How do I unglue an old Plasticville building???

[skippygp123]

I bought a whole box of Plasticville O/S scale buildings at an auction.  Two of the buildings have their roofs glued on backwards....the chimney is in the front of the house, not the back as it should be. 

The buildings are actually in great condition, but I'd like to take the roofs off and put them on the right way.  However, I don't know how to do that without wrecking the building. 

Has anyone had any success taking apart these Plasticville buildings?  If so, could you give me some pointers? 

Thanks!  Ed

[sir james I]

Depends on what kind of glue was used. Sometimes you can gently snap the parts loose and sometimes you need patience and a very sharp X-acto knife.

[Firelock76]

Sir James hit the nail on the head.  If those buildings were put together with traditional plastic glue (think model airplane glue) it's not going to be easy taking those roofs off.  The way plastic glues usually work is like this, the glue is a solvent, it softens (or melts) the plastic surfaces to be glued.  You push the surfaces together and when the glue dries (or evaporates) the plastic re-solidifies, "welding" those two surfaces together.

I won't say it can't be done, but it won't be easy.  Be careful.

[Penny Trains]

If you're lucky, it's just rubber cement, but most likely it's not.  You could try prying the pieces up a little at a time with a thin flat blade screwdriver.  I've done it with a reasonable amount of success along straight edges but the interlocking corners (the little blocks) are another story.  They usually get fused.

For future reference a few dabs of hot glue keep buildings together and the glue peels away easily enough without damaging the plastic.

[palallin]

If it is model cement (i.e. solvent), one thing you can try is to put the building in your freezer and get it cold.  Cold will make the plastic more brittle, and the joint will be more brittle than the unjoined portions.  Try the little screwdriver or hobby knife for prying under those conditions.