how to un-epoxy something

Jun 14, 2005 6 Replies

I need to take the vertical stab off one plane and put it on another. Any suggestions on how to get it off while minimizing the damage to the stab (most important) and the fuse (less important? I figure I'll have to hack at it with an exacto knife but I was hoping someone here could give me a good trick to loosen up the epoxy a bit.



Steve



Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

You can try using a heat gun to soften the epoxy.

Thanks for the tips, I'll try to just go slowly and keep the damage to a minimum...

Steve

Personally, I'd feel a lot safer if I just built a new fin. Too many opportunities to damage parts.

I knew someone who tried to repair a hydraulic brake reservoir on his car using epoxy. Everything appeared to be OK for a short time but the brake fluid lifted the epoxy from both components fairly quickly.

This might work to separate the items you need, but I don't know how you would clean everything up to be able to glue them again.

Malcolm

Had a friend years ago who would recycle his plastic models. He'd soak them in brake fluid and it would remove all the glue and paint. Then he'd clean the parts in alcohol, rinse in water and let dry. Back in kit form.

Just don't leave parts in contact with the fluid without adult supervision. It has been known to dissolve various forms of plastics and other things.

Chuck

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