Removing crazy glue off Legos

cristy0791

Hi all, I got a couple of sets glued from a garage sale today and I was wondering if theres any way to remove the glue off of them without ruining the legos? I've never delt with this before and these are really cool sets I'd like to keep. Any tips or advice for dealing with this?

oldtodd33

If they are glued with Crazy Glue (kragle), there's no getting them apart without ruining the bricks themselves. Sorry.

cristy0791

I'm not sure what glue they used because when I asked the seller they said it wasnt glue as strong as that so I was hoping it could be removed 

Jern92

Put them in water and see if that dissolves the glue somewhat so you can gently pull them apart?

piratemania7

Ohhhh President Business would NOT be happy with you even attempting this...

dannyrww

I would guess the first step to removing crazy glue from Lego bricks would be convincing Lord Business that he doesn't have to be the bad guy....that he is the most interesting and most extraordinary person in the universe.....

SumoLego

^ If you don't follow the instructions, he'll put you to sleep.

Bobflip

Isopropyl alcohol will dissolve some glues, may be worth a shot.

Also great at dissolving pen ink!

AllBrick

Choose your solvent wisely, some are plastic killers. A few things may work, start with a hot water soak to see if glue starts to soften. I always attempt glue removal with zippo type lighter fuel. It dissolves sticky solutions without discolouring or distressing the plastic. And, as mentioned, isopropyl. I use this neat to clean vinyl records and it can be purchased from a pharmacist (UK anyway, not sure about US). And it goes without saying, no flames and plenty of ventilation needed when using solvents. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Bobflip

AllBrick said:

Choose your solvent wisely, some are plastic killers. A few things may work, start with a hot water soak to see if glue starts to soften. I always attempt glue removal with zippo type lighter fuel. It dissolves sticky solutions without discolouring or distressing the plastic. And, as mentioned, isopropyl. I use this neat to clean vinyl records and it can be purchased from a pharmacist (UK anyway, not sure about US). And it goes without saying, no flames and plenty of ventilation needed when using solvents. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Isopropyl's a bit risky for cleaning records! Only found this out a few weeks ago while I'm paring down my collection of 2000+. Will just buy a vinyl cleaning machine instead and sell it on after I've done the lot.

"Before we get to that, though, allow me to remove a few myths. There are certain things that you should most definitely avoid when cleaning vinyl. The most contentious of the lot and one that will have a few readers and some hi-fi journalists up in arms is pure, isopropyl alcohol (as opposed to the remnants of your last vodka and tonic). This stuff can be disastrous for vinyl. The problem is, it also lies within many commercial record cleaning products, so look carefully at the ingredients before you use them. Pure alcohol strips away much of the rubbish and gunge from grooves – which is great – but it also removes the protective coating that rests on the groove walls/floor. I don’t mean the oft talked about ‘release agent’ that a record pressing plant utilises and is often left to bung up vinyl grooves, either. Once that essential protective layer is gone, music sounds harsh and brittle. I’ve done a series of sound tests to prove this phenomenon. Initially, alcohol-cleaned records sound great. After the third or fourth clean, they sound terrible. By then, though, it’s too late and your record has been irretrievably scarred."

http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-releases/8-easy-and-affordable-ways-to-clean-your-vinyl-records-by-hand/

Shib

Bobflip said:

Isopropyl's a bit risky for cleaning records! Only found this out a few weeks ago while I'm paring down my collection of 2000+. Will just buy a vinyl cleaning machine instead and sell it on after I've done the lot.

My brother is a collector of vinyl records and recently showed me a method for cleaning records using wood glue which he now swears by. because the wood glue dried to a rubbery finish and doesn't bond with plastic it basically coats all the crap on the record and peels off.

AllBrick

@Bobflip - Granted, continuous use of isopropyl isn't good. We used to only use it to clean records once when we had some really dirty second hand items. We also used very little and it would evaporate away. And I can assure you that LEGO will not lose any sound quality. @Shib - Ahh yes, I know of this trick. Haven't tried it myself but I can see how it would work.

Bobflip

Shib said:

Bobflip said:

Isopropyl's a bit risky for cleaning records! Only found this out a few weeks ago while I'm paring down my collection of 2000+. Will just buy a vinyl cleaning machine instead and sell it on after I've done the lot.

My brother is a collector of vinyl records and recently showed me a method for cleaning records using wood glue which he now swears by. because the wood glue dried to a rubbery finish and doesn't bond with plastic it basically coats all the crap on the record and peels off.

Yeah, this method is great if you don't have 2000 records, hahaha!

Takes ages but works really well. But after a while, I realised I needed a quicker approach. So will get a machine and do them all over a few weeks.

AllBrick said:

@Bobflip - Granted, continuous use of isopropyl isn't good. We used to only use it to clean records once when we had some really dirty second hand items. We also used very little and it would evaporate away. And I can assure you that LEGO will not lose any sound quality. @Shib - Ahh yes, I know of this trick. Haven't tried it myself but I can see how it would work.

Haha, true, Lego won't lose sound quality. Just didn't want you damaging some priceless vinyl :wink: 
Iso also doesn't remove the printing, which is reassuring to know - although I tested it on a windscreen piece that didn't really need any Res-Q branding on it...

AllBrick

@Bobflip - I also found out that some plastic sleeves damage records too. I have the Aphex Twin Analord binder which has plastic sleeves, took all the records out and popped them into paper and card after I was informed.

Bobflip

Argh, yeah, sucks when that kind of thing happens, only heard about that happening recently, too. Dust inside the sleeve can be nasty as well. 

I have his Powerpill - Pacman release on yellow vinyl! Also doesn't show scratches up as much in that colour :smile: 


(found for a pound as well, but this ain't the brag thread...)