How do you release hot glue?

Nope.

Put it in the freezer and hope the stuff gets brittle enough to crack?
Jeff
WF wrote:

How much heat ???
Put it in hot water maybe.

Heat the assembly *uniformly* to a couple hundred. The glue softens at a pretty low temp, so the parts should slide apart. JR Dweller in the cellar
WF wrote:

Just give it a smart rap with a soft hammer, make sure your part doesn't go flying. This works on wood with a lot more tooth to hold the glue.
Ed Angell

Freezing it should do it

I *think* acetone or lacquer thinner will attack hot glue.

The hot-melt I've got is polyethylene-based, not many solvents will attack that. Aside from freezing it, how about using oil, dunk the whole assembly and heat it up? Another use for that french fryer and used fat/oil that's been floating around recently in another couple of threads. Stick it in the fry basket cold, let the oil warm up the whole thing evenly. I'm assuming your project is small enough to fit in a fry basket.
Brownells had a kink in their newsletter where a guy had hidden his new Beretta in an oven and the plastic case had melted around it when the oven was heated up for pizza. The case remains were removed by using a french fryer and hot oil. No damage to the gun, even the grips were still good.
Stan