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.

I bought a metal Chaos Dreadnought, and after stripping the paint I discovered it's been soldered together. Is there a way to safely take it apart?

The thread https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/295476.page indicates it was, in fact, a known thing to do - but requires care with the temperature. Similarly, https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/30/317968.page has the advice 'don't do it'.

Well, someone did it and I want to un-do it. I've got one of those vacuum syringes and can suck up melted solder, but does anyone know just how much risk I'd run of melting the white metal?

Crikey... I can see the value of soldering on some multi part metal models, but that particular job there is just criminal.

The solder does look rather Blobby on the surface, so it might not be absorbed too much into the original metal. I would start with trying to gently pick it off - pry it up with something pointy, and it might just pop off.

If that doesn't work, you're probably gong to have to try heating it gently. The solder should melt before the pewter does so if you go carefully you should be able to heat it just intil the solder softens (not completely melts) and pull the parts apart or flick the solder off with a tool.

However you go, there's likely to be some damage to repair afterwards.

That wont be pretty, I tried to reattach a base tab and it just melted away.

You could try to use a desolder braid that will suck up the molten lead, you will need to use either a pointed or flat tip.

I don't know much about removing solder, but you could try dedicating that particular dreadnought to Nurgle. A little sculpting could go a long way. Embrace the mess!

Without knowing the precise melt/sublimation temps needed, you are at a pretty high risk of slumping the model.
Even WITH a temperature controlled soldering iron.

Many solders have a similar alloy makeup to the white metal alloy GW used to use (solder is also a WMA, and so is "pewter", btw) and there is often very little time between "slightly melty" and "slump into puddle".

In the case of that arm, I'd be tempted to saw it off the dreadnought and try to cut and file away the excess metal. It looks like there's huge gaps between the sarcophagus/torso front and the rear, so you might be able to diassemble that too - perhaps by prising it apart, and if you're lucky the solder joints will fail first.

I had the same thing happen, received a Chaos Dreadnought that was soldered. The chassis, the claw and the exhausts were stuck together.

Was able to get the solder off with needle nosed plyers. You might want to start there, it came off in chucks then I was able to pry the pieces apart. From there, I was able to get the remains with an xacto knife.

Fair warning; I have never actually tried this on a model, but in my job, when we need to do differential welding of thin or small parts to thick parts, they sometimes clamp a big chunk of metal to the thin part to act as a heat sink. You should get some of that effect here anyway, as the pewter parts will generally have more thermal mass than the blob of solder. Another option would be to freeze it first, so that you enhance that effect (heck, you might find that freezing it might fracture the solder anyway).

I'd probably just saw the arm off , remove as much of that mess as possible then re profile the damage with milliput/gs.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
I'd probably just saw the arm off , remove as much of that mess as possible then re profile the damage with milliput/gs.

Seconded. GW metal minis melt even with a jet lighter. Soldering iron will go straight thru that pewter.