removing glue

[gtidude]

how do i split 2 glued parts. i want to remove the window from a body shell. the window is heavily glued into place. i dont really care if the window gets damaged, i just dont want to ruin the body shell.

PLEASE HELP!

[MPWR]

Any idea what kind of glue was used?

[gtidude]

revell glue...alot of it

[MPWR]

I'd stick it in the freezer- maybe a couple of times. Thermal expansion is often very good at working glue joints apart. If it doesn't work at first, keep at it. Spraying a bit of water around the joints before freezing may also help (it gets drawn into gaps by capillary action, and expands slightly as it freezes).

[Marianitem]

Hi there. I got myself a couple of used Tamiya kits which are already glued but unpainted. It looks like CA was used all around, beacuse there are glossy textures all around bomding points.
I'd like to unglue parts but it looks pretty much imposible. I don't care ungluing everything. I just want it to be easy to reach every spot. I don't expect to get them all separate, but at least some. I have no rush neither.

Any thoughts?

[roymattblack]

Unfortunately, undoing glued parts can sometimes be impossible due to the way polystyrene cement works.
It's a chemical reaction that literally melts the plastic together.
If 2 parts are glued together properly, you won't get them apart whatever you do. You will literally have to break the join, and possibly one or both parts.
Fortunately, I've often found that a lot of kit builders are very sparing with the glue, and the parts aren't actually joined together very well at all.
I've bought a few 'part started' kits in the past and so far, I've been able to get 90% of the bits apart.
The worst are kits that have been built or started by kids.
They tend to go the other way and use half a bottle of glue on each join, resulting in completely un-removable joins.

With regards C/A, you can actually buy a C/A glue-dissolver in many good hobby shops as C/A doesn't actually weld the bits together - unless you're talking skin!
Even non-acetone nail varnish remover will break the glue down.

Roy.

[stevenoble]

Very difficult to remove with that Revell glue. It really sticks..!! Maybe if you can slide a thin blade between the parts and cut the parts apart. But be careful the blade doesn't snap off whilst you're doing that and wear eye protection. I don't use glue for windows, far too messy. Some double sided carpet tape holds the windows stronger than any glue, but essentially they can still be removed later if need be. Also no risk of any glue oozing out and ruining the window glass..

[Marianitem]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Roy, any nail polish non - acetone should work? Is it a try or it actually works? Should I apply small amounts or give it a good bath? (being non acetone shouldn't harm plastics...).

Steve, thanks for the tape tip. Why didn't I think of that while I use that tape for everything...

Is there any risk on trying the "water and freezer method" before using the polish remover? Just in case it is Revell cement.

[griffin-gt40]

I find that Castrol Super Clean will not only strip the paint, but will also loosen the bond that CA glue has on parts. It may or may not work on your issue, but I have had it work for me in the past, at times even loosening the bond enough to use a knife to pry the two halves apart.

Good luck

David

[CFarias]

I just removed my Tamiya MB 500SL from a bath of SuperClean and indeed the body shell was perfectly separated from the front and rear bumpers that were attached with CA glue. Even the glue itself was off the parts.

Model cement, like the Revell, can not be successfully separated unless the cement joint was poor to start with. If you don't care about the glass, carefully remove as much of it as possible and file/sand the rest until the body is the only think that's left.

Good luck!

[Kjenjak]

If nothing else will help and you don't need the clear part you can take it out using an electric multifunction rotary tool (Dremel). If you're very careful you can cut out most of the visible clear part, then work your way from the inside of the body, layer by layer until all of of the clear plastic is gone. Then you file and sand it smooth again. But you have to be very careful!