Unbonding superglue

[Lykum]

So I had a genius idea of gluing magnets to the inside of the hull on my Land Raider so I could swap out Havoc Launchers and such. Simple enough, but when the smooth surface of a magnet meets the smooth surface of the plastic and you add a magnet on the other side to get the placing just right.... well, super glue bonds even more instantly than normal.

So does anyone know a good way to unbond a metal to plastic superglue bond without destroying everything in the process?

[ColCorbane]

Loctite glue remover - works a treat!

[Irdion]

This will sound a little funny, but nail polish remover works wonders against superglue. Just dab a bit of it on a q-tip or swab, and it will dissolve the superglue (Courtesy of the supergluecorp.com website). The trick is the acetone, which your local hardware store might have in stronger form. Be careful though if working on a wood table, as acetone will play hell with the dye.

Good luck fixing your model!

[Lykum]

Nice, thanks. I think I have a jug of acetone in the garage for cleaning parts. If that doesn't work I'll buy a tube of the loctite stuff. I love that company.

[Lykum]

Acetone worked like a champ. I made a little puddle around the magnet (no harm to the plastic) and used a flat #17 Xacto blade pry off the magnet.

Thanks for the tips.

[Irdion]

No worries, glad to be of service :)

[david5th]

Nail varnish remover will remove that glue but be careful around plastics and can melt it if applied for too long.

[Duke]

I have used Nail varnish as well, but you have to ber VERY careful.

Duke

[Lykum]

Nail varnish remover will remove that glue but be careful around plastics and can melt it if applied for too long.

I did a test run by putting a few pieces of sprue in a shotglass of acetone for a day. Mostly the acetone just evaporated. No damage to the plastic. After the test run I put it on the actual model.

[ammobunkerdean]

For your application there you obviously worked it out but another trick is to stick your mini in the freezer. The glue turns brittle and is easy to pop apart, then you just scrape it off of the join...

[Duke]

For your application there you obviously worked it out but another trick is to stick your mini in the freezer. The glue turns brittle and is easy to pop apart, then you just scrape it off of the join...

That is really cool! I have never heard that before and I have been doing wargaming for a long time... Does it work with all types of glue? Or only specific types?

Duke

[Lerra]

I have never heard that before and I have been doing wargaming for a long time.
Try leaving your army in your car overnight when it's -30ºF ;) I had to reglue half of my army the morning before a tournament . . .

[Vorlon]

Freezing your models is a damned good idea thanks for the advice.

[Morgrim]

That is really cool! I have never heard that before and I have been doing wargaming for a long time... Does it work with all types of glue? Or only specific types?

Duke

Tends to work best on superglues and especially ones that are just bonded flat surfaces. Pinned joints stay a little bit better. If the model is sturdy enough to survive it, taking the frozen model and then dropping it a short distance* onto carpet is a good way of getting pinned joints to break loose.**

*Of a 'kneel on the floor and drop it from waist height' sort of drop. Your mileage may vary.
**The author takes responsibility for any damage above and beyond what is intended, including but not limited to cracked plastic, deformed metal, snapped resin and chipped paint jobs.