I had to remove the handrails from my Atlas RS-1. When I initially installed them I was a bit heavy handed with the CA. They came off by brushing Super Solvent on the joints however, there are still some gobs of CA on the handrails. Super Solvent is pretty pricey, and acetone will attack the plastic. Does anyone know of an alternative solvent which I can just dunk the handrails in and leave them for a while?
Bear "It's all about having fun."
Nail polish remover (Acetone) will disolve CA. Be careful though since it can also soften the plastic.
Hi Bearman,
I empathize as I've been in your shoes before, having made messes with CA on past projects.
Imho, acetone yields the fastest results. I would drench a small section of a cotton coth with it and, one by one, dab each glue clump and the plastic section that the glue is holding on too. Once softened, the glue clump should come off with a toothpick, scraping tool, or finger nail.
I don't know if soaking in 91% alcohol, ELO, or Super Clean would work. If these products are already on hand, you might consider testing a small section of the affected handrail. If you take this route it would be a good idea to closely monitor the handrails that are soaking.
Since I can be clumsy at times, whenever I have to perform gluing in very visible spots, I apply masking tape to the surrounding area just in case excessive adhesive gel oozes out of the tube or (if a liquid) I get heavy-handed and wind up with glue runs. I found that it was worth the extra effort and material
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
If the ca is stuck to the handrails, you've had better luck using it on engineering plastic than I've ever had. A friend gave me a partially-built Proto2000 automobile car which he found at a train show, but discovered belatedly that it was too modern for his '20s-era layout. The previous owner apparently had eyesight as poor as my friend, and had used copious amonts of ca to add the ladders, doors, and other details.While many of the add-on detail parts were unsalvageable, I was able to scrape off almost all of the excess ca (there were hardened pools of ca everywhere that something had been attached), and only a few of those areas needed repair, such as the doors...
I did have to replace all of the grabirons and ladders...
...but got most of the ca off the bodyshell with very little damage to the paint or lettering, despite it being styrene or painted styrene, to which ca usually bonds quite well...
While I've used ca to secure plastic handrails in Atlas diesels, it sticks only to the bodyshell (the inside of the hole which accepts the pin on the handrail stanchion). Its use only creates an interference fit for that Delrin plastic pin, as it doesn't adhere all that well to engineering plastic.I think that you'll get good results using an appropriate blade in your X-Acto to scrape away the excess ca, with little chance of damaging the handrails.
Wayne
As far as both suggestions are concerned, it appears that the idea is to proceed slowly, patiently and methodically and things will work out.
If the item is resistant to warpage, place it in a bowl of warm water..CA eventually dissolves with contact with water.
azrailIf the item is resistant to warpage, place it in a bowl of warm water..CA eventually dissolves with contact with water.
I'm going to have to experiment with this. All those stinking chemistry course I took a very long time ago lead me to believe that stuff that dissolves in acetone, doesn't dissolve in water and visa versa.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I took a couple of chemistry courses and I have willfully forgotten everything I learned. The handrails in question are subject to warpage so I think the warm water idea wont work. And I hate dealing with acetone. That stuff is bad news. I think it is going to be some brushed on super solvent and careful scraping with an exacto blade.