removing Hot Melt Glue...

[WillyChang]

ugh... Hot Melt Glue on ABS hardshell plastic. [:I]

Any ideas on this, fellas?

[Javelin395(2)]

Hey WillyChang,

You might want to try a butane pyro-pen with a hot air torch tip. The heat can be turned down to a very low setting and it has a very small heat area. The glue will soften up, then wipe or scrape it away. I then use a product called GOO GONE to clean up any residual glue while it is still soft. Afterwards, I just wash everything up with dish soap and water.

Enjoy......

[WillyChang]

I have the Portasol Pro... which does have the "hot blow" tip. However this is the same tip that I used to weld a Grasshopper chassis together, so I think its still a bit too hot for ABS. [:I]

[Javelin395(2)]

The hot glue will soften at a much lower temperature than the ABS. The fact is the glue went onto the ABS without melting it. I have taken dozens of temperature probes off of 12V storage batteries. This was done without harming the probes or the batteries. The Portasol Pro you are using made have the large tip. There is a small tip available.

Again, the idea is just to soften the glue up.

If you are worried about to much heat on the body, place a dampened rag on it to reduce the temperature.

The key is low heat and patience.

[WillyChang]

Hmm... what temp does the glue melt at?

Just wondering if hot water might be able to soften it enough.

[Javelin395(2)]

The glue gun itself will heat up to 350°F to 380°F.

The glue sticks are different depending on their application. The general purpose stick will soften up at around 150°F to 170°F while the "hi-temp" sticks will soften at around 230°F to 250°F.

Most glue sticks that people use are the general purpose ones that are translucent or straw/Opaque in colour.

You could even try a hair dryer. Although with this, you won't have as much control over what you are heating.

[WillyChang]

Cool, thanks J.

Might give hot water a try first maybe... still boils at 212degF if the memory from highskool chem suffices, or 100degC as the antipodeans know it as.

Hopefully Tamiya ABS plastic shouldn't deform at that heat.

Had a look at glue guns the other day. The shop had "normal" and "low temp" varieties, both rated at 10W. Both used sticks that were white but had warning labels that the 2 weren't interchangeable.