Serious Question (for once)

**slofox** · 30th June 2009, 19:06

When I put the Oxford hotgrips on the bike, unbeknownst to me, working in the gloom of the sub-basement garage with all the light of an expiring glow-worm, several drops of the superglue fixative dripped down onto the plastic fairing. And hardened up there before I found the spill days later. It now looks like dried bird-shit and really doesn't want to move at all...
Short of sanding the whole thing down and repainting and reapplying decals etc, does anyone have a viable suggestion to remove the mess? Or do we just wait for it to break down over the next several millennia?
See? It pays to look at what you are doing...

**Owl** · 30th June 2009, 19:15

Need to know if it has eaten into the paint? I've got the glue and an old plastic panel, so I'll go do a test and see what happens. If the paint is undamaged, it may be possible to file it off, but you need a special file and some skill.

I'll see what I can come up with and get back to you!

**slofox** · 30th June 2009, 19:18

Originally Posted by Owl

Need to know if it has eaten into the paint? I've got the glue and an old plastic panel, so I'll go do a test and see what happens. If the paint is undamaged, it may be possible to file it off, but you need a special file and some skill.

I'll see what I can come up with and get back to you!

Thanks Owl...

From what I can see, it has not eaten into the paint. Some small bits of it I have managed to flake off and the paint beneath is undamaged. Overall though, it shows a reluctance to move very far at all...guess that's why it's called superglue...

**Crisis management** · 30th June 2009, 19:21

Somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind I recall there is something for removing superglue (cyanoacrylate) it may be worth a google or ask around your local hardware shop....if you do find something try it out on a spare bit of plastic first.

edit..I was right, acetone or there is a special debonding agent, try a hobby shop.

**slofox** · 30th June 2009, 19:24

Originally Posted by Crisis management

Somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind I recall there is something for removing superglue (cyanoacrylate) it may be worth a google or ask around your local hardware shop....if you do find something try it out on a spare bit of plastic first.

edit..I was right, acetone or there is a special debonding agent, try a hobby shop.

Will do...

**PrincessBandit** · 30th June 2009, 19:35

Hi Balu here. Know how you feel. Happened to me on PB's bike. Managed to get it of using a plastic scraper that wasn't so hard as to damage the paint and then mothers carnuba car wax. Hope this helps.

**klingon** · 30th June 2009, 19:40

Acetone is the main ingredient in some nail polish removers. Apparently when you get artificial nails, they basically superglue them on to your real nails

then you need an acetone-based remover to get them off again.

So you might try asking at a chemist or a nail bar/beauty parlour type place.

**sunhuntin** · 30th June 2009, 19:43

boy, slo, you think youve got problems.

i glued something at work and had to open the teeny tiny little tube first. i stuck the point on the lid through the foil seal and i swear at least 90% of the glue exited the tube at a great rate of knots and went all my fingers. end result was my finger nails were fused to the finger for about 3 days. having a glue covered thumb really reduces how much you can feel.

**Conquiztador** · 30th June 2009, 19:44

Originally Posted by klingon

Acetone is the main ingredient in some nail polish removers. Apparently when you get artificial nails, they basically superglue them on to your real nails

then you need an acetone-based remover to get them off again.

So you might try asking at a chemist or a nail bar/beauty parlour type place.

Acetone melts plastic...

**nosebleed** · 30th June 2009, 19:45

talk to 'Holdfast' they're in Hamilton. they have everything for glueing, and everything for de-glueing.
they have little bottles of acetone and white spirits and all sorts of shit, just ring the H/O and they'll put you onto something

**Laxi** · 30th June 2009, 19:47

Originally Posted by Conquiztador

Acetone melts plastic...

glad some one pointed that out, not the kindest thing to put on paint

**YellowDog** · 30th June 2009, 20:15

If you've managed to brake some off and scratch the surface, a not too powerful waterblast will help it on its way. I'd suggest steaming it but your transfers wouldn't enjoy that.

Good luck.

**Owl** · 30th June 2009, 21:26

By all means have a go with a possible chemical solution. It will certainly be easier than my method, although it did work. I just have to hand cut the panel, but I don't have any compound here and I'm out of metal polish (works great)!

Bloody tough going and that glue is hard as hell, but it didn't eat into the paint. Nearly killed my file though.