What will dissolve epoxy glue?

[art925]

I have to remove and replace a silver ear wire that is epoxy glued into a quartz bead, what is the best method without damaging the bead?

Many thanks
Les

[mizgeorge]

Not easy! Polyester resins can sometimes be dissovled with isopropyl alcohol, and some others with a 1:1:1 mix of toluene, MEK and acetone, but it's a lot of mucking about for a single bead. and the bead might not like it. Can you not drill it out?

[art925]

Can you not drill it out?

Thanks for the chemical lesson George. I wanted to leave drilling as a last resort. A customer has a pair of quartz earrings that have very thin wires as one is already broken, she wanted me to replace the the two with thicker wire.

[Goldsmith]

Les, I use Nitromors paint stripper for dissolving epoxy resins, the only risk is if the quartz bead has been formed rather than cut, I have used Nitromors on rock crystal goods without any damage to them. I just leave the goods in soak for a few hours and the epoxy softens and peals off like rubber. But I would do your job as george suggests why not carefully drill out the earwire, I would cut the earwire off flush at the bead and then hand drill the remaining wire with a suitable size drill held in a pin vice.
James

[art925]

Thanks James,
either way, I run the risk of damaging / shattering the bead, I will leave it 'till Monday...