap) so your drill bit doesn't go skating into the model itself when you turn it on and get it going. I've had that happen before and it was either move my fingers and eat the thirty bucks for the model by going through it's shoulder, or have an awesome scar on my palm and a totally bizarre to go along with it.

 

 

And then there's that trip to the emergency room....

Eyes: Neodymium dust is an irritant and can cause stinging, redness, and watering of the eyes. Skin: Neodymium dust is mildly abrasive and causes skin irritation, rashes, skin granulomas, dermatitis, itching, and skin lesions.

Ingestion: There is a low degree of toxicity due to the fact that neodymium is not easily absorbed by the body. However, if ingested in large amounts, neodymium can cause stomach and intestinal upset and can affect the blood's coagulation rate.

Inhalation: Repeated exposure to neodymium dust can cause respiratory tract problems including asthma attacks, lung granulomas, pnemoconiosis (lung congestion), and pneumonitis (lung inflammation). Prolonged exposure many cause immediate defecation, writhing, loss of muscle coordination, shortness of breath, fatigue, hypotension, and heart failure.

 

I'd say that this is pretty extreme when drilling something out, but then again, if you're doing any sort of grinding/drilling/sanding work you should be wearing a mask or you run the risk of immediate defecation. (Why that last part amuses me so greatly, I have no idea)

I have used Acetone to dissolve super glue on plastic models and it does work, as long as you dont leave it on the plastic for too long. Resin is a little more resilient than the plastic GW uses so you might try that. Ive had to drill through magnets before and it is kind of dangerous if they are the really big ones, they can flake and pieces can fly off toward your face. To dissolve the super glue I would try acetone, it evaporates fast so it's hard to soak the plastic in it, I would use a Q-tip.

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