Zap debonder

Bought a bottle of zap debonder and needed it once until now. I found it to be a red, gel like suspension, not quit workable, creating a mess of my PE. Does somebody knows if this is normal? I was expecting a liquid but this is too thick to be useful.

The bottle of ZAP Z-7 Debonder that I have contains a clear gel, it is approx. eight months old and I have used it recently with good results. HTH.
—mike

Isn’t the active ingredient in debonder just acetone?

Yes, acetone and nitromethane are the ingredients mentioned on the bottle. My bottle is about 1 month old and yesterday I used it for the first time.

Strange that my ZAP Z-7 is a red gel. Maybe it should be kept in the fridge with the ca glue?

Same stuff I have, but as mentioned, mine is clear. Something looks amiss with that bottle. Was there leakage upon initially opening your bottle? I would contact the seller and/or ZAP to determine the cause. Keep us posted.

—mike

PS: I don’t refrigerate — it just sits on my workbench… away from the CA.

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Agreed! This video shows it to be clear.

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He does mention: The “new” formula is clear, it isn’t red anymore. … There you have it.

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So I bought an old bottle, the video is from 2019. :thinking:
I guess I need to buy another one. Thanks.

This is a little off the subject but, I heard you can use nail polish remover as superglue debonder, is this true?

Good customer service would have the seller or ZAP replace it with the proper formula free of charge. I recommend reaching out to them.

Or you might consider another brand. Refer KitMaker News: VMS Glue Remove seems specifically suited for model building… uh… disassembling.:grin: HTH.

Nail polish remover will dissolve super glue. I use it to clean my tools that get and super glue on them. I have heard it can melt styrene too though so you have to be careful with it

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Last Z7 Debonder I had was a clear gel. Kept it on the desk for years and it still worked OK.

Currently using StarBond gel debonder is very good. Removed some long standing thick CA blobs from a upper hull that Z7 & Bob Smith’s wouldn’t touch.

I’d like to try the VMS debonder next.

Yes, might try to get another bottle free of charge. Else I will try the VMS debonder.
The bottles of the new and old formula Zap debonder seem to be the same, so before opening you can not tell
which of the two it is, I guess.

Nail polish remover might be a cheaper option but I do not want to risk to melt the model.
Good tip to use it for cleaning the tools (tweezers). :+1:

No. It might work but nail polish remover may contain oils. Plain acetone from the hardware/paint store would be a better substitute.

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Careful. Debonder can damage the plastic.