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In lugnet.general, Frank Filz wrote:
> Actually, cleaning is probably just removing oils (oil from people's
> fingers, and oils from manufacturing). I have noticed this fact than freshly
> cleaned LEGO holds tighter also, and suspect oil as the cause. I do know
> that new LEGO does have some kind of chemical on it. When sorting brand new
> LEGO, my hands start to itch. I have not had this itching problem when
> sorting used LEGO that has been washed (though my hands have definitely felt
> yucky after running them through used LEGO).
I noted that some bricks I "obtained" from the LLW model shop gripped much
better than regular bricks. In fact they actually squeaked when pressed
together.
I asked Guy, the main man in the model shop, about it and he said he didn't
think they washed the mold release off the bricks for the model shops. They
definitely don't in sets, I have found you can polish it off with a soft cloth
buffing wheel. (Dremel sized)
He said he suspected that as the molds age, they drift off tolerance, thus the
bricks wall sections thicken which tightens the stud grip. He indicated that the
parks sometimes used lots from old molds before they are finally dumped.
However, I had a close look at the bricks and they look "clean" to me.
So I would suggest a simple experiment - clean a couple of sample "sloppily
fitting" bricks with dish soap, as has been suggested, and see if they improve.
JB
.... never eat pizza while building ....
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John Barnes wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Frank Filz wrote:
> > Actually, cleaning is probably just removing oils (oil from people's
> > fingers, and oils from manufacturing). I have noticed this fact than
> > freshly cleaned LEGO holds tighter also, and suspect oil as the
> > cause. I do know that new LEGO does have some kind of chemical on
> > it. When sorting brand new LEGO, my hands start to itch. I have not
> > had this itching problem when sorting used LEGO that has been washed
> > (though my hands have definitely felt yucky after running them
> > through used LEGO).
>
>
> I noted that some bricks I "obtained" from the LLW model shop gripped
> much better than regular bricks. In fact they actually squeaked when
> pressed together.
>
> I asked Guy, the main man in the model shop, about it and he said he
> didn't think they washed the mold release off the bricks for the
> model shops. They definitely don't in sets, I have found you can
> polish it off with a soft cloth buffing wheel. (Dremel sized)
Hmm, it's possible the bricks used by the model shops are washed. The oil
would also hinder the effectiveness of the glue.
It's also possible the oil comes from the handling machinery, and model shop
bricks certainly get less handling than set bricks since they come out of
the molds and just about right into K-8s.
Frank
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