Bought my first glue bomb. Need advice please.

[Mike C.]

Can't believe I never did this before. Doesn't appear to have any paint on it just some decals. What is the best thing to release the old glue. Should I soak it in the purple pond? 

Thanks. Mike.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Mike C.

[Mike C.]

I'm seeing that these guys are putting them in the freezer. Is that recommended? Or are harsh chemicals the way to go?

[Shark]

Try lightly prying it apart. I just disassembled a complete built up last week that way. If that doesn't work, soak it in water before putting it in the freezer. The water expansion when freezing helps separate the parts.

[Mike C.]

Thanks. I'm guessing that soaking it in the purple pond will take the decals off?

[NOBLNG]

1 hour ago, Mike C. said:

Thanks. I'm guessing that soaking it in the purple pond will take the decals off?

I’m pretty sure it will. Try carefully prying things apart first. A lot of times an inexperienced builder will not scrape the chrome off of glue points so chrome parts may pop right off. The purple pond will definitely destroy any chrome.

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Plastic parts glooed together heavily with solvent-type gloo won't respond to any chemical treatment or soaking whatsoever.

The reason is that the solvent literally melts and "welds" the parts together.

SOMETIMES wetting and freezing assemblies will help to break the bonds, as water getting in the seams will expand as it freezes, possibly enough to force the seam to split.

HOWEVER, very often mechanical means like prying, sawing, wedging, or grinding will be necessary to separate parts.

BUT...when doing this, it's often necessary to sacrifice one part to save the one stuck to it. Judgement is key.

Photo below illustrates using an X-Acto chisel tip blade as a wedge to gently force a seam to split.

Next photos illustrate a photoetched saw blade used to separate a heavily glooed seam.

Last shots show a Dremel being used to grind out heavy gloo between two parts.

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy

[Mike C.]

9 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

I’m pretty sure it will. Try carefully prying things apart first. A lot of times an inexperienced builder will not scrape the chrome off of glue points so chrome parts may pop right off. The purple pond will definitely destroy any chrome.

 

Luckily I have extra chrome and it looks like The existing chrome doesn't look too daunting. I'm ore concerned with some unwanted decals on some clear windows that I'll have to reuse.

[Mike C.]

9 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Plastic parts glooed together heavily with solvent-type gloo won't respond to any chemical treatment or soaking whatsoever.

The reason is that the solvent literally melts and "welds" the parts together.

SOMETIMES wetting and freezing assemblies will help to break the bonds, as water getting in the seams will expand as it freezes, possibly enough to force the seam to split.

HOWEVER, very often mechanical means like prying, sawing, wedging, or grinding will be necessary to separate parts.

BUT...when doing this, it's often necessary to sacrifice one part to save the one stuck to it. Judgement is key.

Photo below illustrates using an X-Acto chisel tip blade as a wedge to gently force a seam to split.

xt photos illustrate a photoetched saw blade used to separate a heavily glooed seam.

Last shots show a Dremel being used to grind out heavy gloo between two parts.

 

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Mr. Metallic]

Super Clean should cut right through those decals, 91% alcohol should work as well.

Mineral spirits can be used to loosen poorly glued joints. Use a small brush and flow it into a joint. Wait a couple minutes and then try gently flexing the parts apart. It may take several applications.

Like Ace said, if the parts are glued well there is no solvent that will "break" them apart because they are now one piece. However, builders back then didn't always use plastic glue to put things together. and if they didn't scrape chrome/paint away as they assembled then the glue may not have penetrated.

Disassembling a vintage build can take a multitude of techniques. If one thing doesn't work, try another. But in the end it can be quite rewarding.

[Rodent]

Some of the diehard glue bomb restorers recommend photo-etch saws. Don't have any myself, but it does sound like a good idea.

 

[restoman]

The photo-etch blades can be a life saver (or parts saver, whatever you prefer) for glue-bomb work.

[Tom Geiger]

“Just bought a glue bomb “ without identifying it doesn’t give us enough to go on for good advice. Pictures even better. 
 

Many old kits are being repopped. With annuals if you have a kit that’s long obsolete, often the last version that used that tool is still current or at least cheap, and may give you the entire chassis, engine, glass etc. so you’re not having to deal with gluey mess parts

 

[hedotwo]

I think Bill covered the "mechanical separation" of parts really well.  Patience is probably your best tool .  I've done many of these disassemblies and for the most part they all differ in how you approach taking them apart.  The type of glue used varies as does the ease of disassembly.  I've seen many types used and obviously the amount used.  My most commonly used tools for disassembly are the straight chisel tip xacto, a set of small screwdrivers, various saw blades that are held with your knife holder, dremel, and the thin saw/scribe blades sold by Tamiya and Hasegawa.  Clear glass removal can give me the most heartburn and I often just throw in the towel and mask off the glass really well after polishing.  Not sure why but it seems we used WAY too much glue on glass as kids

[Mike C.]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

“Just bought a glue bomb “ without identifying it doesn’t give us enough to go on for good advice. Pictures even better. 
 

