Is there a way to remove tube model glue without damaging plastic?

[Hotrod 97]

I have several glue-bombs that I plan to restore. Is there any way to dissolve or remove the tube glue without hurting or damaging the kit plastic?

Edited September 3, 2019 by Hotrod 97
Fixed grammar

[El Roberto]

Probably not. The plastic cement actually melts the styrene plastic where it's applied.  Kinda like welding metal. 

Once you get the parts apart, you can clean up the edges with a file, and sand (and possibly fill) the flat areas. 

Edited September 3, 2019 by El Roberto

[gtx6970]

Depends A LOT on just how much glue was used. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

As Robert stated, there's really no way to remove the glue as it's purpose is to melt the plastic together.

That being said, if it's not a total loss glue bomb, glue damage can be repaired in some circumstances.

 

 

 

Steve

[Bucky]

Careful use of a razor saw or #11 blade or even a rotary tool may help to separate the parts. You might have to sacrifice some mounting tabs, or slots in the process, but those can be re-established during the rebuild.

[MrObsessive]

When I was restoring the '74 Corvette, I got disgusted with how much glue was used to put in the glass, I got out my Dremel and ground it out!

So much was used that the roof was damaged.............

Of course, I had to fill in the depressions which I did with my Dynatron Putty-Cote.

Now one would never know what damage there was unless I showed them. That can be the drawback to buying a builtup......too much glue can be used which sometimes can be more trouble than it's worth to fix.

[Bucky]

Sometimes, if you pry too hard, you can pull a hole right through the plastic. (I may, or may not have experienced that!)

[TarheelRick]

Another option is to get the model really wet, put it into a zip lock bag, and place it into the freezer at least overnight.  If the glue is not too heavy this will work sometimes. You probably need to get used to the idea, you will be doing some bodywork repair of some of those glue joints.

[hedotwo]

I occasionally use my Dremel with this type of bit in certain cases like getting glass free from the locators.  Be steady and careful.

 

[misterNNL]

Removing tube glue without damage would be like trying to separate two pieces of steel that are welded togeather without damage. Not gonna happen.

[NOBLNG]

I have only restored one minor glue bomb, but after separating the parts and sanding the surfaces down to the original styrene level, any remaining glue should not need to be removed, correct? Depressions would need to be filled and a good coat of primer/sealer should be all that's needed before paint.

[dimaxion]

I've been Glue Bomb rescues fir decades ;

  Freezer Bag as described above . 

Freezing the attached parts . When removing the items at regular intervals . Pry Gently and firmly . It amy take years as I currently have some interiors I am prysing he dashboards free from . 

Genuine Turpentine applied and pried on . I made the mistake is dunking a 23 Chevy Van Body to separate the fenders from .. I forgot about the unit .. Two years later I remembered .  I have a squished down Van Body .. Eye Droper and daily prying .. All these methods work for me .. Patience .. Thanx 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nothing...repeat NOTHING...will "dissolve" the old tube glue, as was the OP's question.

Yes, there are multiple ways of disassembling heavily-glooed models, but they ALL involve some kind of damage to the separated parts.

I've bought dozens of "rebuilders" (primarily rare kits that would be stupid expensive if pristine). Most can be disassembled and saved, but some have so much gloo slathered on them, and so much subsequent damage and distortion (like Bill Geary's photo above, but much worse), that they're lost causes, usable only for a few parts.

It's always a roll of the dice, and no matter how "rebuildable" the seller may claim something is, you never really know until you have it in your hot little hands. So far, I've only had about 5% turn out to be too bad to repair.

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Nothing...repeat NOTHING...will "dissolve" the old tube glue, as was the OP's question.

Yes, there are multiple ways of disassembling heavily-glooed models, but they ALL involve some kind of damage to the separated parts.

I've bought dozens of "rebuilders" (primarily rare kits that would be stupid expensive if pristine). Most can be disassembled and saved, but some have so much gloo slathered on them, and so much subsequent damage and distortion (like Bill Geary's photo above, but much worse), that they're lost causes, usable only for a few parts.

It's always a roll of the dice, and no matter how "rebuildable" the seller may claim something is, you never really know until you have it in your hot little hands. So far, I've only had about 5% turn out to be too bad to repair.

That's about the best synopses I've heard on the subject so far.

I concur.

 

 

Steve

[jeffdeoranut]

all the above plus if its been painted i soak them in easyoff overnite, this does nothing to the glue but CAN cause parts to separate that were painted before gluing.

[Hotrod 97]

Thank all of you very much for the informational replies! The glue-bombs that I’ll be working with are bad, but not as extreme as some I’ve seen. A few of them do have some depressions in the roof from too much tube glue, but there shouldn’t be too many (if any) parts that are a total loss. With some careful prying and maybe some help from a Dremel or Xacto, I should be able to salvage the original parts.