Thread: How to separate glued scales

I'm in the process of making a set of scales, and in several of the guides folks say to glue/cement the blanks together before sawing out the rough scale shape. How do you separate the scales afterward without damaging them? Just immerse them in a solvent, or use elbow grease and a prybar?

Put a dab of glue in two or three spots along the scales (don't spread it all over) and clamp the two pieces together. When you are ready to separate, you can use a razor blade to carefully separate the two halves.

You will want to use a glue with some holding power but nothing too strong.


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Try using Scotch "Permanent" double sided tape when working with wood and plastic scales to stick the blanks together before shaping.

You should be able to find it in any office supply chain store.

The tape is strong enough to keep the scales together while working on them, but weak enough to seperate them and remove the adhesive from the inside surface when you're done.

Just carefully insert an exacto knife (or the equivalent) blade in the crack and gently pry the scales apart.

The correct answer:
Depends on the glue you used.

If the glue is stronger than the wood and the bond was good, you'll only damage the scales if you try to cut them apart.

If it's softer this may work, but I'd try disolving the glue a little first. The solvent will depend on the glue.

You should use rubber cement or double sided tape, it makes things much easier.

Thanks guys,

I just got back from Joann's, got some double sided tape. Now to try it on some test wood!

or a glue like rubber cement will let you separate them easily without cutting with a blade or using a solvent. It all just depends on what glue ya use as Dan said.

I hate replying to anything that Dan has posted because his avatar just creeps the HELL out of me. Besides that he is correct.

Double sided tape is probably the easiest, rubber cement also works well. I like plain old white glue with paper between the joint, the paper tears in half easily. I had rather scrape a few glue spots off than roll rubber cement off. Which ever method works best for you, is the right one.

Yeah that avatar gives me the willies--------eek

Charlie

Very few adhesives are heat resistant. I'm unsure if a hairdryer is hot enough but a heat gun makes short work of it. I use glue rather than tape myself. One less thing to buy and you use only the tiniest amount of glue, which you actually need, so it's nearly free

I use crazy glue to glue some thick paper/thin cardboard (think cereal box) to each scale. Then I glue the paper together. This makes the line between scales easy to see when you want to separate them. The paper is weaker than the scale, so it just tears away from the glue. I then use a sharp razor blade to remove the dab of glue from the scale.

Works for me.