Soften and Remove Ballast from an Accessory

What accessory is it? Is the base plate a thick solid piece or is it only a cover? I ask because water will soften white glue allowing you to easily remove the ballast. If you don't want to soak with water then you could try scraping it off with a putty knife.

The base plate is a flat steel about 10" square and 1" high and the metal legs of the accessory are attached to. It is the Lionel Coal Elevator.

Will try the softening up with a little water. Don't want to repaint the base if I can avoid it.

Thanks
Mort

Try a little rubbing alcohol. It'll loosen the white glue right up. Being on painted metal it's probably not stuck very well anyway.

In that case, the water won't hurt anything. A little water may not be enough. You'll have to keep the ballast wet in order to soften the glue. This may take a while. Just let it soak for several hours and the ballast should come off without any trouble. The main thing is to thoroughly dry the base when finished to avoid any rusting.

Thanks guys

Mort

You could take a terry cloth towel soak it with super hot tap water, Put it over the area like a hot compress and the white glue and ballast will loosen up pretty quickly