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Disassembling white metal kits


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I've recently obtained a long coveted w/m kit, partly built. The problem is reducing it to its component parts...

 

I've boiled it, which sorted the low melt solder bits, but the rest has stayed firmly togther. It looks like superglue or expoy gas been used too.

 

Any suggestions how to dissolve or otherwise part if it has been assembled with superglue or expoy?

 

Regards

 

Duncan

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I find that soaking overnight in Nitromors weakens the epoxy and it falls to bit.

It may take a while longer as todays Nitromors doesn't seem as powerful as it once was.

 

Thane of fife

I've recently obtained a long coveted w/m kit, partly built. The problem is reducing it to its component parts...

I've boiled it, which sorted the low melt solder bits, but the rest has stayed firmly togther. It looks like superglue or expoy gas been used too.

Any suggestions how to dissolve or otherwise part if it has been assembled with superglue or expoy?

Regards

Duncan

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Hello Duncan

The new and recommended way to seperate glued white metal kits is a mix of Domestos and water in equal parts. Leave the item in for 24-48 hours and it should fall apart in your hands.

I have just taken a Wills T9 apart with it and now i have a collection of bits.

Michael dJS

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I've recently obtained a long coveted w/m kit, partly built. The problem is reducing it to its component parts...

 

I've boiled it, which sorted the low melt solder bits, but the rest has stayed firmly togther. It looks like superglue or expoy gas been used too.

 

Any suggestions how to dissolve or otherwise part if it has been assembled with superglue or expoy?

 

Regards

 

Duncan

What did you get?

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I haven't used the long curing stuff *such as the original 24-hour Araldite) for a long time but I seem to recall that soaking that in petrol used to work. No guarantees now but possibly worth a try.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello Duncan

The new and recommended way to seperate glued white metal kits is a mix of Domestos and water in equal parts. Leave the item in for 24-48 hours and it should fall apart in your hands.

I have just taken a Wills T9 apart with it and now i have a collection of bits.

Michael dJS

It didn't work, but it strip off the paint!

D

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Post it to yourself unwrapped in a Jiffy bag, the Royal Mails sorting machine does the job very well. How do I know !! Some Bozo sent me a couple of kits I won off an Ebay lot like that. I must say the MTK kit came apart without any other damage, far better than a Ratio coach :nono: 

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Thanks lads for thinking it funny,   :nono:  I must say in the end it did cheer me up   :sungum: but I had to endure about 5 separate emails from some woman   :jester: which had to be deciphered from both bad grammar, text abbreviations, one long sentence without punctuations, begging for forgiveness and positive feedback.  :mail:

 

Well she won and to get rid of her I made a comment about poor packing but gave her 4 stars   :angel:

 

As I said the Ratio coaches under-frame is in many small bits  :senile: But other than being completely un-assembled except for the buffers, not a scratch on the paintwork (well only a few). Must have been assembled with superglue :O or spit.

 

I tell you what,  I really pity that woman's husband/partner :scared: , makes me value the misses all the more.  

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Well she won and to get rid of her I made a comment about poor packing but gave her 4 stars   :angel:

 

What was wrong with the packaging all of the parts arrived didn't they? :) That is her in trouble with eBay anything less than 5 star is seen as a total and utter failure.... which makes a mockery of the whole process.
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  • 3 months later...

I've read recently that simple vinegar will attack the quick-cure epoxies.  Much cheaper that Nitromors and brake fluid and far less dangerous.

 

Edited to add that I've only read this in the last couple of days and haven't yet had the chance to find out if it works

Yes it certainly does!

 

I made the mistake of bathing my Brassmasters 0F in vinegar to clean the brass and the smokebox door fell off! I had secured it with 5 minute epoxy.

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  • 9 months later...

A soak in caustic soda works a treat with epoxy resin. Not knowing this I soaked an old cast kit that I'd put together in the late sixties hoping to strip off the paint. When I returned the next day all the paint was nicely stripped, and the loco was back to a kit. 

It is necessary when using caustic soda to follow the manufacturer's instructions the chief of which is to add the powder or crystals to water, not water to crystals, and to wear PPE. After use it can be used to clean your drains.

Cliff

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Cliff

 

Before clearing the drains (I throw away the grunge in the bottom separately) it can be re-used several times. For parts which remain stuck together immersion in boiling water for a bit can also degrade the glue and melt low melt solder. 

 

I find black hard to remove, I have a can of Cellulose thinners which is also great at dissolving stubborn paint.

 

Not tried oven foam cleaner in a bag, I must try some one day

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