Super glue debonder

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As I get more into PE I have found an increasing need to use super glue. My glue of choice being starbond medium black.

However, sometimes it is nearly impossible to not get a bit of extra glue on the kit. Watching night shifts videos he isn’t careful at all with superglue application instead opting to clean the joint with some debonder which works well!

In his videos he recommends VMS debonder. I thought I would get it since it is specifically formulated for models only to discover it is quite hard to come by. Anyone have a recommendation for a different debonder that is styrene safe?

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Using an alternative approach, I would recommend you to switch to an acrylic glue like Ammo Ultraglue or Gator Grip (there are other similar ones).
Although not as strong as CA, it gives you more time to position the parts, it can be cleaned with water before drying and once dried it is not hard to remove with a toothpick, without leaving residues. Give it a try.

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I do also use acrylic glue for some applications but sometimes need the strength and quick bond afforded by superglue

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The problem that I have seen with debonders is that it is a good practice to keep a debonder made by the glue company as they don’t always work well cross companies.

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I use StarBond Debonder with small paint brush.

It works fantastic.

It removed a 20+ year old Bob Smith super glue spill on a Tamiya Panther G hull. Other debonders had failed to remove the CA spot.

BTW - StarBond Debonder also works pretty well cleaning assorted contaminates out of paint brushes

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Good to know!!

@Brantwoodboy i had this thought but worried that a debonder not designed for plastic might ruin the kit. @Armor_Buff dispelled that idea. Thank you both!

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Many debonders will affect the plastic. I think it was designed to undo our skin from something.

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Probably best to test on the sprue or a spare part but I haven’t seen any issues with Star Bond Debonder on plastic. Most of what I build is Tamiya, Dragon & Ryefield so there’s some manufacturers plastic I don’t have experience with using debonder on like Mini-Art.

I have seen an issue twice with very thin resin zimmerit, black CA, accelerator & debonder. The thin Cavalier Zimmerit had areas that became soft and very pliable. Took a few weeks for it to cure again.

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That is mostly what I will build too as well as airfix and hasegawa which have tough plastic. Will experiment on miniart

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The debonder I have used (I think it’s ‘zap’ branded), is a thick gel type substance which I didn’t find all that useful to get where I wanted it to get, so now I use acetone… works well, but needs to be carefully applied.

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I considered acetone but worried about its effect on the plastic, I know it can be quite an aggressive solvent

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Contents as listed by the chemical data sheet

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image871×212 33.1 KB

Doesn’t “feel” like any of these should be harmful to styrene.
Belief is one thing, knowledge is better.
If in doubt, test the product on some sprue runners first.

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I also use Starbond Medium Black for my PE work. I use Starbond Debonder successfully to clean up dried excess. It does not harm any plastic. I highly recommend it. Acetone, on the other hand, eats styrene for breakfast. Don’t do it!

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Well gents thanks again. The debonder worked a charm. Removed some excess super glue perfectly. Left a bit of residue but it cleaned up with a bit of soapy water

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