I messed up joining corners of a HO plastic building and need to take it apart and do it right. I used Model Master Liquid Cement. Is there an easier way to take the building apart other than a sharp model knife? Thanks for any help.
Charlie
Hi Charlie:
If the corner pieces were 45 degree angles before assembly you could try using a razor saw from the inside of the joint. Using the saw might not be any easier but it will give you smoother surfaces to re-glue, and the saw is not as likely to wander off the joint.
Dave
As dumb as this sounds - but it a plastic bag and sit in the Deep Freezer for a day.
Take it out and begin working the corners and the cold will usually allow the glue joint to snap loose!
I read it on one of the forums a long time ago and didn’t think it would work
But it does!
If the plastic gets too warm put it back in the freezer again for a day
The thing is it has to be really cole to make it work!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Using a sharp hobby knife on the INSIDE corners and then breaking it outwards, would be the easiest.
What Bob said, the freezer trick does work. Do a search, this was discussed on this very forum not too long ago.
Yes I had ask the very same question. I didn’t have only one joint to take apart; I needed to take apart 4 large buildings left over from the old layout. Bob H replied, and said to try to put the buildings in the deep freeze for a day or two and slowly pry the parts apart. It worked perfectly for me.
Good Luck
Sam
And now, a reassembly tip: The edges you will be reattaching will not be the same. Sanding will help, but you’ll never get that “factory edge,” particularly if it’s two 45-degree castings coming together. When I assemble the walls of a plastic kt, I first glue a 3/8 square piece of balsa wood to one section with CA, and then attach the other piece (again with CA) to the balsa strip, so that the balsa ends up inside the corner. This gives a much stronger joint, and also seals the corner from light leaks if you plan to illuminate the model.
While the joint is stronger, largely because you’ve got a bigger surface area to work with, it comes apart better. If you force it apart, the weak spot is the balsa wood itself. Since it’s on the inside, you can clean up the scraps with “aggressive” techniques like a hobby knife and sandpaper and not damage anything visible.
LIONS do not make misteks.
ROAR
A good hint for sanding to a near perfect fit (or “re-fit”), is to drag the part across a fine piece of sandpaper laid on a smooth, flat surface. I like to use a scrap of 3/4" MDF but have used any other clean solid top etc. For 45 degree corners, you can use a mitered block to aid in maintaining the proper angle. I find that Wet or dry paper to work great and won’t tend to clog or wear out easily.
Note: the MDF is also a perfect flat solid surface for assembly as well.
Thanks, Dave; never thought of a saw.
Bob,
Well, of course! Who knew?
Thanks.
Charlie
One more thing on the freezer. If you have one, the deep freeze out in the garage will be a lot colder than the one attached to your fridge. So put it in that one.