Removing excess CA glue

[madartiste]

Hm. I got some figs that ended up with CA glue in places that it shouldn\'t be in. (had trouble with arms dropping off and finally pinned the suckers) I thought it wouldn\'t be too noticeable once I painted it, but, boy oh boy, was I wrong!
So, my question is what methods/chemicals do people use for cleaning up excess CA glue? (Specifically Zap-a-gap) These are metal figs with plastic bases, so if I don\'t have to soak them that\'d be better. Thanks in advance!

 

[Valander]

Depends

Well, it depends on just how much excess you really have.

If it\'s just a bit, then I usually use a dental pick or x-acto blade and scrape it off. This will, of course, ruin any paint nearby, so you\'ll need to repaint it.

I haven\'t really tried removing anything more than a little dribble, so I have no idea how to approach a really huge amount. I do know that soaking in Simple Green for 3 days or so will weaken it so that it can all be scraped off, but this obviously affects all the bonds (and neatly strips the paint off as well). I\'ve left combo figures (metal + plastic) in the stuff for a week, and not seen any real damage. It will eat greenstuff after a day or two, though, so don\'t drop any heavily converted pieces in there!

 

[madartiste]

Valander, Thanks!
This is actually pretty helpful. I figured I would have to strip the paint off anyway (and I wouldn\'t mind having another crack at the gold on some of them...) so this would work well. Thanks again!

 

[Valander]

No problem! I\'m glad that it helped out.

One of the other things I like about using Simple Green instead of other stripping methods (like break fluid, which does work well, but is definitely a problem to dispose of safely) is that it\'s safe to pour down the drain, since it\'s biodegradable. Of course, the paint flakes and CA glue remnants probably aren\'t, but their concentration shouldn\'t be that high... (hopefully)

 

[madartiste]

Very true. I\'ve tried it before and found it much preferable to things like \"Easy-off oven cleaner\" (which is pretty darn toxic). At least with Simple Green you don\'t have to wear a bunch of safety gear.

 

[Sand Rat]

Removing CA

For small amounts, I use Methel Ethel Ketone, which here in the states can be purchased as a model cement from Testors (it comes in a glass bottle with a brush and a purple lable). For large amounts, strip the entire mini and start over.

 

[JimG]

Casting

Lots of lego for the case. A little plasticene for the base and Dow RTV Silicone (they make a whole bunch of Room-Temperature-Vulcanizing products) usually about $20.00 US a pound.

Build a \"floor\" of plasticine and imbed 1/2 the item to be cast. Build a Lego box to contain the Silicone. Mix the Silicon as per instructions. Let Vulcanize overnight. Flip over, pull off the plasticine, put a little release agent (Vaseline) on the Silicon so the next pour doesn\'t stick to it. Build a second lego box to hold the second pour. Mix silicone and pour.

The next morning you have a perfect two piece mold.

I use it to mold some of my home-made scenery etc.

I must remind people here that it is illegal (and I consider it highly immoral) to cast copyright product.

Anyhoo, it is available at industrial supply houses and, if I remember the last one I used info is available @ http://www.dowcorning.com/applications/product_finder/pf_products.asp?searchfor=rtv&prod=01004875&type=PROD.

Good Luck.

 

[madartiste]

Steelcult, thanks. I\'ll have to keep that in mind for the future. I tend to me a bit sloppy with the glue.
JimG... Um. Wow. That\'s pretty cool. Well, except for being illegal part. Are you sure you have the right topic?