Glue dissolver - is there such a beast?

I take it there hasn't been any deck details nor masts added as yet. If this is the case there are a couple things you could try to strip the paint without taking it apart.

First is to use spray Oven cleaner. Easy off works fairly well. Most will stay where it is sprayed. Scrubbing with a toothbrush helps get the stubborn areas.

Second is a mixture of house hold lye (Red Devil), warm water and corn starch. 2 tbls of lye, 1 qt warm water, 2-4 tsp of corn starch. Mix the lye into the water. Add corn starch 1 tsp at a time, while stirring until thick enough to stay between fork tines. This way the mixture will stay where you put it.

-- Chuck Ryan snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEearthlink.net Springfield OH

Try wetting the joint with mineral spirits. Give it a few minutes to soak in, then try to gently work it apart. If that doesn't work move on to Testors bottled liquid cement - just enough to reactivate the old glue. Note that most other liquid cements evaporate too quickly for this purpose.

When you say `mineral spirits` does that translate to metho?

If worst comes to worst, I will toddle on down to get some Testors.

Thanks.

If you Aussies use the same terminology as the Brits, it's 'white spirits'.

I got this from google:

How does white spirits compare to mineral turps? Does it not affect the plastic as quickly or as much?

I think that "HAWS" is what I'm referring to as 'mineral spirits'.

White/mineral spirits is petroleum-based. Turpentines are resins obtained from trees.

Mineral spirits used in moderation shouldn't harm plastic but I certainly wouldn't soak parts in a vat of it! I use a rag dampened with mineral spirits to wipe down my models before painting. It does a great job of removing oils and grease.

Trouble is, the kit wasn't assembled with glue, it was assembled with cement, meaning that that the surface of the plastic parts was melted by a solvent and allowed to merge into a single piece of plastic. Tube cement also adds some thickeners that may provide a weak point at the joint, but you can't count on it. If you did a good job assembling it in the first place, you will almost certainly break the parts when you try to take them apart. If you apply enough solvent to melt the joint completely, you may melt adjacent detail or soften the part so that it rehardens into a distorted shape. If you are determined, you could simply cut or saw the model apart. Sawing will remove plastic, so a shim will have to be inserted from plastic strip when you reassemble. Slicing won't remove plastic, but you will have to make many gentle passes with an X-Acto knife to avoid breaking the parts. As others have noted, you can strip paint easily without disassembling a kit. Polly S makes Easy Lift Off, a product designed for the purpose, or you can strip it with oven cleaner or brake fluid (wear rubber gloves). Once the paint is softened, just scrub with an old tooth brush and give it a good wash and you're ready to proceed. GPO

This is all true enough but the joint is never as strong as a single piece of plastic.

That's not necessarily so. I have successfully disassembled

I don't know of any glue dissolver as such, but you may try this cheap trick:

Put your model in the deep freezer and wait for an couple of hours. Take it out of the freezer and while it is still very cold, gently twist it in all directions. With a little luck the parts will come apart.

I have used it several times but success obviously depends on the type of cement or glue.

Good luck,

Gerard.

Well, the bad news is: I did a damn good job gluing the halves together, because not even the WS would react.

Oh, well, thems the breaks I guess, in this case.

Have you tried Testors liquid cement yet?

At the moment the 2 hobby shops that I use religiously are out, as well as a few others.

It is on back order atm.

I musta missed the initial post on this. Turpentine does a fine job of melting plastic if left in contact for an hour or so you could apply it gingerly to your joint. Bob Smith Industries makes stuff called Uncure; ostensibly for cyanacrylate use but it melts plastic too. In theory, if you use either of these it would slightly melt your joint for dissassembly. There may be some repair/filling when you re-assemble.

The Keeper (of too much crap)

If some damage to the plastic is acceptable you can consider a thin-bladed hobby saw, and just cut the model apart--gently.

Mark Schynert