How to break epoxy bond?
 

Hello all. I am trying to remove the brass tips from a wood ramrod. The tips are not pinned at this time but they are held in place with epoxy. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to break the epoxy bond to get the tips off?

Thanks.

Try to heat them with a hair dryer. I have used this to remove items that have been put in with both red and blue lok-tite and it seems to work. You just have to be careful to not overheat them. I mainly use a hair dryer to do this. If this does not work, maybe try a heat gun. BUT BE CAREFUL!!! It will put out some REAL heat compared to a hair dryer!!!!! Try heating the tip first and let it radiate into the tip first. Place an old tip or jag into the tip first. I have done this to remove arrow shaft inserts in alum arrows without heating the arrow itself and it has always worked.

I'd cut them off flush and simply drill the wood out...

If you mess them up, they sell them everyday... :)

Thanks SecondChance. I do not have a heat gun so it looks like I will be borrowing the wife's hair dryer. She is gonna love that! ;)

Lol, borrowing the wife's hair dryer tonight to put camoclad on my shotgun.

She wasn't as excited as I thought she would be... :D

Not for this nchawkeye. It is a 12 gauge ramrod for a Pedersoli. According to my drill bit gauge the diameter is 23/64" (I do not have the metric equivalent in front of me). I have not been able to find a 12 gauge shotgun tip that would fit a rod in between 3/8 and 5/16. I could use a shotgun jag but that would look hideous. A 3/8" rod will not fit down the ramrod pipes and no one makes a shotgun tip for 5/16." I suppose I could start with a 3/8 and sand it down but it might be easier to try and recover the tips I have now.

if the hair dryer won't break the epoxy you can try a torch. I've done that before for inserts on carbon arrows that were longer than needed. It worked.

I dunno if it'll seep where it needs to be, but MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) might soften it up. Prolly need to touch up the wood's finish afterwards :D

Track of The Wolf sells all kinds of parts for muzzleloading. They have just about everything that you would ever need to build a muzzleloader. Check out their web site.

Thanks Zeek but I have looked there along with OC and Dixie.