Bought his graflex with super glued on grips, can I remove them without damaging it too much?

[DeVine]

Tried prying them up by hand and they're on there pretty good. Aside from using a razor and being careful, is there a way I can dissolve the super glue without damaging the handle?

The ring on the bottom is also silver soldered on so I believe I can melt the solder off and clean up the cap.

Any suggestions would be super helpful!

DeVine

 

[3251bimmer]

You can use some acetone to help clean up/loosen the glue

 

[THX1138]

Nail polish remover also works on super glue, which I think is basicly acetone. Maybe take a cup and fill it up then take the 3-cell bottom and dunk the whole thing in and let it sit for a while so it can soak in. The grips may just fall off after a while.

- Jim

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Tried prying them up by hand and they're on there pretty good. Aside from using a razor and being careful, is there a way I can dissolve the super glue without damaging the handle?

The ring on the bottom is also silver soldered on so I believe I can melt the solder off and clean up the cap.

Any suggestions would be super helpful!

DeVine

A quick shot of WD 40 along the seam lines of those grips should pop them off too, with no damage to the flash.

 

[DeVine]

These are all great solutions, thanks everyone! Slightly worried about corroding the surface or potentially starting a chemical reaction that speeds up oxidation. Those are my main conerns so I'll start with WD-40 then try dripping some mineral spirits on it and if that doesn't work I'll try dunking it in acetone as Jim suggested. That's makes sense to me, I'll report back with my results!

 

[DeVine]

(Do)n't try this at home

 

[Ron]

If it doesn't work, try sticking it in the freezer overnight.

 

[scarf man]

Wow actual wiper blades for the grips, that must be an ancient build. Good luck with your refurbishment of this saber.

 

[DeVine]

I remeber using wiper blades when I was a kid, I bet the guy I got it from did as well.

Let it sit for half an hour and the blades peeled off easy enough but a ton of gunk was left over. Let it sit for about an hour and I was able to clean off all the residue. Since this will be getting converted into a luke ANH saber I don't mind the marks it left. It's actually cleaner underneath the blades funny enough, must've been sitting in a garage for a decade or two hahaha

Time to bust out the soldering gun and see if I can get the ring off the bottom.

Thanks for the advice everyone! Give me a follow, I'll be posting the build soon enough :^)

DeVine

 

[THX1138]

Wow! Looks good now!

- Jim

 

[SPY007]

What about that ring on the back?

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Wow actual wiper blades for the grips, that must be an ancient build. Good luck with your refurbishment of this saber.

Yeah, I remember prior to the turn of the century when it was thought that the windshield wipers on a British military vehicle may have been the source for the GRAFLEX grips…

RacProps Issue 1 - How to: Light Sabers

“The grips in ‘A New Hope's’version of Luke's saber were rubber and were made from windshield wipers from a British vehicle. Many wipers could have been used, many say it was a British jeep, or an Austin Mini...”

 

[scarf man]

Even the eminent Roger Christian said they were “draft excluders” from an automobile.

 

[GreyGuard38]

On a related note, if I bought a lightsaber from a company and wanted to add the wiper-blade grips, is there an adhesive that would stick to a very shiny finish? It's gold-colored, almost looks like chrome.

 

[scarf man]

E6000

On a related note, if I bought a lightsaber from a company and wanted to add the wiper-blade grips, is there an adhesive that would stick to a very shiny finish? It's gold-colored, almost looks like chrome.

 

[ollyhills]

I need me some of that superglue, my grips want any excuse to jump off

 

[4str0m3ch]

I need me some of that superglue, my grips want any excuse to jump off

The red 3M double sided tape has held fast on my t-tracks for several years.