Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

un-gluing the glued

872 views
2 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Elgin, IL
  • 3,677 posts
Posted by orsonroy on Monday, January 10, 2005 8:30 AM
If the kit was assembled with superglue, use acetone to weaken the bond, and then snap the kit apart. You'll spend a fair amoutn of time cleaning up the parts afterwards (soap and bru***o remove the acetone, sandpaper and lots of elbow grease to remove the superglue residue so you can use plastic solvent cement to rebuild the kit).

If the kit was built with plastic solvent cement, you'll have to use a Xona saw or other small jeweler's file. Use scrap wood to brace the inside of the building while you cut, and try to keep your cuts as straight as possible. Use 100 grit sandpaper and a square to smooth out the cuts and to make sure that they're square.

It's a lot of work, and not always worth it. It might be simpler and easier to add the roundhouse extension to one end of the existing house, and scratchbuilt a new end wall, using one of the existing ones as a pattern (real roundhouses often had brick fire walls built into them, so this conversion won't look strange)

Ray Breyer

Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Michigan
  • 227 posts
Posted by SteelMonsters on Monday, January 10, 2005 7:34 AM
If you can get at it with a pair of Xuron cutters, cut along the seam with the flat side towards the side you want to keep. That would probably be the easiest way to remove the wall. This is assuming that the wall your taking out is ok to damage. If not, take an exacto knife and take 500 passes on the joint from the inside if possible.

If ACC glue was used, Acetone might be able to dissolve the glue if it doesn't damage the plastic.
-Marc
  • Member since
    November 2004
  • From: Chateau-Richer, QC (CANADA)
  • 833 posts
un-gluing the glued
Posted by chateauricher on Monday, January 10, 2005 6:02 AM
I recently purchased a 2nd hand (used) and assembled plastic 4-bay roundhouse with a matching 2-bay segment. I would like to put the 2 segments together to have a 6-bay roundhouse. any suggestions on how I can unglue one end wall in order to attach the 2 segments together? I'd like to minimise any damage. btw, this is in n-scale. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
Timothy The gods must love stupid people; they sure made a lot. The only insanity I suffer from is yours. Some people are so stupid, only surgery can get an idea in their heads.
IslandView Railroads On our trains, the service is surpassed only by the view !

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!