I am considering purchasing a used N scale Santa Fe diesel locomotive that I can’t find anywhere else. for my proposed layout. There is a problem however, there is some glue around the sunvisor area and on the sunvisors (they fell off). I really like the loco, but was wondering if there is any way to get this glue off the locomotive and sunshades without damaging the plastic? It appears to be a shiny hard glue, I’m not sure if it’d be contact cement, epoxy or what (I don’t think it’s Krazy Glue, as it’s not hazy).
If anyone has any suggestions or helpful advice to remove this glue from at least the cab, it would be so apreciated.
There are only a couple of ways and all have potential problems. One is to use something like an emory board that women use on their fingernails to lightly sand the area. Another is to take an Exacto blade and lightly scrape the area. The last is to try an use the Exacto chisel blade to lift it off. All could result in leaving unwanted marks or gouges so minimal pressure and maximum patience are the keys.
That depends on what type of glue it is. If it is the kind typically used for plastic kits, either liquid or tube, the loco is already damaged. The way those glues work is that they disolve the surface of the plastic and the two surfaces are then fused together. If you get that kind of glue on a visible surface, it will be marred. You can’t really remove the scar but you might be able to disguise it by lightly sanding it and painting over it. If it is on the “glass”, you are pretty much screwed.