Scope glued to the rings, what to do?

[Sideshow]

Your scared of your gunsmith Come to think of it I might be in that club as well

 

[Ontario Hunter]

In my extensive experience I have found gunsmiths to be generally full of themselves and take pride in being unfriendly. There have been exceptions of course. Les Bauska was a wonderful guy. And Duane Weibe. And the Aussie guy up in Red Deer, Alberta who also makes gun barrels. Extremely nice guy to talk to even though he couldn't help me. The list of jerk gunsmiths I've encountered is, however, very long. They are a dying breed and most know it. Greatly impacts their attitude when competition is scarce or nonexistent.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I have a grumpy old gunsmith, my friend, who installed new scope on same rifle, and removed this one with rings attached.

He said: "Keep it as it is, maybe you will need it as a back up or spare for that rifle! Hear me what I say. Keep it on stand by just in case"

Now I am afraid, to go there and ask him to remove the rings! He will yell at me for not following advice, and kick me out of his workshop, on short temper!

So, I have to do this behind his back!
It is special relationship!



Next gunsmith is 200 miles away... Too much!

So, Yes, I thought about it!

Yes, a local good gunsmith in hand is worth two (or more) in the bush (200mi away). DON'T piss him off! LOL

 

[CBH Australia]

+1. Try this first. A freezer is usually around 10F. I've hunted in 0F temps and two years ago my buddy and his son hunted in -16F. Did no harm to their "high dollar" Bushnell scopes. LOL

I like the freezer idea.
The only other option if it’s well stuck and has steel rings is to apply direct heat on the steel rings with a jet lighter.

Protect that older Swarovski it’s still a great scope

 

[HankBuck]

Acetone should loosen the glue but not harm the scope if the tube is blued. Keep acetone away from lenses as it may damage coatings.

@Ontario Hunter - I’ve only used Acetone a couple times but was advised to be “very careful” wear rubber gloves, don’t inhale fumes etc.. (nasty stuff).
It seemed to remove every type of finish but I never tried it on a gun barrel or scope finish — I would not want to risk it but I also can’t think of anything else that would dissolve old glue in a space as tight as between “scope & ring”??

 

[Ontario Hunter]

@Ontario Hunter - I’ve only used Acetone a couple times but was advised to be “very careful” wear rubber gloves, don’t inhale fumes etc.. (nasty stuff).
It seemed to remove every type of finish but I never tried it on a gun barrel or scope finish — I would not want to risk it but I also can’t think of anything else that would dissolve old glue in a space as tight as between “scope & ring”??

We use it quite a bit for taxidermy. Yes, it's stinky and caustic (why it dissolves glue and plastic). It shouldn't do anything to bluing since that is essentially coloring the metal by rusting it. Would probably do a number on crekote finish but this scope is too old for that. He could try it on a spot under the scope to be sure but I'm fairly certain acetone won't harm the finish.

 

[gbflyer]

Put it in the freezer overnight.

 

[fourfive8]

The type of glue/adhesive determines what solvent might work. I use acetone for all kinds of things including wiping cases when reloading. I don’t know that it is any worse than any number of solvents commonly used around most shops. Similar to brake and carburetor cleaners and even lacquer thinner that women slather on their fingers to remove nail polish.

So, who knows what type of adhesive someone may have used on a scope mount ring? A chemical that will really remove bluing is a rust remover like naval jelly which has phosphoric acid! Most solvents won’t affect bluing anymore than common cleaning solvents everyone uses for bore cleaning. But, many solvents will damage stick finishes.

Successfully popping a glued ring away from a scope body without going damage to the scope is going to really be a crap shoot! Breaking down an epoxy like JB may require an amount heat that might damage a scope. I doubt a solvent like acetone will have any affect on most epoxies. But, some judicious shrink-swell cycling might be enough?? Heat ring with heat gun but not so much to over-pressurize or otherwise damage scope… then quickly cool in freezer to low temp. Then try tapping ring with piece of wood so inertia or vibration pops the adhesive loose?? The tricky part is judging how much force (abuse) to use without damaging scope

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Nail polish remover is acetone with dye and aromatics added, it will not harm a blued finish and if it affects your cerocote it wasn’t applied properly, I would warm the rings with a hot air gun and then apply some acetone to the joint, do this a few times then gently tap the ring with a wooden mallet. The gentle heat will expand the ring and suck the acetone into any cracks that form
Gumpy

 

[fourfive8]

Yep, doubtful solvents like acetone would have much affect on something like proprietary Cerakote which is ceramic based. Other DIY spray-and-heat metal coatings/finishes ?? who knows. Needless to say solvents like acetone and lacquer thinner should be kept well away from regular varnish wood stock finishes.

