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Unsure if this is the right section but I need to strip glue from some models I made when I was younger. I gave some tau kroot legs. So is there a way to strip/remove the glue?

Do a forum search for "stripping models" . Should get loads of hits.

I only see threads concerning stripping paint, not glue. Oops gotta edit my post.

i carefully dismembered the body parts with clipers and a hoby knife *honestly though this is not the best way, it uses up time and there is a high chance of ruining half the bits. GW plastic glue is polystyrene cement and it melts into the plastic, so where it is removed it will have bubbles and ripped plastic from where the polystyrene cement does it chemical magic.

if any one knows a product that melts off the cement without ruining the plastic miniature please inform, i still have 2000 points of csm and sm models to dissect ><

Well, to seperate the glue joints you could try freezing (yes, I know its odd, but it weakens the glue joints) the parts first, then apply some plastic glue to the areas that you glued before and then you can seperate the parts with a knife.

As for stripping the paint you could use something called Simple Green.

Hope this helps.

fraggrenade wrote:Well, to seperate the glue joints you could try freezing (yes, I know its odd, but it weakens the glue joints) the parts first, then apply some plastic glue to the areas that you glued before and then you can seperate the parts with a knife.

As for stripping the paint you could use something called Simple Green.

Hope this helps.

So freeze it then put on more glue? That doesn't seem quite right.

Yeah I know its odd, but you could just skip the freezing part and just use glue to seperate the parts.

Depends on what you mean by "plastic glue" since there are 2 kinds of cement commonly used.

A.) Actual plastic cement, such as Testor's model cement with Toulene/equiv - this glue melts the plastic together. As such, there no "stripping" the glue, as it's now one piece. You can sometimes carefully pry the piece apart as the bond isn't quite as solid as an actual piece.

B.) Superglue/Krazyglue - you have 2 options here. You can get some cyanoacrylate debonder off ebay or someplace like that, or you can use an Acetone based product such as nail polish remover. In both cases, it will soften but not dissolve the glue, allowing you to peel it off.

*note - acetone may damage resin models. You might want to test this on a bit, first.

fraggrenade wrote:Yeah I know its odd, but you could just skip the freezing part and just use glue to seperate the parts.

Ok, but I don't quite understand how adding more glue will separate the parts.

The New Guy wrote:

fraggrenade wrote:Yeah I know its odd, but you could just skip the freezing part and just use glue to seperate the parts.

Ok, but I don't quite understand how adding more glue will separate the parts.

Plastic cement melts the plastic, when it dries they bond, this is why it's difficult to get a clean break, they effectively become one part. A figure with too much glue on it will be almost impossible to break up cleanly, but for parts with relatively little glue used, a little more may weaken the joint temporarily for you to break it apart. Generally I just cut things apart because there is no anti-glue substance for plastic cement unlike superglue.

Because polycement is not a glue, but a solvent that welds the parts together, you won't find a solvent that "removes" the glue.

Any solvent that can dissolve the bond will more than likely damage the plastic more.

Buy a razor saw with the thinnest blade you can get your hands on. As mentioned above polystyrene cement is a solvent that 'melts' the pieces together so use the razor saw & a sharp (new blade sharp) hobby knife to separate them, If it's metal to plastic or metal to metal joins you're in luck. Soaking in simple green (or dettol in the uk) will strip the paint & weaken the glue bonds, then freeze the remaining models & the superglue joins will become brittle & easy to snap by hand.

Acetone melts plastic so maybe you could paint a little onto the joint. Be careful :]