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What the subject says, I'm working on an expensive resin kit and I may have made a wee mistake while assembling it that I wish to undo.

I've already tired Zap-A-Gap's debonder, but that doesn't seem to do the trick and I'm a bit reluctant to try other debonders or nail polish removers, due to their high acetone concentrations, which may damage the resin. I have been trying the debonder on spare bits of resin from the same kit of course!

Now, I've heard that a long soak in stuff like Simple Green will dissolve superglue bonds over time, is this true? If so, does anybody know of any brands or products that can be purchased locally, as stuff like Simple Green is NOT available around here. Or at least not for a reasonable price.

Thanks in advance!

Depending on the strength of the piece, try putting it in the freezer for a couple hours and separating it then.

I've used Zap-A-Gap's Medium CA+ super glue, I wonder if freezing will do the trick. Won't it also make the resin brittle?

 BrookM wrote:
I've used Zap-A-Gap's Medium CA+ super glue, I wonder if freezing will do the trick. Won't it also make the resin brittle?

Generally not as much as the glue. That's why I said it depends on the piece though. If the piece is more delicate than the bond, you're in for trouble.

Yes, it WILL make the resin more brittle.
You don't separate them whilst they are still frozen - let the pieces thaw completely.

It's not a quick fix and it may require multiple freeze/thaws.

Super Clean or Purple Power will weaken super glue bonds without harming FW resin. I am not sure if these are available outside of the states though.

 chromedog wrote:
Yes, it WILL make the resin more brittle.
You don't separate them whilst they are still frozen - let the pieces thaw completely.

It's not a quick fix and it may require multiple freeze/thaws.

Indeed.

One thing I tend to do in situations like this is to place the piece in a ziploc bag filled with water, and freeze the bag. The ice around it keeps the piece in question from possibly breaking or just falling apart, since the ice keeps pressure on it. The water will seep into the join between the pieces and when frozen, exert a bit of pressure as well on the glue/resin bond.

Someone forwarded a link to me of the supposed European importer of Simple Green.

Is this the stuff everybody normally talks about with regards to soaking and whatnot? Because at this point, I am more than willing to pay the asked price for the bottle + shipping if it means being able to disassemble those parts without fear of breaking them.

https://extrade.de/shop/Simple-Green-All-Purpose-Cleaner-1000ml-bottle

A soak in Dettol worked fine for me.
(The brown solution, not the spray)

I've done a local search of Dettol, but no brown stuff to be seen, just regular cleaners.

Simple Green is kind of garbage compared to Super Clean or Purple Power. The formula for Simple Green has changed and it no longer works as well as it did; which really wasn't all that amazing compared to the purple fluid.

I second the Superclean. It makes most superglue brittle and debonded.

Neither of those are sold locally though, nor am I willing to pay through the nose in shipping and customs for a single bottle of it straight from the source.

Here is the list of active ingredients in Simple Green, so you may be able to find a local equivalent based on that. Test on your scraps of course.

http://simplegreen.com/downloads/SDS_EN-US_SimpleGreenAllPurposeCleaner.pdf