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How to dissolve silicone sealant?

And I *do* mean dissolve.
Many search results point to instructions which include scraper or other tool
to assist in removing silicone sealant. Use of scrubbing or other physical
means is not possible in this case.
I have a sensor, the cavity is filled with silicone sealant. There are
hair-fine wires connecting to the sensor element. I already broke one trying
to remove silicone with the use of toluene and mild scrubbing. No joy.
Can silicone sealant be dissolved?
Thanks!
Reply to
Sparky
Loading thread data ...
Can't be done IMOH.
Years ago the VP of our company was visiting the lab, and casually mentioned he was having trouble removing silicone sealant from his tub back home, and asked if the chemists knew of a solvent to remove it. Keen to please the VP, an urgent research project was launched to find the elixir... but without success.
Well, it seems to me several solvents were found that would swell and soften the stuff, but not dissolve it.
Yer welcome.
Reply to
Charles
if you want to believe it...
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you could always buy some and find out.
and then analyze it to find out what it's made of.
andrun in to patent problems if it actually does work,
unless of course, you just want to use small amounts for yourself.
Reply to
Timothy Sutter
Soaking in Silicone oil will soften it, I don't know if it would ever fully dissolve it.
Cheers
Reply to
Syd Rumpo
In article , Sparky wrote:
I think the problem is hopeless if a polymerized silicone resin was used. There may be a chance if it hardened by evaporation of a solvent. I do vaguely remember an acetic acid smell with the use of an RTV sealer. Toluene is pretty good at softening many organic polymers like rubber. If you do not mind dying, nitrobenzene might be even better. In spite of its hazard, I miss "Jeep Juice" which used nitrobenzene. It made Liquid Wrench look like a piker in comparison.
Reply to
Salmon Egg
Crosslinked resins are not soluble. The best you can do with a solvent is plasticize or soften them for more easy removal.
Reply to
Frank
What do recommend for softening?
Reply to
Sparky
Really don't know. Maybe silicone oil.
Reply to
Frank
Silicone oil is a real mess. Gets into everything. Isopropyl alcohol will soften silicone about as well as anything. Not the dilute stuff sold in drugstores -- the pure stuff sold as a gas treatment in auto stores. You can put any extra in your gas tank to remove condensed water.
Reply to
Mark Thorson
Back in the olden days we occasionally had problems with water in the gas tank. The water would freeze and sometimes plug the fuel line when it got cold.
But that was back then. Today we have sealed gas tanks, and gas pumps at gas stations are covered. No more water in gas tanks. And no more need to clear the water by adding methanol or IPA to gas tanks.
Besides, we often have that infernal corn byproduct in our gas now...
Ch
Reply to
Charles
Silicone oil is a mess, I agree, but I've used it many times to remove RTV Silicone used to encapsulate electronics. As well as softening, it seems to somehow creep into any bonds and loosen them. Soak well and use a scalpel to open fissures for the oil.
I've tried IPA - it's normally the first choice solvent as it's always around in electronics labs - but it doesn't do much in my experience.
Cheers
Reply to
Syd Rumpo

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