[SOLVED] How to remove/clean off these annoying glue easily ?

[BravoV]

Update : Solved the problem, not perfect though, but workable at post #31 -> HERE, thanks to SeanB for the tip. 


Spent almost 30 minutes scraping and yanking it with needle without any luck (pointed by red arrows). 

This yellowish glue can not be peeled easily, they just chipped off tiny piece by piece when I yanked them with sharp needle.  Also its somehow sipped in and perfectly secured at the tiny latches at the connectors. 

Is there any easy and non destructive way/method to clean this yellow gunk ? Any idea please ?

All I want is to pull these connectors off the board. 

Attached photos below.

[Cerebus]

It's hot melt adhesive. If you're lucky a hair drier will warm it up enough to make it sufficiently elastic to pull off. If not, you're going to have to find a heat gun with a good enough thermostatic control that can melt the glue but not the connectors or cable insulation. One of the cheap hot air soldering guns might be just the ticket - mine goes down to a well-controlled 100C.

[xavier60]

That looks like the same stuff I first saw in electronic products over 30 years ago. High temperature causes it to turn brown. It also becomes corrosive and conductive. It is responsible for causing many premature faults.

[wraper]

It's hot melt adhesive.

No it is not. But it should become softer and easier to remove when heated.

[deejay2k1]

try isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. see if it softens the goo.

or try to score along the mating of the connectors with a sharp blade (exacto knife)

[CJay]

It's some sort of rubber adhesive, I've not found any easy way to remove it but I have been told lighter fluid/naptha will soften or dissolve it.

Would be worth trying to dissolve some of the bits you've scraped off in a small pot of naptha.

[Cerebus]

It's hot melt adhesive.

No it is not. But it should become softer and easier to remove when heated.

Just blindly gainsaying someone else by blankly offering a definitive sounding "is it not" without providing any further information as to what it is, is not helpful. It makes it sound like you're looking for an argument rather than trying to help the OP.

[steverino]

It's some sort of rubber adhesive, I've not found any easy way to remove it but I have been told lighter fluid/naptha will soften or dissolve it.

Would be worth trying to dissolve some of the bits you've scraped off in a small pot of naptha.

If it's a polyurethane glue, acetone will act as a solvent.  If the naptha doesn't work, try acetone.  Be careful, some plastics don't tolerate acetone.

[SeanB]

Freeze it with freezer spray, then it becomes brittle and breaks off easily. Solvents tend to make it soft yes, but it then spreads all over the place.  Freeze and it just breaks off with slight movement or prodding.

[wraper]

It's hot melt adhesive.

No it is not. But it should become softer and easier to remove when heated.

Just blindly gainsaying someone else by blankly offering a definitive sounding "is it not" without providing any further information as to what it is, is not helpful. It makes it sound like you're looking for an argument rather than trying to help the OP.

What is not helpful, is when someone provides false information blankly saying it is hot melt glue. As of what particular formulation of this glue is, I don't know. But that does not matter that much. What I know, I've seen a lot of boards with such glue, and it is not hot melt, therefore won't melt when heating.

[BFX]

Freeze it with freezer spray, then it becomes brittle and breaks off easily. Solvents tend to make it soft yes, but it then spreads all over the place.  Freeze and it just breaks off with slight movement or prodding.

This is really good way.

[Cerebus]

It's hot melt adhesive.

No it is not. But it should become softer and easier to remove when heated.

Just blindly gainsaying someone else by blankly offering a definitive sounding "is it not" without providing any further information as to what it is, is not helpful. It makes it sound like you're looking for an argument rather than trying to help the OP.

What is not helpful, is when someone provides false information blankly saying it is hot melt glue. As of what particular formulation of this glue is, I don't know. But that does not matter that much. What I know, I've seen a lot of boards with such glue, and it is not hot melt, therefore won't melt when heating.

Yup, that sounds just like someone who is merely looking for an argument. Another one for the ignore list...

[wraper]

Ok, if you never seen how hot melt glue looks like, then keep thinking I'm here to try argument with you. I'm out, +1 for ignore.

[BravoV]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, really appreciate it. 

I will try these following the current possible methods .. 

- Freezer spray 1st as SeanB suggested, hopefully it will become brittle.
- Warm method, then try to pick and scrap it, must be tedious as this is quite small.
- Zippo fluid , with cotton bud when applying to soften it.
- Acetone, this is quite risky as the connectors are plastic, must be really careful when applying it.

Last effort , de-solder the whole connectors to lift them up altogether. 

Will report back the result.

