Safely Moving A Surface Plate

j. vibert

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It has been confirmed that J. Vibert's surface plate is of the "ledge type" form factor and is produced from a solid piece of granite. Suggestions on how to separate the believed sections, although appreciated, are now unnecessary. Thank you all very much.


Howdy,

Just yesterday I happen to win a 36x24x4" surface plate at a local online auction. This morning I went to pick up my prize and was surprised to see it adhered to another smaller plate. Why...?..., I have no idea. At any rate the "combo" was sold as a single lot. However now I have a double thick plate which is too much for me to move solo.

I can't say for sure what compound is being used to hold the two plates together, but there is bead of what appears to be silicone along the mating edge.

Can anyone suggest a silicone solvent that I may use that won't harm the plates. Or simply just tell me that I have nothing to worry about....lol.

I have no idea and no means to check how thorough the glue job is, but the hope is to use something that will creep between the plates and liquefy the silicone entirely.

Maybe if I can get lucky I'll end up with two plates for the cost of one. :)

Any feedback is welcome, and thanks in advance
 
I am not aware of any solvent the will completely dissolve silicone. Oils and the like will soften it over time and cause some swelling. I would try WD40 or something similar. Not as toxic as xylene or acetone. If the plates are bonded over their entire interface, it could take years for the effect to reach the center. If there is any kind of a gap, you may be able to insert some thin wedges around the perimeter, gradually pushing them deeper over time. Once a gap is created the solvents have a better chance of working.
 
As a practical matter, I'd leave them glued together. The silicone solvent has an almost microscopic edge to work on and so will penetrate the joint VERY slowly. If you were to turn it so that the smaller plate was on top, put a dike around the edges and fill the gap with solvent and let it sit for a long period of time, you might get them apart. Do not try to pry them apart. The adhesive is very good and you will chip the edges, if you don't break the plate.
 
Thank you for the extremely fast replies....

I did the standard google search before posting here. The surface plate aspect isn't something that's apart of silicone solvent discussion. That's why I figured I'd query those who know what I mean when I say surface plate...lol.

As it stands the plates need to come apart. They simply are beyond my means as a combo. I figured breaking down the silicone would be a long task, so I'll have to get a couple more pairs of hands to help me get them out of the Yukon in some sort of short/long term storage.

I think I'll scrap some of the bead off (great idea) and give the Xylene a go. I have some rather strong degreasers used for metal painting prep. May try that on a sample as well.
 
As a chemist (retired) I can tell you that even the best solvent will work slowly on silicone. It is a VERY good adhesive. Dow makes a solvent for it, though, called Dow Corning DS-2025 Silicone Cleaning Solvent. It is an organic solvent of some sort. I tried to get the MSDS to find out more about it with no luck. You will probably have to go through a distributor to get some. Even it will have a real job to do since the only point of attack is that very thin line of adhesive. Good luck.
 
Piano wire... That's a great idea. I can't image the joint is all that thin.

I need to get off my arse and start trying to get these plates apart. I'll snap a couple of pics and come back with my progress if any.

Thanks again
 
I agree that trying to pry them apart would be risky, but it might help to drive in thin wedges (being careful not to chip the stone) to apply moderate tension to the joint while the solvent works.

It's also possible that the glue is only near the edges so that you won't have to wait eons for solvent to diffuse all the way to the center.

Perhaps a combination of a wire (good idea!) and solvent might work. Dig out as much sealant as possible, soak for a while, dig out the softened sealant, repeat.
 
Would a little electricity heat up the wire to make it melt the silicone? I know it is pretty high heat resistant but anything tosleed up the process.
 
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