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[TugCowboy]

Hi Guys,

Bought a beautiful hull off a fellow Mayhem'er and after a year of use one of the servo's needs changing.
It seems to be set in some sort of builders foam which is absolutely rock solid.

Been trying to chip away at it for about half an hour now and even with a sturdy screwdriver it's not wanting to budge without me using so much force that I'm worried I'm going to damage the hull.

Anyone come up against this stuff before and won?



Many thanks,

Alex

[grendel]

I would suggest this,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everbuild-PUREX-Eater-Expanding-Remover/dp/B0012XDEM0
but you would need to be sure it wouldnt eat the hull too

[markjames68]

Im gonna guess from the pic that its not builders foam, it looks like milliput, , carefull use of a small grinder might do it, just gring the lot off, or leave it and add new required servo in a slightly different place.....

[Chris57]

Agree with mark James, looks like milliput or very similar, should grind out with dremel or similar.
Chris

[lakesidebob]

Never ceases to amaze you how modellers bury things in concrete never imagining it may have to be removed one day.Good luck with this...

[NFMike]

Never ceases to amaze you how modellers bury things in concrete never imagining it may have to be removed one day.Good luck with this...

The other favourite is install a mechanical/electrical affair in the hull and then glue the deck over it with no or near impossible access. Murphy dictates that it will go wrong at some point 

[Captain fizz]

It is amazing, you can find boats that look superb on the outside but when you look inside, they are a nightmare of total bodging

[TugCowboy]

Guys I think you are right - my error.
It does appear to be milliput. I had thought it was a foam as the only bit I managed to get through had a huge air bubble in it which made me think foam but I suspect it could just be the way it was placed.

My next problem is going to be getting a dremel in there as it's rather awkwardly under the deck.
I also need to get the Two motors out as it's far too slow and couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding - however they are also rather deeply buried.

I suspect anything that dissolves Milliput will also kill the paint and fibreglass. But I really suspect this is going to be almost impossible to remove entirely without damaging something :(

[Captain fizz]

If you need to do major works, bite the bullet and cut out a section of deck.
It will be far less hassle in the long run.
Boats with poor access are a right royal pain in the posteria.

[jaymac]

Had a similar problem  rmoving the cradle for motors almost at the point of trying a wee  Oscillating saw but   eventually cleared back to the hull with a wood  chisel.You could have a go at the servo  break/drill into it  and if you can  perhaps force one side in enough to get leverage  you might get somewhere or drill holes bigger in the stuff and try and split that  .Mines was like concrete but  a chisel and  thin bladed kitchen knife eventually won  http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,53179.msg547585.html#msg547585 

[essex2visuvesi]

A Dremmel with a flexi shaft attachment is a real bonus here

[Danny]

I frequently had to remove glassed-in bent propshafts in my multi racing days (driving skills? ... "could do better"!!  )
I used a black fibre abrasive disc in a Dremel drill and carefully ground the mounts away with a series of angled cuts.
One thing to note is to make sure that the hull is fully supported underneath. You can use a sheet of upholstery foam or even a folded towel on an opened workmate (the bench type, not your best pal!!).  Don't just rely on the support given by your normal stand or a flat surface.
More hull damage will be caused by impact removal (chisel, etc) than abrasion or drilling.
Cheers
Danny
(And you can then add your contribution to the "messiest tool" thread!)

[rickles23]

Hi,


Nothing beats a good Dremel.


Regards

[malcolmfrary]

The bit that causes the servo to be held down is probably the wiring where it exits, usually at the output end.  The is a piece of wood there - if that could be levered out, it might expose enough of the putty surrounding the servo to allow some careful dremmeling which in turn might allow something thin to be used as a lever at the other end and free the servo leaving basically a servo shaped mounting hole.

[w3bby]

I've used an oscillating saw to remove stuff epoxied to my hulls. You can work right on the surface of the hull due to the shape of most blades. A very useful tool to have...

[NFMike]

I've used an oscillating saw to remove stuff epoxied to my hulls. You can work right on the surface of the hull due to the shape of most blades. A very useful tool to have...

Generically they are called multi-tools, so search on those. I got one recently and it's been very useful, though a contender for dustiest tool on some jobs.

[NFMike]

You could have a go at the servo  break/drill into it  and if you can  perhaps force one side in enough to get leverage 

If you aren't trying to save the servo I'd consider ripping the top and guts off/out and then use a small power tool to work outward from the middle. Might be easier 'access'.

[regiment]

a small drill and time that is what I done once