Glue problem...

[Vindicare]

Lord Business has struck! So I got a UCS A-Wing from an older neighbor who got frustrated with the set(don’t ask me why...) and they gave it to me. As I was taking it apart, a few parts were glued together, for some reason. I got most of them apart with just a little added pressure, but I’m stuck... the bottom wings with the clips...those are glued & im worried about breaking the clips. I ran under hot water & was able to make a little headway. 

I’ve never dealt with kragled LEGO..what’s the best way to unglue parts without ruining the plastic? I have some Goof Off but concerned about the parts. 

[Alexandrina]

Are the glued parts particularly uncommon/expensive? If they're relatively cheap parts, you're probably better just writing them off for a bad job and Bricklinking replacements. To my knowledge, whether glue can be removed is entirely dependent on the sort of glue used - and if it's super glue, chances are those parts are never coming apart. I believe the solvents used to dissolve super glue also dissolve the ABS plastic, rendering the bricks useless.

[Peppermint_M]

A slight salt solution may help. It helps break down some glues.

Next step is some more hefty chemicals, but I can't vouch for how they effect plastic.

[koalayummies]

So your neighbor pulled the old 'here, you deal with it!'.

[Vindicare]

4 hours ago, Alexandrina said:

Are the glued parts particularly uncommon/expensive? If they're relatively cheap parts, you're probably better just writing them off for a bad job and Bricklinking replacements. To my knowledge, whether glue can be removed is entirely dependent on the sort of glue used - and if it's super glue, chances are those parts are never coming apart. I believe the solvents used to dissolve super glue also dissolve the ABS plastic, rendering the bricks useless.

They’re definitely common parts, so if need be I’ll go that route. The others piece that were glued I got them apart fairly easy so it’s not a particularly strong glue, it’s just the clips breaking in this case. 

4 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

A slight salt solution may help. It helps break down some glues.

Next step is some more hefty chemicals, but I can't vouch for how they effect plastic.

I may give that a shot. 

26 minutes ago, koalayummies said:

So your neighbor pulled the old 'here, you deal with it!'.

It would seem so. I was told frustration set in because pieces kept falling off. Some sections were a bit finicky, so I get it...but it’s odd that so few pieces were glued. Maybe they were the more troublesome bricks. 

[dr_spock]

Maybe running it through the dishwasher might work.  Dishwasher's hot water eventually breaks down superglue, at least on the cups I superglued the broken handle back on.

[1963maniac]

Soaking in a salt water sounds like a good idea. If it does not work, try isopropyl alcohol 70%. Do not soak with the alcohol, dab it on for a few seconds, making sure it evaporates quickly or wipe it off. I have used Isopropyl alcohol above 95% but you have to watch that it does not begin to change the surface of the plastic. Let us know how you did.

[Toastie]

It really depends on the glue used. "Superglue", when based on cyanoacrylate comes in varieties. As liquid, gel, etc. When using the liquid, it really bites into ABS and things become a bit "difficult".

Here is a German website explaining how to remove cyanoacrylate from various surfaces - I am not promoting them at all, but they know how to make glues of all types. There is an English translations as well, but I could not find the "remove glue" section: https://www.pattex.de/de/ratgeber/sekundenkleber-entfernen.html

Water + heat seems to be good. But don't go over 60 ... 70 degrees Celsius. That will begin to change the structural integrity of ABS. I don't know, what salt would do, but it can't do harm. Give it time though. ABS never suffers from water, some glues do.  

Also, what really accelerates any "dissolution" (it is more than that) process is using an ultra-sonic bath. They are available for cleaning of glasses etc, so maybe someone around you has such a device. Isopropyl alcohol, as already suggested, is also good. The important thing is to get the solvent in contact with the glue. I would really dump the glued pieces into 70% IPA, sonic it for 10 sec and the inspection. Nothing happened, go to 20 sec. etc.

It is trail and error. Most importantly because the type of glue is not konwn.

Good luck and all the best!

Thorsten

Edited February 6, 2021 by Toastie

[Pinnacle]

It does indeed depend very much on the type of glue that has been used. If it's just household glue, you have a good chance of succeeding and all you have to do is remove some glue residue. But if, for example, Gamma-Butyrolactone has been applied, (the stuff they also use LEGO itself), you can forget about it. This is a solvent that melts the adhesive surfaces together, as it were. It is virtually impossible to loosen the parts without damaging them.