[ Ref. Jeff Davis in 1200908 MMDigest ]

Hi all,  The question was asked if alcohol breaks the glue joint.
The answer -- hmmm..., yes, it does, sort of.  I came across this tip
very early on in my restoration days.

I was given the restoration of an early Marshal Rose Angelus Grand with
those awful twin rows of sideways, upright square-ish striker motors.
I applied copious quantities of methylated spirit to where the motors
were glued to the deck board (I think you call it "rubbing alcohol"
over there) and left it for some time, adding more as it evaporated.

It did seem to weaken the joints in that they became more brittle and
I was able to wobble the motors free of the joint slot that they sat in.
Maybe this was more by luck than judgment, but the units all came out
with no loss of life, as it were.  However, the same method is a
complete waste of time with normal pneumatics as the alcohol will not
penetrate far enough into the glue under the deck boards.

There's no substitute for a hot, non-steam iron to soften the hide glue
and lift the motors off the deck.  Remember to clamp them flat while
they cool or they will dry banana shaped and you will end up making
a set of replacements.

Just my two pounds worth (that's inflation for you)!

Happy days,
Paul Camps

 [ Methylated spirit is another name for denatured alcohol, see
 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatured_alcohol   -- Robbie