Many old kits are being repopped. With annuals if you have a kit that’s long obsolete, often the last version that used that tool is still current or at least cheap, and may give you the entire chassis, engine, glass etc. so you’re not having to deal with gluey mess parts

 

I got it from ebay and the tracking tells me it will be hear in a few days. Here are some pics from the auction.

 

[Mike C.]

It's the '77 Jimmy from Monogram with that rare Hickey hood and other goodies. I plan on using 2 Revell squarebody kits and some Fireball wheels to do the rebuild. Its missing one 5 slot but I wouldn't mind having the complete set. If I can save the body, frame. interior bucket, roof, hood, and glass I will be able to have a complete model to rebuild at a fraction of the cost of a vintage kit.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Mike C.

[NOBLNG]

That’s a glue bomb all right!? Nothing was painted, so depending on what type of glue and how much was used it could be a challenge getting it apart. I’ve been lucky on the last few I got since the parts were painted and then glued together without even scraping the paint or chrome away from the glue points. Good luck, it looks like a decent kit.

[thatz4u]

I used mineral spirits & an artist brush in good ventilation for degluing 

[Mike C.]

I have some of that non-acetone nail polish remover. It works well for removing tampos from diecasts as long as they are not under clear coat. I could always pick up the mineral spirits at the hardware store.

[Mike C.]

That glue from the mirrors looks like it might be a bit of a challenge. ?

[Mike C.]

Pretty sure that steering wheel is a Hickey item as well as the tire/gas can rack, the fender extensions, 5 slots and what's left of the brush guard.

[NOBLNG]

Photo etch saws are great tools. They can get into places that other saws can’t. And they can make an extremely thin cut so there is no substantial material loss. This diff was glued together crooked and would not be pried apart without breaking.

[Mike C.]

I've often seen these and never really thought about what they were for. I'm hoping whoever built this used the chepo tube glue. The no paint helps a little and I have plenty of extra suspension parts from the Revell kits. That big game truck comes with a Sidewinder looking winch with skid plate. 

[bisc63]

I'd bet dollars to donuts that this will pop apart relatively easily. While the builder was pretty generous with his glue, most of it appears to be laying on the surface, and most parts don't appear to be tightly fitted. Look forward to watching your WIP!

Also, before resorting to chemicals, I'd put it in a hot soapy water bath overnight, and then see what happens.

Edited March 4, 2022 by bisc63
added info

[Mike C.]

40 minutes ago, bisc63 said:

I'd bet dollars to donuts that this will pop apart relatively easily. While the builder was pretty generous with his glue, most of it appears to be laying on the surface, and most parts don't appear to be tightly fitted. Look forward to watching your WIP!

Also, before resorting to chemicals, I'd put it in a hot soapy water bath overnight, and then see what happens.

Thanks. Fingers crossed. It's not even here yet and I'm already getting antsy. Hopefully, this will be a nice one.

[Casey]

2 hours ago, bisc63 said:

I'd bet dollars to donuts that this will pop apart relatively easily.

I suspect the opposite-- very few part have fallen off an are loose, save for the rear seat (glued to a textured surface), grille guard (glue to chrome, probably fell off in 1991), and the top, which may never have been glued on.

Usually painted is preferable, as most don't take the time to expose brae plastic for a glue, melty glue bond. Bare plastic-to -bare plastic usually results in a good bond, but you might be better off leaving multiple things assembled if the parts were fit together accurately and neatly. Won't know until you get it in hand, though.

2 hours ago, bisc63 said:

Also, before resorting to chemicals, I'd put it in a hot soapy water bath overnight, and then see what happens.

1000% this. A bit of Simple Green or Dawn dish soap, followed an hour later by a light scrub, then see where it's at. Those decals should crumble a few seconds after getting wet.

I believe the bumpers with the rub strips are unique to this kit, too.

I was going to crack a joke about the sunroof installation, but it's far better than if the builder had attempted to cut a hole in the roof using a single edge razor blade, then proceeded to scar up the surrounding area. Not that I know of a ten year old who might've done that back in the day, I'm just saying...?‍♀️