Removing/melting/dissolving silicone aquarium sealer?

[Removed Account]

A year ago I bought a lens that required the use of a flange. Since I had a Cambo at the time I had a friend enlarge the metal lensboard hole and drill 4 small ones for the flange screws. He took a loooooong time to get it done, and when I got it back I found that the screw holes he drilled were too small. Rather than wait another month or two, in my impatience I bought a tube of silicone aquarium sealer and used that to bond the flange to my lensboard.

Now I need to mount the lens to a wooden board for my Ansco 5x7 and it turns out that the silicone does an absolutely fantastic job of bonding the flange to the board! SO good, that I can't get it off. Heading the flange and board over a candle flame does not melt the silicone to any appreciable extent so at this point I'm quite literally stuck. MPEX wants $25 plus shipping for a new flange, which I would gladly pay if it were not for the fact that I'm very cash-strapped for the next month or two. Is there anyone here who knows how to separate two metal items bonded with silicone aquarium adhesive? Alternately, is there someone who is willing to send me a flange for a non-Kodak Ilex Acme-Synchro #3 for the price of postage?

 

[Removed Account]

Never mind! A thin but strong piece of metal run around underneath the flange combined with lots of prying did the trick! Why do I always make things harder for myself than they need to be?

 

[ic-racer]

Not an easy task, but better than epoxy remove. Try to cut as much of it away with a sharp blade or knife. Use Justin's idea to get things free. When 99% of the silicone is cut away, acetone can be used to clean things back to new again. But it's not easy.

 

[AgX]

Over here there is a special solvent blend on the market to take off the silicone-rubber residues. It works but one has to redoe it several times with clean tissues. And... that solvent has the most intensive smell I ever came across so far with solvents.