How to removed super glued parts with minimal Damage

[Warmaster OzzY]

hey thurr peeps a friend of mine was recently given a space marine dreadnought that has been glued together wrong( the top of the sarcophagaus is glued were the power plant goes n the legs r facing the wrong way) how would we go about removeing sed parts with out dammaging the model beyond repair. i have basic GS skills so any minimal repairs can be carried out and im also a bit of a novice with the old plasticard but am willing to make patch ups if needs be but i just have no clue how to get the parts of with out tearing the rest off with it. is there anything i can use say acetone or paint remover that wont damage the detail or the model.

[simon-042]

I've had some success removing super-glued parts after you leave them in the freezer overnight. The cold messes with the bond somehow (no idea why, I'm not a chemist...) to make it more brittle. I must admit I've only tried it on marines and bikes, not on vehicles or dreads, and some force is required if a lot of glue has been used so that on occasion I've ruined an arm or two but the weapons and body are still perfectly fine.

 

As an aside, acetone will eat plastic and I'm not sure if will help with super-glue so I would avoid it completely if the dread is a plastic kit.

[Warmaster OzzY]

cheers man will defo give that a try n get back to u with the results

[thade]

So, I'll post my "emergency protocols"...hopefully they will be of some use. :huh:

 

After a night (or two) in the deep part of your freezer, you might find you can wiggle them apart.

 

Something else that might help is a soak in Simple Green for a few days...this not only chews away the paint, but the super glue as well. I actually use an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner in conjunction with S.G. to strip my more heavily painted models (orphans rescued from trades and auctions) and the constant vibration can also help. Simple Green will not damage the model itself; if you let it soak for weeks it will discolor it a bit...but the integrity of the plastic will be unchanged.

 

I've found that a combination of the above tactics, combined with a judicious amount of force and - at times - careful chiseling with my hobby knife has freed most parts.

 

Finally, if none of that can avail you (because there's just too much glue) there is one final option. Pick some parts to save and dremel the other ones into oblivion. This is fine to save heads/torsos/shoulder plates when you're sacrificing easy to replace parts (arms, chests, etc)...but this is a Dread. If you get spare parts for one...it's probably another dread. :(

 

Don't give up though. I have faith. :) Try the freezer. Failing that, try Simple Green soak.

[AbusePuppy]

The freezer trick does work to an extent, but one important warning: LET THE MODELS WARM BACK UP TO ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE BREAKING THE BOND. Cold temperatures also weak (temporarily) plastic and make it quite brittle, so if you try and snap things apart before letting them warm back up, you will probably just break a weak point in the plastic.

 

Simple Green has a limited affect on superglue; it will usually be enough to get weak joins together. It is much more effective on many resins and alternate glues (Krazy Glue, etc) as well.

[Jacinda]

You can try any hardware or hobby stores and pick up some debonding agent right next to where they have the superglue. Should run around 5 bucks or so.

 

Or ....

 

You could stop by the cosmetic aisle of the grocery store and pick up a bottle of non-acetone nail polish remover for about a buck and half. It is the same thing.