Melting nail polish?

[Mo_coon-catcher]

Quick question for a very stupid mistake. Can nail polish be melted at a low enough temperature to keep from damaging steel? I'll be using a soldering iron. Acetone won't touch it where it is at, I tried.

Thanks,
Kyle

[JoJoDapyro]

What kind of nail polish did you "use"? Acetone normally takes it off, try putting some on a cotton ball, placing the cotton ball on the polish and wrapping it with foil.

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I used that hard-as-nails stuff as a thread locker on a rifle scope base. I let the action of the rifle soak in acetone about 9 hours and managed to get one of the 4 screws out. If I wasn't having the action tried up while getting the barrel changed I wouldn't worry about it. But the base is in the way of the barrel nut. Before having the smith drill new holes I'm gonna try heating it up and seeing what happens. I used the nail polish since I had lost my bottle of loctite and didn't feel like driving 20 min to town to get more. Paying for it now.

Kyle

[adb]

Wouldn't nail polish remover work??

[half eye]

Mo,
    Did you try putting a screwdriver in the slot and give it a sharp whack, that will sometimes break the bond?  The only other thing I can think of would be to get a screwdriver (or allen wrench) red hot stick into the screw slot and wait for the heat to sink in to the screw as you apply torque. Sorry thats all I got for simple fixes.
rich

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I did try giving it a good rap with a punch to see if the shock would break it loose and it didn't. I've broke Off 5 #10 torx bits so far. Tomorrow I'm gonna see if a little heat will do te trick. If not then I'll probably have to have it drilled out.

Kyle

[sleek]

In aviation when a bolt is stuck we heat the metal around to bolt and that metal expands while the bolt doesnt. We use a graphite like ( maybe graphite ) as a temp indicator. We press the tip down and soon as it starts to melt your done. Remove the bolt easy as can be. That method does not damage the temper of the metal.

Or put the allen wrench in the key hole. Heat the allen wrench up with a torch to let heat transfer into the allen key bolt until a lead pencil starts to melt its tip on the barrel. Then allow it to cool or put a drop of water on the allen key. That should cool it enough to shrink it to remove from the hole.

[Stoker]

I'm gonna have to agree with sleek.. Heat the metal around the screw
Leroy

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I tried straight hearing it to see if it would melt it and that didn't work. Tomorrow I'll try heating everything around th screw the way sleek said. I just need to pick up some more bits. Will it make a difference with the base being aluminum?

Kyle

[mullet]

Try freezing it. Epoxy will crumble and fall apart when frozen.

[dmathis992]

mix up rubbing alcohol vodka and vinegar works gray formeh gf getting it off white shirts and comforters

[rover brewer]

I would try a hair dryer it should heat it up enough to free it and not damage the metal and or call a gunsmith and ask a lot of times they are glad to give advice.

[tattoo dave]

Have you tried any solvents harsher than acetone?  Lacquer thinner, and any acetone or toluene based paints are not friends. The lacquer will cause the paint to peel...usually.

Tattoo Dave

[sleek]

Go to any aviation repair facility.  Ask for mpk. Methyl propyl ketone. Not nice stuff. Absorbs through your skin so bad you can taste it and kills your liver. Works better than anything. Will even remove permanent marker.

[dmathis992]

@ sleek is that anything like methylene chloride? ( I know I spelled that wrong) used that when I was in the fiberglass field of work was some nasty stuff.