[Siwastaja]

Yup, that sounds just like someone who is merely looking for an argument. Another one for the ignore list...

You are not contributing. It can't be so hard to have the wrong answer. It happens to all of us! Now, please, just go away and stop producing more of that shit.

[CJay]

Life lessons learned, when proven wrong, try to bite your tongue,  admit it gracefully, apologise if necessary and learn from the mistake.

On occasion I've had to take a craft knife to that glue to separate connectors, it's horrible stuff and makes disassembling things difficult (which is, I suppose, testimony to its effectiveness) but I wouldn't bother too much about removing it from the connectors as long as it's not in contact with any conductors or close to high voltages, it simply won't be a problem in those circumstances.

I would make efforts to remove it if it was in contact with component leads, PCB tracks or close enough to high voltages that it could cause leakage.

[Cerebus]

Yup, that sounds just like someone who is merely looking for an argument. Another one for the ignore list...

You are not contributing. It can't be so hard to have the wrong answer. It happens to all of us! Now, please, just go away and stop producing more of that shit.

Actually, I already had. You're the one now stirring up something off topic and choosing to use language that makes it difficult to just ignore you. You might consider moderating your tone.

I've no problem with being wrong, I have been most of my life about something or other. What I have a problem with is someone who (and I've seen this repeatedly done to others) just flies past saying "you're wrong" without contributing anything to move the conversation towards its goal or any evidence that excluded my suggestion - just a bald, pointless, unhelpful "It's not...". That's just unhelpful and I said so. Is that so wrong? And once it has clear that someone just wanted an argument, he got added to my ignore list and, well, I ignored him.

This is my final word on the topic. Be the big man and make it yours too.

[Gyro]

Come on guys, play nice!

@Cerebus:  wraper's postings do often come across as rather terse and black and white, I hope it's a linguistic thing, I'd have great difficulty coming across easily in Latvian. I've had a similar situation (It's an NTC, not it's a VDR) in the past and chose to ignore it. ...and you did say point blank that it was hotmelt, which it almost certainly isn't... that's the clear stuff with dangling 'cobwebs.

@wraper: Your replies do sometimes come over a bit short and 'point-blank' (it was an NTC, not a VDR by the way  ). Maybe you could try to soften it a bit (stick an 'I think' on the front).

[wraper]

@wraper: Your replies do sometimes come over a bit short and 'point-blank' (it was an NTC, not a VDR by the way  ). Maybe you could try to soften it a bit (stick an 'I think' on the front).

I can be too harsh sometimes, and acknowledge it does not add any credit to me  . Although, in this case I certainly didn't write anything ill intended by quoting that hot melt, and reply was completely blown out of proportion IMO.

it was an NTC, not a VDR by the way

Don't recall correcting you about NTC. Only recall there were a few occasions people named blown part as a MOV while it actually was NTC.

[Gyro]

Yes, out of proportion, I guess people have days like that.. I know I do!

Don't recall correcting you about NTC. Only recall there were a few occasions people named blown part as a MOV while it actually was NTC.

Not worth worrying about now  - It was that guy who had the fuse blow, so jumpered it and had UV fireworks  You were convinced in very few words that it was a MOV. We didn't reach flashpoint anyway. 

Edit: Oops, actually the other way round (NTC)

[wraper]

It was that guy who had the fuse blow, so jumpered it and had UV fireworks  You were convinced in very few words that it was a MOV. We didn't reach flashpoint anyway. 

About UV PSU guy, I certainly recall saying it was NTC which was glowng.
Found, here it is: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/power-supply-failure-(with-ultraviolet-radiation)/msg1060769/#msg1060769, and it was you who were convinced it was MOV  . Seems that was MOV in the end, however there was R3 marking on the PCB  . About short posts, it's certainly easier for native speaker to write some long texts without spending awfully lot of time.

[Gyro]

Ah, yes, that was the one. Happy days!    Yes, first time I've seen a MOV with an R reference (I guess the considered it a VDR rather than MOV?).

Yes I think people need to have more awareness of non-native speakers and not see short posts as 'rude' or agressive. It would help if more people started using country flags too (and looking at them!), usage seems to be dropping off again in new members.

[wraper]

VDR rather than MOV?

Dunno, it's one and the same. Usually I see something like RVxx, marking it as Rxx is certainly uncommon.

The most common type of VDR is the metal oxide varistor or MOV

[Gyro]

Yup.

[KL27x]

If it WAS hotmelt, it would easily peel off in one piece with a drop of alcohol. Heating it would just make a mess. It sure looks like a polyurethane glue.