 

[SaintPanzer]

You've stated this scope "has no use at the moment."

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest your gunsmith has given really good advice, and until such time as you have a definite "different use", you heed this advice.

 

[lockingblock]

Depending on the glue and surface finish on the scope, that bond shouldn’t be too hard to break.

Pick the sacrificial part…likely the rings. Remove all screws. Insert flat head between ring halves and twist…top ring pops off.

Get a rubber mallet and a large punch. With rifle secured in a cradle, tap on the rings, away from the scope tube. Work various impact areas and angles. I bet it pops free. If not, very lightly tap the optic upwards, gently. Failing that, heat the ring and tap.

 

[mark-hunter]

Depending on the glue and surface finish on the scope, that bond shouldn’t be too hard to break.

Pick the sacrificial part…likely the rings. Remove all screws. Insert flat head between ring halves and twist…top ring pops off.

Get a rubber mallet and a large punch. With rifle secured in a cradle, tap on the rings, away from the scope tube. Work various impact areas and angles. I bet it pops free. If not, very lightly tap the optic upwards, gently. Failing that, heat the ring and tap.

Clear, except it is not on the rifle. Scope and rings, are removed from rifle. It is just that rings are glued to the scope.

 

[R eight]

Clear, except it is not on the rifle. Scope and rings, are removed from rifle. It is just that rings are glued to the scope.

Shouldn’t make much difference. I’ve done as lockingblock said a few times. I never needed to use much force.

 

[ChrisG]

I second the heat-the-rings thesis. Start by applying a propane torch to the base of the rings. And holding your finger at the top of the rings. When the top gets hot enough you cant touch it anymore take the torch off the base of the ring and let its sit for a minute for the heat to even out through the ring. Then apply a little pressure with a flathead screwdriver (If you can fit a narrow one between the ring halves) and twist. DO NOT PUSH. You may be able to crack the rings free of the epoxy. If its JB weld, you're pretty well sunk. It wont let go until the temp is hot enough to cook your scope.

Again, under no circumstances should you apply any heat to the scope tube, just kiss the base of the rings with the flame until the metal transfers the heat around to the other side. That's how I would go about it.

Also, I would forget acetone or brake cleaner or any of those solvents. They typically will only dissolve polyvinylchloride or acrylic plastics. Epoxy will dissolve in them when it is liquid, but typically not when it is cured. One of the most powerful solvents for polymers that you can find in stores is either Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) or potentially clear PVC pipe primer (not the CEMENT!) Which contains Cyclohexanone, a powerful plastic solvent. They shouldnt harm the scope coating unless it is cerakoted, then all bets are off. Cerkote is ceramic based, but it is still in a polymer matrix and these things attack the polymer.

Hope this helps a little if you havent already removed it.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I second the heat-the-rings thesis. Start by applying a propane torch to the base of the rings. And holding your finger at the top of the rings. When the top gets hot enough you cant touch it anymore take the torch off the base of the ring and let its sit for a minute for the heat to even out through the ring. Then apply a little pressure with a flathead screwdriver (If you can fit a narrow one between the ring halves) and twist. DO NOT PUSH. You may be able to crack the rings free of the epoxy. If its JB weld, you're pretty well sunk. It wont let go until the temp is hot enough to cook your scope.

Again, under no circumstances should you apply any heat to the scope tube, just kiss the base of the rings with the flame until the metal transfers the heat around to the other side. That's how I would go about it.

Also, I would forget acetone or brake cleaner or any of those solvents. They typically will only dissolve polyvinylchloride or acrylic plastics. Epoxy will dissolve in them when it is liquid, but typically not when it is cured. One of the most powerful solvents for polymers that you can find in stores is either Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) or potentially clear PVC pipe primer (not the CEMENT!) Which contains Cyclohexanone, a powerful plastic solvent. They shouldnt harm the scope coating unless it is cerakoted, then all bets are off. Cerkote is ceramic based, but it is still in a polymer matrix and these things attack the polymer.

Hope this helps a little if you havent already removed it.

Wish I'd had this info back in 2022 when the second screwed up trophy shipment came from Africa. The taxidermist glued a bunch of alien teeth on several skulls using epoxy. What a mess! I was able to loosen and remove the epoxy with acetone but only a bit at a time. A very laborious project.