Losi Jr. T (eBay bargain)

[Asso_man!]

Looks like a good candidate for a nice resto. Sounds like the seller came here before the truck was shipped and swapped the shocks with original ones after discovering that the ones installed were MIP, which might also explain the extra days it took before being shipped to you. Personally I would complain and ask for the pictured shocks from the auction. I say rip-off! And it's not because you paid a low price that this practice should be excused. Just my 0,2 eurocent... Good luck!

[LosiXXkid]

Looks like a good candidate for a nice resto. Sounds like the seller came here before the truck was shipped and swapped the shocks with original ones after discovering that the ones installed were MIP, which might also explain the extra days it took before being shipped to you. Personally I would complain and ask for the pictured shocks from the auction. I say rip-off! And it's not because you paid a low price that this practice should be excused. Just my 0,2 eurocent... Good luck!

TBH, I was only interested in the RPM components, everything else is a bonus!

[LosiXXkid]

A little progress has been made with the Junior T.

So far it has been stripped down into all the component parts which have been cleaned and de-greased, with some re-building work carried carried out on the rear hubs, rear shock tower/ bulkhead and shocks. However, the previous owner didn't do a great job when it came to gluing the rear tyres to the wheels with super-glue so I set about researching how to remove them........intact!

It would appear from an evening or two spent searching and watching numerous video's on YouTube and visiting a few R/C forum threads that there are four main ways that are used to remove the tyres from the wheels. In no particular order they are....

baking in the oven
boiling in water
using either an acetone bath or just the vapours in a closed tub
cutting away the tyre with a scalpel/ hobby knife

I'm going to eliminate cutting the tyre off as this defeats the object of removing it intact.

The acetone bath certainly works but you need a decent amount of the stuff and a suitable container so this is looks like a good option. However, using just the vapours can take about a week but the results are again very good.

Boiling the wheel/ tyre in water appears to work quite well but does not guarantee the 100% intact removal of the tyre from the wheel - there's also a risk of scalding using this method so care is needed. The main downside of this method is that the boiling process doesn't remove the excess super-glue from the wheel or the tyre.

Then there's the baking option. The results are similar to the boiling process in that the tyre does not come away 100% intact....and again, care is needed in handling the hot wheel/ tyre when it's removed from the oven. And again, the main downside of this method is that the baking process doesn't remove the excess super-glue from the wheel or the tyre.

So, what to do....?

Well, it surprised me that no-one seems to mention super-glue de-bonder! At least I couldn't find anything......so I tried it.

This is the wheel/ tyre before. As you can see there is plenty of unnecessary overspill onto the tyre...

Before.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 043c.jpg (113.62 KiB) Viewed 1936 times

Before.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 043c.jpg (113.62 KiB) Viewed 1936 times

...and this is 'after' now looking like new.

After.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 044c.jpg (111.1 KiB) Viewed 1936 times

After.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 044c.jpg (111.1 KiB) Viewed 1936 times

And a couple more...

100% clean removal.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 011c.jpg (117.04 KiB) Viewed 1936 times

100% clean removal.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 011c.jpg (117.04 KiB) Viewed 1936 times

Nothing remains of the super-glue.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 016c.jpg (102.58 KiB) Viewed 1936 times

Nothing remains of the super-glue.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 016c.jpg (102.58 KiB) Viewed 1936 times

All that was required was to run the super-glue de-bonder into the bead and then leave it for 10-15 minutes. After which I started to gently work the tyre away from the wheel while at the same time adding a few more drops of the de-bonder. With a little patience I had the tyre off in about 30-40 minutes or so but I wasn't timing myself.....! Other traces of super-glue are wiped away from the tyre after leaving the de-bonder to do its job. If you're going to try this, it's worth pointing out that I used a small section of an old cotton hand towel in conjunction with the de-bonder. Basically don't use anything like bathroom tissue that breaks down easily otherwise you'll end up in a right mess!

The same treatment was given to the wheel itself after which both wheel and tyre were cleaned in hot soapy water with a small nail brush and then left to dry. In all it probably took about 1/3 of a small (20ml) bottle of de-bonder to do one wheel/ tyre so a very cheap solution as well!

I can also confirm that the de-bonder does not affect the tyre or the wheel - in this case nylon. However, the de-bonder does soften some other plastics like that of a PC keyboard or mouse so remember to keep your hands clean!

