Taking apart an old whitemetal kit

[hayfield]

There has been a lot of talk and discussion about dismantling old whitemetal kits, Nitromores was my preferred approach, but I think it has been weakened of late, as paint no longer bubbles and for certain jobs 2 or more coats are needed for it to work.

 

My preferred approach is to let them soak in a caustic soda solution for a day or so BUT you must not soak any Aluminium parts (wheels etc) in caustic soda. 

 

One of the biggest problems of older kit built rolling stock is the poor running qualities, mostly caused by the use of non pinpoint axles on the Jackson wheels supplied. This is easily remedied by fitting pin point axles and bearings and or the use of etched W irons. Normally it is far better to dismantle the kit and start afresh. As I said my preferred approach is to let them soak in a caustic soda solution for a day. If the kit has ali wheels then they need removing first. If it has either been glued together with quick set epoxy or low melt solder has been used, you can dunk the kit into boiling water which will degrade the glue/melt the solder. Those which have been stuck together with Durofix/Evostick may need several applications of Nitromores on the joints so wheels can be removed

 

 

Here I have 2 K's kits with plastic wheels a LNER lowmac and corrugated end van, they have just been put into a solution of 1 pint of cold water and a tablespoon of caustic soda and left foe 2 days, the wagon only being half submerged and needs turning. Kept in the garage whilst working, the cold may slow down the process but not by much

 

 

I carefully removed the wagon with tongs and put into a bowl of cold water, where it came apart with ease and was then washed under the cold tap (keep a look out for small parts)

 

As you can see its not only come apart cleanly, but needs the minimum amount of burnishing (which has not been done yet). Only took between 5 and ten minutes.

 

The solution can be used over and over again so is very cost effective, just be sensible and don't use any Aluminium parts. I hope this is useful piece of info, Others use oven cleaner with similar effect and it works on plastic

[Fat Controller]

I would add that, when handling any of these caustic products, wear gloves and long-sleeved clothing even if using tongs; caustic burns are very nasty. The kits do scrub up nicely though; I'm tempted to try it on one or two I messed up decades ago, though I suspect the MTK Class 24 will need more than caustic to make it look half-way decent...

[hayfield]

I would add that, when handling any of these caustic products, wear gloves and long-sleeved clothing even if using tongs; caustic burns are very nasty. The kits do scrub up nicely though; I'm tempted to try it on one or two I messed up decades ago, though I suspect the MTK Class 24 will need more than caustic to make it look half-way decent...

 

Brian

 

A bit of filler for a start and perhaps some etched grills, but then that means cutting out a lot of metal. Its very easy though to dismantle and strip and cheap, Good luck

[Il Grifone]

I find petroleum based solvents or even alcohol will dissolve Evostick or similar. Durofix usually falls apart by itself - I could never get it to stick properly or its contemporary Seccotine either. I either used Balsa wood cement (this tended to shrink on drying - cellulose based?) or, my favourite, Woolworth's cold solder (7d a tube IIRC). All my early attempts at white metal kits have since come apart.....

 

Caustic Soda is nasty stuff and great care must be taken. It did strip a Tri-ang DMU for me that had a thick layer of blue paint all over it. The plastic seems to have lost its original colour somewhat however. A coat of green will sort that!

 

Santa bought me a bus kit that has been started. Only a few parts have been joined (badly*) with 5 minute epoxy (at least I hope its 5 minute because the real McCoy is very reluctant to let go!). It's going in very hot water...

 

* Badly as in wrongly fitted - the joints are sound. (I can guarantee that poorly fitted parts are the ones where the joints won't fail.)

[hayfield]

At the solution levels we use its perfectly safe providing you are not stupid and take care, use gloves or tongs initially as a dunk in cold water will render it safe to handle to scrub off the residue left of the painting. Do not forget to wash your hand thoroughly after.

 

As I said use another plastic tub with cold water in, firstly to dilute further the caustic soda, secondly that when you pull the kit apart the small parts will drop to the bottom , not down the plug hole. This is more important for locos with very small whitemetal or brass parts.

 

You can always try weaker solutions for longer, don't forget oven and drain cleaners are the same/similar stuff. Yes do use with care (keep away from children and pets and store in a safe place), but when used properly its safe and easy to use