Topic: How to remove plastic parts, old glue, Figure questions, etc...

[florian.schwaerzel]

Good morning,

I received the leftovers of an Empire army, unpainted but assembled and primed with white.

I am very happy about the troops, however,  would like to convert some of them.

So, let me start with my questions:

1. I got about 24 old spearmen (6th Edition?), with the round shield glued onto their left arm. I my opinion, this looks a little weird, because on some troopers the hand holding the spear is visible. Now, before I start to destroy something, is there a way to remove the shield from the arm without ripping the figure apart (or having to cut off the whole arm and use another one)?

2. I also got the old metal steam tank - however, there are some very ugly glue leftovers all over the tank, especially in the front. The thing must have been glued together ages ago, and the glue became really thick and hard. What isthe best way to remove this glue? Try to cut it off (very hard, and I am abit afraid, I'll destroy something), or bath the tank in something - soapy hot water; ethyl alcohol?

3. I hope, this is the right place to post these questions; if not, dear mod, please move it to the correct forum.

Thanks for your help, gentlemen.

Edit: spelling

[Gneisenau]

Not much help, I'm afraid, but...

With the Spearmen (you lucky bastard ) it's entirely up to the glue the previous owner had used. Some people use fast-drying stuff (like Pattex' "Sekundenkleber"), and parts glued with this can be broken off carefully. On the other end of the spectrum is polystyrol cement which melts the parts together entirely.
Whatever you do, never use brush cleaner (Molto's "Pinselreiniger") on plastic models, unless you want to have a Nurgle army. That stuff is mean. Tried it once, wasn't happy. I don't think it would affect metal, but I'm not eager to try it either.

[Victor]

Here is a link for you (German Forum): http://www.tabletopwelt.de/forum/showthread.php?t=77815

The articel is about removing paint, but this also applies to removing glue to a certain degree. I have quite a few plastic models that I did 7-8 years ago, that I'm not happy with myself - "repairing" plastic models (removing glue and plastic) can be tough and won't always be succesfull.

Viel Glück und Geduld wünsche ich.

[steveb]

sosmething I haven't done in a long time is to put the figure in the freezer for an hour and upon removal just apply a little pressure to the part you want to remove, sometimes they just pop off.  Assuming you have tried the easy methods, you can sometimes take a steel backed single edge razor blade, like what is sold in home repair stores and art stores and simply guillotine the part, amazingly the blade will often cut right through the glue but be careful of your fingers and the surface you are cutting on. usually a razor saw will work also, but one of your pieces is going to be missing some material (sawdust) the razor maintains all basic material if used correctly.  you can also insert the tip of an exacto blade into the joint and kind of wiggle it around, it will sometimes cause the glue to let loose. do not spin it, all that will do is make a hole.  if all else fails, just paint it the best you can and put it in the back ranks. smile! steveb

[steveb]

Best method for paint removal, in my opinion, is to soak in simple green degreaser/cleaner (or simple orange, depending on what smell you like best) for a day or two and then scrubbing under water with a stiff toothbrush, if you use the kind of toothbrush with the hard rubber pick on the other side, you can get at some of the paint in the deep recesses where the bristles wont go. this is not the only method, but it is the simplest I keep a tub of the cleaner in my bathroom with no complaints from the wife so far. half a bottle about a healthy pints worth and I have done 80+ figures so far and it is still going strong, looks nasty but I keep a snap top lid on it so I dont have to look at it or smell it. good luck. steveb

[florian.schwaerzel]

Gentlemen, you are all awsome!

Vielen Dank, Danke schön!  (on Midaski's tab, of course!)

I will try all the mothods  -
and if they don't work out, they'll have tostay in the back ranks....

w/B Florian

[Empireguard]

For the tank Acetone will get of all the glue (and paint) you want on it an any other metal models. You can soak it (in which case all the glue will come of) or if you just spend some time rubbing it the glue you want removed (use a Cotton bud or something Like that) . Do not however use it on plastic it takes plastic of easier than glue. 

[florian.schwaerzel]

Thanks again!

Well... I just got 47 more spearmen again... That now sums up to 73 shields I have to remove... 

I'll keep you updated how it works.

[Frodoro]

Best method for paint removal, in my opinion, is to soak in simple green degreaser/cleaner (or simple orange, depending on what smell you like best) for a day or two and then scrubbing under water with a stiff toothbrush, if you use the kind of toothbrush with the hard rubber pick on the other side, you can get at some of the paint in the deep recesses where the bristles wont go. this is not the only method, but it is the simplest I keep a tub of the cleaner in my bathroom with no complaints from the wife so far. half a bottle about a healthy pints worth and I have done 80+ figures so far and it is still going strong, looks nasty but I keep a snap top lid on it so I dont have to look at it or smell it. good luck. steveb

I usually use Magic Eraser in removing paint in my plastic models. You may also use acetone if you want but be very careful as this might ruin your plastic model because it is a bit harsh. Try finding out which paint remover is best for the material you have.

[steveb]

Best method for paint removal, in my opinion, is to soak in simple green degreaser/cleaner (or simple orange, depending on what smell you like best) for a day or two and then scrubbing under water with a stiff toothbrush, if you use the kind of toothbrush with the hard rubber pick on the other side, you can get at some of the paint in the deep recesses where the bristles wont go. this is not the only method, but it is the simplest I keep a tub of the cleaner in my bathroom with no complaints from the wife so far. half a bottle about a healthy pints worth and I have done 80+ figures so far and it is still going strong, looks nasty but I keep a snap top lid on it so I dont have to look at it or smell it. good luck. steveb

I am still using the same tub of simple green, now having done several hundred figures and still going strong, it has not ruined or even messed up any plastic figures (over a hundred stripped so far) I highly reccomend it. steveb

[Guildenstern]

so do I. I'm so happy that I now can buy simple green in Germany, too

[pincushion]

Simple green is the bomb !!! If you have steady hands, patience and brass chin pounders then a dremal tool with a cutting disk on it works a treat and you can use the flat of it to sand glue off. It (IMO) is far, far safer than razorblades, faster and does a great job. A wire brush attachment works too as long as you don't apply too much presure... presure = heat...not good with plastics. I have used the wire brush on plastics to remove mold lines and old paint that the tooth brush couldn't shift. Try it, they are not as destructive as they might first appear. With 70+ models to do the dremal will save you a heap of time....just practice on the worst one first.

[steveb]

the dremel does a fine job as described, if you are interested try the buffing cloth pads that come with most dremels, just put a little dab of toothpaste (not gel) on it first, you can buff out some impersections of whatever kind, the toothpaste is an abrasive substance.  I first learned this when a friend showed me how to buff out some scratches on my car.  He was a gamer so I asked him if he ever used it on figures? he did, hhe said whenever soap and water didn't get rid of release oils he did a whole body toothpaste treatment.  If you give it a try post your results.  steveb