Glue dissolving solvent

leon · #1 07-02-2018, 07:05 PM

Hi Guys, just wondering if anyone knows of a solvent that will dissolve any modern day glue and not destroy the material that has been glued.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Leon

Wilso · #2 07-02-2018, 07:21 PM

Broad area there Leon,
You really need to specify what type of glue and what type of subsurface it has been glued to - plastic, paint, metal etc
Start with spray n wipe, metho, etc.

LewisM · #3 07-02-2018, 07:50 PM

Darren is right - we need to know the substrates and the glue type.

If it is epoxy glue, good luck (some are completely undissolvable once cured). If it's superglue, acetone will do it (or stupidly expensive superglue solvent). If it is PVA, metho or even water can do it. Heat can also seperate, as can cold (some epoxies can be brittlised by freezing to snap the bond). If it is aldehyde glues, that's gonna be fun.

Now, the issue is the substrate. IF metal, usually you can try anything. If wood, fast evaporating solvents are usually OK, but it will remove any stain in the wood and the finish. If plastic, throw it away lol (nearly all solvents will destroy it, metho won't, and there are some specialised debonders for plastic).

Might be cheaper to replace the item.

AussieSky (Greg) · #4 07-02-2018, 07:54 PM

Isopropyl Alcohol will safely dissolve a lot of glues. As suggested, be careful of the substrate.

Wavytone · #5 07-02-2018, 07:55 PM

If epoxy is used to bond metal to metal, heat it gently using an electric hot plate - the epoxy will char and become brittle, easily broken and scraped off. You’ll need a ventilation fans hood too to extract the fumes.

LewisM · #6 07-02-2018, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wavytone

If epoxy is used to bond metal to metal, heat it gently using an electric hot plate - the epoxy will char and become brittle, easily broken and scraped off. You’ll need a ventilation fans hood too to extract the fumes.

True, but it is safer to try freezing first.

I have found "permanent" Loctite can be easier to weaken if frozen (liquid nitrogen or even dry ice) rather than heat.

leon · #7 07-02-2018, 08:00 PM

OK, thanks for the responses, the material glued is electronic ribbon, super glued into a electronic socket.
I need to get that ribbon out of the socket, so to speak.

Thanks again.

Leon

LewisM · #8 07-02-2018, 08:01 PM

Acetone will attack the plastic coating of the ribbon, and likely the plastic of the socket (if any), though you could try.

There are super glue debonders that are plastic safe, though not sure the last time I saw any!

redbeard (Damien) · #9 07-02-2018, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leon

OK, thanks for the responses, the material glued is electronic ribbon, super glued into a electronic socket.
I need to get that ribbon out of the socket, so to speak.

Thanks again.

Leon

Are you sure it's glue, did you glue it or someone else.

I ask as sometimes there might be a little bit of plastic you can remove from the socket to free up the ribbon cable. Do you know what I mean?

Cheers,

Damien.

Wavytone · #10 07-02-2018, 10:27 PM

I’ll suggest it’s either soldered in, or crimped. If crimped... look closely to see if the socket has tiny clips on the sides that could be prised apart with a screwdriver / if so that will release the crimp. Otherwise you have no choice but to cut it off - some crimps were designed never to be undoable.

leon · #11 08-02-2018, 02:34 PM

Thanks for your assistance, the ribbons have been glued, there are two of them.
They did have small plastic clips which held the ribbon in place however these are gone.
So to hold it all in place a small dad and i mean small was place on the top art of the ribbon only and held till it set.
I have been to Bunnings and they have a thing called super glue remover gel, apparently it will dissolve the glue with out damage to other components.
I plan to test it on some old electronic ribbon and see if it dissolves the plastic as well, if not it may be the way to go ??

Thanks Leon