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Long story short. I miss glued my contemptor. And Ideas how to unglue araldite without destroying resin?

Can I ask why you used an epoxy to glue a model together? Thats......crazy overkill. Id say carefully use a knife to try and separate the parts?

My dreadnaught drop pod didn't take too kindly to super glue so I used the araldite and just naturally used that without thinking. I'll give the knife a go. Any ideas what white spirit or nail varnish remover (wife's not mine) does to resin?

Carefully cut it apart. There is no chemical solution to this problem; anything that eats or weakens 2 party epoxy resin will happily do the same to the rest of the model and you're going to wreck it trying.

Your doing something wrong if your having to use epoxy on anything but a large metal model.

Youll just have to carefully cut it apart as others have said and reconsider your choices of glue.

In the past I always took lots of time and pinned everything of any size. A wife and 2 kids later and time is not on my side. I can not excuse the foolishness of sticking the contemptor using araldite but it was the right decision to make for the dreadnaught drop pod.

Yea, normally simple super glue is plenty for jobs like that. Also, Im married and have two children as well, sometimes, you just have to make time for doing these things right

Time to admit I am also a lazy git who prefers playing to modeling or painting. Please don't judge me

What glue for what model is a case-by-case thing.

Right tool for the right job, otherwise you'll look a right tool when you make a complete hash of it.

Heat is the general weakness of araldite (but this is also resin's main boondoggle). 80 or so degrees C will make the glue brittle, but will soften the resin to the point that slumping will happen.

They make a wire saw that I think can be bought at hobby stores. It is a very fine wire blade kinda like ya would see on a coping saw. Also I believe that exacto makes a thin saw blade for their products. Hope this helps.

Thank you all for your help. Think I may leave it incase I destroy it

Not sure if this would work, but i have done with with other 'glues" . freeze it... It Might work big big might. Then again..i admit i have never even heard of the stuff you have used. On the side note, the Kids and wife thing can't hold a light lol i have 2 young boys, am a stay at home dad and i run / am the sole painter for my Commission painting business lol.

Stick it in the freezer over night. In the morning - it will be two parts again.

The resin has a different thermal expansion rate then the epoxy does - when the resin shrinks as it gets cold...the epoxy shrinks less for the same change in temperature.

If it is exceptionally well stuck, you can spray the model with water first and then freeze it. The water expands, the resin and epoxy shrink and it works like a million tiny crowbars pulling the parts away from each other.

Be sure to stick the whole mess in a zip lock bag before you put it in the freezer though, you don't want your bits to fall down behind the porkchops.

^ this is a fantatstic suggestion

BTW - it also works on cracked windshields...

Sean_OBrien wrote:Stick it in the freezer over night. In the morning - it will be two parts again.

The resin has a different thermal expansion rate then the epoxy does - when the resin shrinks as it gets cold...the epoxy shrinks less for the same change in temperature.

If it is exceptionally well stuck, you can spray the model with water first and then freeze it. The water expands, the resin and epoxy shrink and it works like a million tiny crowbars pulling the parts away from each other.

Be sure to stick the whole mess in a zip lock bag before you put it in the freezer though, you don't want your bits to fall down behind the porkchops.

Science FTW