Side-by-side comparison....

Side-by-side before.

Losi Jr. T 051c.jpg (125.56 KiB) Viewed 1830 times

Side-by-side before.

Losi Jr. T 051c.jpg (125.56 KiB) Viewed 1830 times

Side-by-side after.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 035c.jpg (120.28 KiB) Viewed 1830 times

Side-by-side after.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 035c.jpg (120.28 KiB) Viewed 1830 times

...and a closer look.

Close up.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 036c.jpg (105.27 KiB) Viewed 1830 times

Close up.

Losi Jr.T Rear Truck Wheels 036c.jpg (105.27 KiB) Viewed 1830 times

This was my first attempt and I think the results speak for themselves. Bear in mind that the amount of time it takes will depend on the amount of super-glue originally used to secure the tyre to the wheel and the quality of the bond.

Personal tip: take your time and give the de-bonder time enough to work and I'm sure you'll be happy with the results.

[Coelacanth]

Great tip. If it saves me time and effort, and the cost is cheap, then I'm interested. I use the acetone fume method, leaving the parts to be unglued in the "fume bag" for 24 hours, and this works very well...but if there's a way to accomplish similar results in 15 minutes, I want to know about it. How about some pictures of this glue de-bonder you used?

[LosiXXkid]

Great tip. If it saves me time and effort, and the cost is cheap, then I'm interested. I use the acetone fume method, leaving the parts to be unglued in the "fume bag" for 24 hours, and this works very well...but if there's a way to accomplish similar results in 15 minutes, I want to know about it. How about some pictures of this glue de-bonder you used?

Here you go, this is what I used....

[Coelacanth]

Nice, thanks...where did you buy it? I don't believe I ever saw that before, at least not here in Canada.

[SFC K]

Great tip. If it saves me time and effort, and the cost is cheap, then I'm interested. I use the acetone fume method, leaving the parts to be unglued in the "fume bag" for 24 hours, and this works very well...but if there's a way to accomplish similar results in 15 minutes, I want to know about it. How about some pictures of this glue de-bonder you used?

Here you go, this is what I used....

That is a great tip! I will have to find some and try it out.

I am really impressed with the results from this technique.

[LosiXXkid]

Nice, thanks...where did you buy it? I don't believe I ever saw that before, at least not here in Canada.

IIRC, it came from a local hardware store....nothing special.

However, you should be able to get ZAP brand in Canada.

http://www.supergluecorp.com/zap/zap-z-7-debonder

ZAP Z-7

ZAP Z-7 Debonder.jpg (19.88 KiB) Viewed 1921 times

ZAP Z-7

ZAP Z-7 Debonder.jpg (19.88 KiB) Viewed 1921 times

[jwscab]

That stuff is simply acetone with some stuff to make it not evaporate as quickly. It works but its more expensive than straight acetone.

[LosiXXkid]

That stuff is simply acetone with some stuff to make it not evaporate as quickly. It works but its more expensive than straight acetone.

The de-bonder that I have contains Heptane and certainly does not smell of acetone.

Heptane - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptane

[LosiXXkid]

That stuff is simply acetone with some stuff to make it not evaporate as quickly. It works but its more expensive than straight acetone.

OK, just checked the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for the ZAP Z-7 and yes, it's acetone.... ...so not the same as what I have.

These are the ingredients in the Everbuild brand...

• HEPTANE
WEL (8 hr TWA): 500 ppm

• NITROMETHANE
WEL (8 hr TWA): 254 mg/m3 WEL (15 min STEL): 381 mg/m3

[jwscab]

That everbuild stuff is good to know. Nitromethane can dissolve tons of stuff but unless you run a nitro car its not worth getting a big container.

[LosiXXkid]

That everbuild stuff is good to know. Nitromethane can dissolve tons of stuff but unless you run a nitro car its not worth getting a big container.

The main active ingredient in the Everbuild brand is the Heptane.

The cheapest I've found the 20ml bottle on eBay is £2.70, which is about $4.30 (USD) and based on my experience, one 20ml bottle should be enough to do four wheels and tyres.

[mytimac]

Wow that came out much better than I expected. Thanks for sharing your results.

[Diamond Dave]

Looks great in the close up. I love that truck. You guys should see mine, I have about 50 of em!! JR-T's are awesome. Simple but great!

Well, not 50, maybe two or so. I would own 50 if I could.