I got visited by an old friend cabinetmaker that ran into a problem. He made some commercial showcases for a jewelry store. They are black high gloss mica (like Formica), and the glass is set in to a rabbet with a bead of silicone (GE Silicone II).
The problem he has is that during the process, there is squeeze out and smears of silicone on the mica surfaces that he can't get off. He said he tried every chemical he could get his hands on to dissolve the silicone, but nothing worked. Chemicals like lacquer thinner, acetone, MEK, different alcohols, toluene, xylene, mineral spirits, turpentine, kerosene, and even a heat gun didn't work. He said he tried scraping it off, but left visible scratches. There is too much to rub off.
I told him I know that problem as I've had that happen. My solution was to carefully smear Vaseline on the mica prior to laying the bead. Doing that, a sharp single edged razor blade along the glass would cut a clean line, and all the rest would just pull off. That advice is a little late now.
I'm not knocking silicone, as it's great for bedding glass and assembling aquariums. So, the question is what chemical if any will dissolve cured silicone?
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The problem he has is that during the process, there is squeeze out and smears of silicone on the mica surfaces that he can't get off. He said he tried every chemical he could get his hands on to dissolve the silicone, but nothing worked. Chemicals like lacquer thinner, acetone, MEK, different alcohols, toluene, xylene, mineral spirits, turpentine, kerosene, and even a heat gun didn't work. He said he tried scraping it off, but left visible scratches. There is too much to rub off.
I told him I know that problem as I've had that happen. My solution was to carefully smear Vaseline on the mica prior to laying the bead. Doing that, a sharp single edged razor blade along the glass would cut a clean line, and all the rest would just pull off. That advice is a little late now.
I'm not knocking silicone, as it's great for bedding glass and assembling aquariums. So, the question is what chemical if any will dissolve cured silicone?
.
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