On Jun 21, 10:32*pm, James Sweet wrote:
Sam Goldwasser wrote:
This type is usually dark gray and soft - about the consistency of a pencil
eraser, maybe a bit tougher. *It can be removed laboriously with knives,
picks, and elbow grease. *But the question is whether there is some easier
way to do this that would leave the underlying components undamaged.
This stuff is used in a variety of places including PCBs and laser
tube assemblies. *Both of these are of interest to me. *Modest heat
has no effect including immersing in boiling water - it's not hot-melt glue. *

Thanks!

The best luck I've had is with simply picking the stuff off, you're
right though that it's no fun. I suspect it would become brittle at some
temperature, can you get your hands on some liquid nitrogen? If so, give
it a soak and smack it with something, hoping the components within do
not shatter as well. I'm curious to hear the results.

The rubbery tarry stuff that is used in older hene tube heads
dissolves in dichloromethane (DCM) used in paint strippers, The
silicone stuff is pretty impervious to all but mechanical attack.