I was hoping to find the answer to this back in the archives, but I haven't had any luck: Is it possible to remove the white stain that super glue can cause from vinyl without damaging a toy? I just received one of Mai Nagamoto's Innocent figures, and if you have seen them before you probably already know that the eyes can be various BBs glued into place on the little dimple-sockets on the top of Innocent's head. On my toy it looks like there was a little excess glue and there is a droplet of overflow next to the eye surrounded by that white haze that can happen (even on white vinyl unfortunately). Any suggestions for clean up or removal?
Unfortunately, John (and believe me, I know how hard this can be, having a deeply nit-picky, perfectionist eye, myself), I think you'd be best off learning to live with it. You could scrape it off with the back side of an Xacto, but that will definitely mar the finish of the vinyl; you could get some CA debonder and put it on there, but it would be very hard to keep it contained to just the affected area, and if the debonder itself didn't leave a stain on the finish (likely), it would still require some rubbing and scrubbing to get the glue off... which would likely leave a mark. At least it's white on white!
@ungawa222 I had thought that might be the most likely situation. I was hoping that somebody might have discovered a magic product in the several years since the threads that I found in my search. As it is, I am prepared to either enjoy the wabi-sabi of the little guy or paint it myself.
Any chance of posting a close-up photo? Wondering if it's possible to pop off the eye and glue, and re-glue?
Goo-gone? They make a lighter version for removing price tags from the likes of vintage toy cardbacks, possibly this could work for you....
My Solution: Try to track down a new one, then sell the old one! Info From Krazy Glue's Website: "Krazy Glue can be removed with acetone. However, acetone is a pretty powerful solvent and can damage some types of plastic. A safer solvent is nitromethane that can usually be found at specialty hobby stores. Look for products called "de-bonders" containing the nitromethane component. Always be sure to test whatever solvent you choose on an inconspicuous area first to check for compatibility issues."
Thanks guys, I have been reading those same FAQs etc. about acetone and other cleaners. I may try some cooking oil, but that could cause discoloration if it saturates the plastic somehow. @Mr. Humphreys I will try to get a decent photo when I get back home. I was wondering that myself.
Looking forward to seeing the photo! IMHO, I would steer clear of any solvents. Acetone (reagent grade anyway) is pretty strong stuff (used to use it when I worked in a lab), and will easily damage a delicate toy surface. @ungawa222 thank you for the debonder link, I'm not familiar with that line. @Patrickg2k solution sounds like the best one, if you can't pop off the glue
Use coconut oil, it will get underneath the glue and neither stain nor discolor the vinyl. Have you tried heating it up with a blow dryer? If not try that, since the glue it hard as the vinyl softens the glue will not and should lift right off. It looks like the "stain" is just on or in the glue not the doll itself. Good luck with whatever you go with.
Hmmm... tough one! I sort of wonder if that glue/epoxy has now seeped into the vinyl itself, to the point that you can't separate it. Not sure if it's the lighting and/or the angle of the photo, but that white "stain" looks like it's migrated outwards in a dispersion pattern (quite far out too). That milky whiteness is not only under the clear glue, but it's crawled over the surface of the vinyl, which makes me think that the adhesive compound that must have chemically reacted with the base vinyl in some way, to cause a surface discoloration? Can't tell for sure, but I think I would agree with ungawa222 and leave it be, or find another version. Sorry this happened to your toy p.s. please keep us updated on what you decide to do, and good luck!
Oh wow, this is def poor quality control! If it was an expensive toy (more than $15-$20) then i would contact the seller/maker and ask for a replacement or for them to fix it. If companies want to put out KR or Funko quality toys, then they should be pricing them as such. I’ve had to send toys back for repairs or have had replacements sent. Lessons learned for makers/distributors to have more QC prior to shipping. I’ve done the same for toys that have been damaged in transit due to obviously poor packing. You are spending your hard earned money and should be respected as a consumer, for without you they would not be making money! Good luck!
