Ruston Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 As per title and topic description. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon A Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I would use a kettle of boiling water poured over the kit while held in a sieve or bowl. The white metal should expand breaking the super glue bond. IME this method works on runny superglue, but not on superglue gel. I think there are substances that unstick fingers stuck together with super glue. Gordon A Bristol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 A pan of boiling water as whitemetal will not melt in boiling water, in for a bit then try and gently prise apart. Dip it in again for a bit longer is still stuck, just keep away from the pan bottom. Large pieces act as heat sinks, take longer to heat up (and cool) Works on most epoxys as well and don't forget low melt solder is 70 degree and will also come apart in boiling water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium finelines Posted January 12, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 12, 2014 Nitromors paint stripper. Roger 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Acetone, buy a litre off the well know auction site.......soak it in that and sorted for a few quid. Acetone useful for other stuff to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Acetone, buy a litre off the well know auction site.......soak it in that and sorted for a few quid. Acetone useful for other stuff to. Great for removing your nail varnish.......... oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sasquatch Posted January 12, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) Acetone dissolves fats. Don't breath in the fumes and try not to get it on your fingers too much.I discovered how to do this by accident when removing paint from a kit built loco body many years ago. The loco just fell to bits leaving little trace of the glue! Edited January 12, 2014 by Sasquatch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted January 12, 2014 Author Share Posted January 12, 2014 Cheers, chaps. I'll try the boiling water first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sasquatch Posted January 12, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 12, 2014 The acetone should be cheap enough and there's no chance of damaging or distorting the parts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasslands Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I would second Nitromors, but it is a very nasty substance, don't get it on anything (including your hands). I often use it to 'reset' white metal models. I would make sure that you remove any plastic components (they will melt). Although I may have put you off a bit there, I want to stress the speed of the paint/glue strip and how efficient it is at removing glues and paint. It really is impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Sorry to revive this thread but I am in a similar position of trying to rescue a 2nd hand white metal model that looks like it was assembled with an entire bottle of superglue. I have ordered some acetone and I wondered if anyone could give me some tips on the best way to use it please? Do I have to soak the pieces in it? Can I wipe it on and the scrape off the softened glue? Will I need to scrub it with a toothbrush or will immersion dissolve it totally? Any tips from the more experienced gratefully received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Sorry to revive this thread but I am in a similar position of trying to rescue a 2nd hand white metal model that looks like it was assembled with an entire bottle of superglue. I have ordered some acetone and I wondered if anyone could give me some tips on the best way to use it please? Do I have to soak the pieces in it? Can I wipe it on and the scrape off the softened glue? Will I need to scrub it with a toothbrush or will immersion dissolve it totally? Any tips from the more experienced gratefully received. Unless its a modern superglue, is it not affected by water, especially steam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted September 6, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2017 Probably obvious, but if using acetone or nitromors do it in a well ventilated place, ideally outdoors, away from naked flames, well away from kids unless you really hate them, and try not to breathe it in. Try not to breath superglue fumes or dust in either; it'll kill you all sorts of ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brack Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Bonds in most epoxies and cyanoacrylates (ie. Araldite or similar and superglue) denature at about 65°C so boiling water is my no. 1 choice unless there are plastic parts - no dodgy fumes or worrying about getting stuff on your skin (actually, don't get boiling water on your skin, but most of us are used to dealing with that). I know some people have used a sealed bag with acetone in, left it overnight and allowed the vapours to attack the adhesives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted September 6, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2017 ISTR if you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, commonly sold and used to clean jewellery etc, you can get the original kit back in very quick time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcD Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 I was told to use brake fluid. never tried it but it would make sense as it get rid of paint. Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Sorry to revive this thread but I am in a similar position of trying to rescue a 2nd hand white metal model that looks like it was assembled with an entire bottle of superglue. I have ordered some acetone and I wondered if anyone could give me some tips on the best way to use it please? Do I have to soak the pieces in it? Can I wipe it on and the scrape off the softened glue? Will I need to scrub it with a toothbrush or will immersion dissolve it totally? Any tips from the more experienced gratefully received. What I've done is to get a glass jar with a screw on metal lid, put the model in it, pour the acetone over it, and leave. I've done it with a couple of models. The first I looked at after a couple of hours. It was still together put fell apart when prodded with tweezers. The second was left alone for a couple of days. It was back to just being a kit after that. Another option, particularly if you only want to remove some things and not disassemble the whole thing, is that you can dip a cotton bud in the acetone and then rub it on the joint. You'll need to do that a bunch because it evaporates quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginelane Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 If it's one I made just looking at it and all the bits seemed to drop off on their own accord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4003 Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 That's how I do it. cover in low odour paint stripper (have no back yard or similar) in a closed aluminum meatloaf baking container over night. Lifts all the paint, and dissolves most of the glues. Scrub off and wash in cold water. Then in to simmering water if needed. What's still together, then, separate mechanically / soldering iron if its not a good joint to begin with. Thick superglue can be pulled off or scraped. Acetone I use only sparingly for cleaning up before painting. Those fumes get me bad headaches. It's a little different every time. With a little care and common sense what needs go apart eventually comes apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 I pieces are actually separated already but some of them are covered in crusts of superglue that has dribbled into the detail areas. I am looking to remove these, not simply just dismantle the kit. Thanks for the tip about putting it in a glass jar for a couple of days. That sounds like the most promising approach to start with. Thanks everyone for the advice, I will let you know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted September 9, 2017 Author Share Posted September 9, 2017 In the end I left the model in a jar of brake fluid. It fell apart and the superglue just crumbled off the parts. Using brake fluid also had the bonus effect of stripping all of the old paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcD Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 In the end I left the model in a jar of brake fluid. It fell apart and the superglue just crumbled off the parts. Using brake fluid also had the bonus effect of stripping all of the old paint. Glad it worked. I'm off to buy some tomorrow. I have a springside pug which needs the treatment. Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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