Hello–I bought a used Proto 2000 SD50 and I notice it has a hair-like line of what looks to be that Cyanoac…whatever CA glue on the nose. Is there anyway I can remove this without overly damaging the point or plastic? I tried getting my hobby knife underneath it but I could not get underneath it to wedge it out.
[:(] Everything I could suggest would take the paint off.
Maybe you could lightly scrape on the top of the CA strand with a really sharp sharp (AKA new) xacto blade. Not a #11 but a flat nose chisel like one. I’ve done this numerous times to smooth out glue joints. Problem is it will take the paint off.
Unfortunately CA is designed to “melt” the plastic together. So the glue might be bonded to the surface pretty well
Well,
There’s one sure-fire way to remove CA glue (and it also works well to disassemble CA glue joints). Freeze the thing.
Seriously. I discovered this when I had stored some buildings for a winter in an unheated space. Every single one of the CA joints came unglued and the glue itself was easily removed from where it had been applied.
I experimented some more to validate it by placing a Woodland Scenics white metal (that log cabin they sell) building that I wanted to do over into the freezer. left it for a week. When i took it out, it was easily disassembled by hand with no damage to the structure or details. I was able to easily “pop” the glue off with the tip of a #11 blade.
Now, I haven’t a clue just WHAT freezing might do to any electrical components (and it’s probably NOT going to be a good thing anyway) but I’d consider just popping the shell of the loco and putting it in the freezer for a few days and giving it a try.
Can’t hurt… all you’d be losing is some time.
Respects,
Freezing a loco’s electrical components should not hurt it as long as the freezing is normal freezer temperatures.
Just let the loco thaw out well before you use it – make sure you let it sit long enough that any condensation on the eletrical components has a chance to completely evaporate – and you should be fine.
Hey, even submerging a loco completely in water should not harm it as long as you let it dry out completely (a week or more) before you try to apply power to it. Letting it dry out completely first is the key.
CA glues do not melt the plastic! CA adhesives make a molecular bond, in other words, CA “grabs” on to the microscopic “holes” in the material to be bonded.
Freezing does break the CA bond.
Agreed. It is the methyl-ethyl ketone in model glue that dissolves the adjacent plastic and welds it. CA just makes tough crystalline fibres like so many other glues. I suspect the freezing shrinks the material to such an extent that the CA simply lets go.
You could obviate the potential damage that condensation might do to the innards of the loco by placing it in the fridge instead of letting it sit in room air. The fridge is naturally dry. Although the loco will take longer to “thaw”, it will not get so much hoar frost or water inside it. Of course, when you remove it from the fridge, it will still develop some condensation, just not as much. If you run a hair drier over it on low heat for a couple of minutes, you should preclude any condensation.
Freezing CA can help break the bond. The catch is that there may be a small amount of distortion to the surface where it was applied, but it may be something that can be easily fixed or touched up.
An option that can be experimented with is to freeze using a CO2 fire extinguisher if you have easy access to one. People use them to freeze canned drinks at a picnic or beach.