Posted: 11 Jan 2008, 20:50
some tips sent to me in a private message:
He suggested several chemicals that may work.
This is what he suggested:
- Gasoline; diluted with hydrogen peroxide in a 2 to 1 ratio. It must be applied carefully and of course it is a flammability hazard while working with, but it will cut into any petroleum-based goop with good efficacy and if you're careful, damage to the components will be minimal.
- Acetone; can easily cut into epoxy based goops, but it also will melt and destroy most plastics very easily. Damage to the components may be severe if extreme caution isn't taken.
- Trichloroethylene; known in the industry by nicknames such as, Trike, TCE, and Tri. He recommends this as the best chemical solvent to use on goop. It can remove the goop cleanly with little to no damage to the components. It evaporates very quickly, so there is a minimal chance of melting any plastics. The only problem is that it is highly toxic and a known carcinogen, therefore, proper protection is mandatory for anyone using it.
Also try a little bit of denatured alcohol on it, to test it's reaction to mild solvents, to try and better determine what might be the best stuff to use on it. He made a point of saying that Non-Destructive degooping is very difficult and a rather rare practice in professional reverse engineering. When a device is dissected, it usually isn't their intention for it to ever function again.