How do I remove hot glue?

[rob-ot5000]

A friend works at Wal-Mart and was able to get two of the large LEGO displays. They are glued together with hot glue, and I'm wondering if there is any way to dissolve/remove the glue en masse without damaging the bricks. I was searching Google and one article mentioned isopropyl alcohol, but doesn't mention effects on the item which was glued. Any help or directions to an existing thread about this would be appreciated. Thanks!

[BrickCurve]

For heavy staining on bricks, I use an eucalyptus oil concentrate, ( https://www.bosistos.com.au/product/bosisto-s-eucalyptus-oil-12 ), which works really well for getting all manner of marks off bricks, though if the glue is right inside the bricks, not just on the outside, getting them apart will be tricky.

Do not use the eucalyptus oil on printed parts it will almost certainly damage the printing, if not remove it entirely. For example, it can easily remove permanent marker from the plastic boxes where I store my sorted parts.

[deraven]

I doubt it's hot glue. More likely a solvent-based ABS welder like what the master builders use for larger displays. Easiest way to determine that is if you've already been able to pry bricks apart and now just have some residue on them, or if they're holding fast together or break when trying to get them to separate.

If it was a solvent-based glue you don't really have many options that won't harm the bricks.

[Lyichir]

I doubt it's hot glue. More likely a solvent-based ABS welder like what the master builders use for larger displays. Easiest way to determine that is if you've already been able to pry bricks apart and now just have some residue on them, or if they're holding fast together or break when trying to get them to separate.

If it was a solvent-based glue you don't really have many options that won't harm the bricks.

From my experience most store displays definitely use a more traditional hot glue, at least in part (I've never bought/tried to disassemble them so it's possible that they also use some sort of solvent-based welder, but glue residue is often clearly visible on the final model).

[rob-ot5000]

I can see globs of glue in some places, and it looks, feels, and acts like hot glue. Some pieces, I'm able to pry apart with minimum effort or damage, and the glue can be scrapped/peeled off.

Will straight-up isopropyl alcohol harm the bricks, or do I need to dilute it? I'm not really worried about damaging the prints, since I don't care about any of these prints. I may have to look into the eucalyptus oil as well. EDIT: Or not. That junk is exPENsive.

Edited August 22, 2016 by rob-ot5000

[Foxw]

peel off some glue n put in some iso to be sure, if it disolvrs great, as even 99% iso won"t affect abs, hell it won't even affect poly styryne, aka most model plastic and that stuff is alot chemically weaker (I've bathed ps models for a week strieght to get paint off in 99% with no plastic effect)

[deraven]

peel off some glue n put in some iso to be sure, if it disolvrs great, as even 99% iso won"t affect abs, hell it won't even affect poly styryne, aka most model plastic and that stuff is alot chemically weaker (I've bathed ps models for a week strieght to get paint off in 99% with no plastic effect)

This. If you're lucky enough to have had someone toss it together with a more general adhesive, this is the way to go. Good luck! Maybe post some pictures of what you're starting with and how it's working. I don't think there's a huge group of people trying to do this, but it's interesting nonetheless.

[rob-ot5000]

peel off some glue n put in some iso to be sure, if it disolvrs great, as even 99% iso won"t affect abs, hell it won't even affect poly styryne, aka most model plastic and that stuff is alot chemically weaker (I've bathed ps models for a week strieght to get paint off in 99% with no plastic effect)

That sounds like a solid idea.

I'll definitely take some pictures when I get to it, and I'll post them here for anyone who's interested.

Thanks guys!

[anothergol]

Do not use the eucalyptus oil on printed parts it will almost certainly damage the printing, if not remove it entirely. For example, it can easily remove permanent marker from the plastic boxes where I store my sorted parts.

I've used that oil to remove prints, and it did a great job at it, however it also burnt the parts. So I'd say care has to be taken.

[rodiziorobs]

If it is just hot glue (which I would believe, seeing the displays in my local stores), then you don't need to dissolve it at all, you just want to be able to peel it off. I would think that water alone would do the trick with most of it, either very hot (no hotter than your tap would go) or ice cold. Unless you are melting bricks or putting them directly in the freezer for a long time, the ABS shouldn't be harmed, but the water will help remove the glue, either by softening it (hot water) or making it brittle (cold).

Let us know!

Edited August 23, 2016 by rodiziorobs