Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi

I am going to collect some second hand unpainted CSM miniatures tomorrow. I can see from the photos that the glue for the rhino has been used liberally. Is there a way to remove this without damaging the plastic vehicle? Or is there a way to somehow remove the glue so the vehicle deconstructs and can be re assembled?

Thanks

if its done with superglue you can throw it in the freezer(not sure for how long). Plastic glue hower is a different story, because it isn't actualy glue, it melts the plastic

yeah your only option with poly cement is to try and sand/file the surface back down to its normal level. alternatively, you could use weathering or battle damage to cover it, depending on the extent .

Ok thanks I’ll ask what was used to assemble it.

CSM are my army that I am using to experiment with modifications etc so I’m happy to accept with some imperfections but I had some second hand raven wing bikes that had been put together badly and I wish I’d asked the question then.

Plastic glue can get all kinds of messy. I find that the best approach is to leave the model a good day so that the glue is fully cured all the way through (you don't want to mess with it when its wet/tacky or if only the outside looks set, if the inside is gooy you get a mess again).

Then its a case of treating it like mould lines or sprue remains - scraping, filing, sanding etc.. Just take your time and work slowly. You may have to accept that some parts might not be as straight or flush as they originally were. Sometimes you can remove a chunk and then fill the gap with some greenstuff.



Superglue can be a bit easier because it forms a layer on the surface and then grips to both sides of the join. So it creates its own layer which, if chilled/frozen, can be chipped away at. You can also scrape it off and such as well. Sometimes you get really lucky and a big chunk peels off without an issue. Sometimes the bond is really strong and you've got to chip and scrape away at it for ages.

Here’s a photo so you can see what I’m dealing with, I think I’ll try gentle sanding on the larger areas. What kind of sandpaper do you use? I’m assuming something more gentle than DIY sandpaper is needed to get plastic smooth

There is a way, I have had minis just fall apart but it's also down to the glue used, mine was revel contacta.

I bathed the assault marines in methylated spirits to strip off my terrible paint job and started scrubbing with a toothbrush,
While scrubbing I had a sort of tight grip because of the gloves I was using somehow seeped fluid to my fingertips (dont use cheap latex)
Anyhoo the marines started to fall apart so I helped by stressing body parts till everything was apart.

Looking at the bonds there were tiny bubbles so they probably went the strongest but the purple spirit definitely helped brittle the bonds.

Sandpapers are measured in "grits" with the higher the number being the finer the grit. A finer grit means that it will remove less material but will achieve a smoother finish.

Typically you'd start with a courser grit and work your way up to a finer one. The course removes the bulk of material, the fine polishes it up.



For paint I'd say you want to start pretty fine in the high hundreds. 500 or more. You're not actually removing that much material it seems, so working with a fine grit and getting a smooth finish would be best.

Note if you get wet and dry sand paper you can wet it and the water will help bead up the gunk that comes off and let you keep going for longer. Otherwise regular sandpaper will get clogged up pretty fast.

yo could probably get the worst off that with a set of abrasive emery boards. the kind that people use to file their nails. I use them quite a lot for modelling stuff.

With regards to the 'freezer method' for removing cyanoacrylate superglue:

The sweet spot is 5-6 hours. It helps a bit if you place the item in a container of water, and when you have ice starting to form inside of there--then pull it. Metal stuff can withstand this a bit better than plastic, so bear that in mind.

After the allotted time, you'll be able to just pull it apart using a flathead screwdriver or something similar as a lever.