Dissolving glue

[Mark Hammer]

I have some older Japanese ceramic bar pickups, and they were poorly slapped together when originally made. I'd like to unglue the ceramic bar magnet and reseat it where it ought to be..

I suppose I could try and slide something along the side of the magnet to pry it off, but I'm concerned about fracturing the magnet. What can I use to dissolve the glue?

[Joe Gwinn]

I have some older Japanese ceramic bar pickups, and they were poorly slapped together when originally made. I'd like to unglue the ceramic bar magnet and reseat it where it ought to be..

I suppose I could try and slide something along the side of the magnet to pry it off, but I'm concerned about fracturing the magnet. What can I use to dissolve the glue?

I would try Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) first. But if the glue is epoxy, probably nothing will work all that well without dissolving everything else. But one can try Methylene Chloride (used to weld plexiglas), available from plastics supply houses.

The other trick is heat.

[Jeff Callahan]

If it is super glue, you could try acetone, Jet makes a superglue dissolve, but it seems like it is a cleverly (and expensively) packaged acetone.

[Mark Hammer]

It was that goopy rubber cement they tended to use.

And thanks for the suggestion about heat Joe. Judicious use of a heat gun, a bench vice, and an X-acto blade, and we have liftoff...in both the literal and figurative sense.

Thanks again, guys.

[automan]

If it is super glue, you could try acetone, Jet makes a superglue dissolve, but it seems like it is a cleverly (and expensively) packaged acetone.

If it's a cermic magnet, it's probably slugs in a plastic bobbin. The acetone might melt the plastic too. be careful.

[Mark Hammer]

Happily, that style of pickup permits the bobbin to slide off very easily from the slug inside, so the very real danger you speak of is generally avoidable.

[automan]

I saw above that you solved the problem, but wanted to tell people that will be reading this thread in the future that acetone dissolves plastic.

[David King]

Styrene based plastics are affected by acetone. Many "modern" plastics are unaffected.

[salvarsan]

For rubber cement and Duco-type glues, use ethyl acetate and/or xylene, although pure alcohol will do in a pinch.

Superglue usually softens with acetone, something you can get in a nail polish remover.

-drh

[Jeff Callahan]

I saw above that you solved the problem, but wanted to tell people that will be reading this thread in the future that acetone dissolves plastic.

Good point, should have mentioned that

[Mark Hammer]

"I saw above that you solved the problem, but wanted to tell people that will be reading this thread in the future that acetone dissolves plastic. "

Happily, it didn't apply to me, but it remains an appropriate advisory nonetheless.

Not all clear stinky liquids are created equal!

[Possum]

...

Use rubber cement thinner. Pearl Art has it....