Remove dried glue from models

[midlineqb]

I have some models that were built over 50 years ago and I glued corduroy material to the seats as Tuck and Roll material, I have removed the material but dried glue residue remains and I am looking for a way to remove it. This also includes some interior floors That I had glued felt down and am now removing but I still have the same residue problem that I had with the corduroy. I'm pretty sure that I used Testors in the orange tube.

Thanks for any responses that would be of help to me.

[Mark]

Testors cement is a solvent.  It has altered the shape and texture of the plastic in areas where it was applied.  You'll have to sand/scrape it off, then rebuild the lost detail.

Some of the off-brand cements sold back then weren't solvents and just stuck the parts together.  With those, once you separate the parts the glue residue just peels away.

[yh70]

Like Mark said you'll have to sand/scrape it off, But as a re-builder of Big Rigs i picked up thru the years glues tougher with globs of Testors as i was removing the paint with Easy Off Oven Cleaner brand name i notice that all the parts were coming un-glued being a good thing. so the oven cleaner could help you soften the glue but you will still have to do some scraping. if you try this soak the parts 12 hr.

 

[Ulf]

Try putting the parts in a plastic bag, soak a little and put in the freezer, a few turns in and out so that it can thaw to freeze again so maybe the glue will release from the freezing blast. I tried it in the 90s and managed to get a one piece glass in an AWB kit. A couple drops of dish soap in the water actually increases the penetration.
Some of the old glues were partly porous and if they have had time to dry on the surface there may be a small gap. Glycol creates leaks you learn as a plumber but I think dish soap is more appropriate.

[StevenGuthmiller]

If they used Testors tube glue, you’re pretty much out of luck.

You can soak it in whatever you want, and while it might take off a flake here or there, most of what remains is melted plastic, and it’s not coming off.

This is part of the reason why I use solvent glues very sparingly.

Once you start melting the plastic, especially on something like upholstery, there’s no going back.

 

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

27 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

If they used Testors tube glue, you’re pretty much out of luck.

You can soak it in whatever you want, and while it might take off a flake here or there, most of what remains is melted plastic, and it’s not coming off.

Once you start melting the plastic, especially on something like upholstery, there’s no going back.

Truth. Period.

Solvent glues dissolve the underlying plastic, and fuse with it permanently.

Solvent glues do NOT come off.

[midlineqb]

10 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

If they used Testors tube glue, you’re pretty much out of luck.

You can soak it in whatever you want, and while it might take off a flake here or there, most of what remains is melted plastic, and it’s not coming off.

This is part of the reason why I use solvent glues very sparingly.

Once you start melting the plastic, especially on something like upholstery, there’s no going back.

 

 

Steve

That was the only model glue I had available when I did that.

[StevenGuthmiller]

7 hours ago, midlineqb said:

That was the only model glue I had available when I did that.

Understandable.

Not "blaming" anyone.

It just is what it is.

 

I have had to deal with these kinds of issues on numerous occasions with re-builders.

As a matter of fact, my current project has numerous areas of "glue rash" that I have to deal with.

You just have to work with what you have.

Sometimes it's repairable, sometimes it's not.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited October 7, 2024 by StevenGuthmiller