LEGO Keychain Removal

[andy0002]

i cant get this to work!! im way too weak >.<

i cant use slyowl's technique because its the chrome gold minifig keychain and well.... its IMPOSSIBLE to get another CHROME "thong piece" as i call it. i cant pull it out either, plus theres so many scratch marks on the head from grinding a paper clip into it on accident that it already looks like crap.

if i DO crush the pin, pull out the rod and put the head back on, will it still function correctly? am i missing a step? because i just want to put a gold pirate shoulder thing on it, 2 gold hooks for hands(already did that), and be able to put spiky gold hair on him. will i be able to do that once i crush the loop and pull out the screw? please reply soon cuz i cant wait to fix him up and make my sigfig. plus, when my dad gets home he could help me, hes stronger....

[ILikePi]

A few months ago I just broke off the metal loop on my Royal Guard keychain, and then took the head off (which reveals a long metal rod). You can then just cut off the metal rod and it will look just like a normal minifigure (but only the head can come off), except that it's chrome.

Edited July 22, 2009 by ILikePi

[SlyOwl]

if i DO crush the pin, pull out the rod and put the head back on, will it still function correctly? am i missing a step? because i just want to put a gold pirate shoulder thing on it, 2 gold hooks for hands(already did that), and be able to put spiky gold hair on him. will i be able to do that once i crush the loop and pull out the screw? please reply soon cuz i cant wait to fix him up and make my sigfig. plus, when my dad gets home he could help me, hes stronger....

It will, yes. I would recommend you crush the loop, and remove the head. You can then pull out the pin, or just cut it off (hacksaws work best). The cut doesn't have to be right up to the neck - the pin can protude a little without interfering with the head.

You don't need to cut around the hips if you don't want to - I just did that to free up the torso for use with different legs.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[nijjin]

Is it possible that if I take off the helmet of a Captain Rex keychain, can I remove the head from the helmet? And also is it possible to remove the arms and hands in the beginning when you first get it?

[green dewback]

Is it possible that if I take off the helmet of a Captain Rex keychain, can I remove the head from the helmet? And also is it possible to remove the arms and hands in the beginning when you first get it?

The head piece is glued on pretty tight, I couldn't remove it from the helmet. Sounds like Jango Fett's decapitated head staying in his helmet in ep2.

Yes, the arms are removable using the same method with normal minifigs.

[yys4u]

hahah I'm a little late on replying to this, found this threat by doing a google search. If any does reply I got a couple questions,

is that ambassador only ever sold as a key chain?

and has anyone tried boiling the head to weaken the glue and remove the head from helmet/hat?

I just did this technique on a dwarf that I got, and I would like to swap helmets for one from brickforge, that way there would be no hole, I wanna try to boil it but I'm afraid it will remove the print on the face or color on the helmet. If anyone has any experience with this let me know, if not I'll just patch up the hold and use some games workshop paints or something

[Aanchir]

hahah I'm a little late on replying to this, found this threat by doing a google search. If any does reply I got a couple questions,

is that ambassador only ever sold as a key chain?

and has anyone tried boiling the head to weaken the glue and remove the head from helmet/hat?

I just did this technique on a dwarf that I got, and I would like to swap helmets for one from brickforge, that way there would be no hole, I wanna try to boil it but I'm afraid it will remove the print on the face or color on the helmet. If anyone has any experience with this let me know, if not I'll just patch up the hold and use some games workshop paints or something

Yeah, boiling a fig's parts in water would definitely be risky, and definitely not worth it. LEGO parts aren't made to sustain those kinds of temperatures. Furthermore, the glue used nowadays (from what I've heard) actually fuses the plastic parts together, so boiling probably wouldn't do any good. I had a brick-built Y-wing Starfighter key-chain, and when it broke it actually broke along one of the pieces-- not between them!

[Red Bricks]

The candle method; can anyone clarify that that will work? Sounds like the option that damages the minifigure the least, just need to be sure that it works...

[Beefbanana]

I recently bought a jester keychain and plan on using him with castle themed buildings,vignettes,etc. But I can only remove the chain not the metal bit which is on his head, I searched the forums and couldn't find anything about it. So does anyone know how to remove it? Sorry if this is in the wrong section BTW, I couldn't really think of where to put it.

Edited September 11, 2011 by Beefbanana

[Legostein]

Hello!

You might want to have a look here:

LEGO Keychain Removal

Good luck,

~ Christopher

[Beefbanana]

Hello!

You might want to have a look here:

LEGO Keychain Removal

Good luck,

~ Christopher

Thanks!

[redryder]

Yeah, boiling a fig's parts in water would definitely be risky, and definitely not worth it. LEGO parts aren't made to sustain those kinds of temperatures. Furthermore, the glue used nowadays (from what I've heard) actually fuses the plastic parts together, so boiling probably wouldn't do any good. I had a brick-built Y-wing Starfighter key-chain, and when it broke it actually broke along one of the pieces-- not between them!

I've used hot water to remove minifigs from magnets. It's safe as long as you have a thermometer and the water temperature doesn't exceed 75 deg Celcius. This guy's blog has detailed instructions - http://thebrickblogger.com/2011/01/lego-glued-magnet-removal/

Apparently the solvent melting point is lower than the minifig plastic's melting point, so as long as you control the temperature well you're fine. Boiling water at 100 deg C is a no-no!!

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

I don't know you guys, but don't you feel bad for removing the keychain? I'm both a keychain collector and a minifigure collector, and I would feel so bad to mutilate (sorry for the overstatement ) one of these babies. Furthermore, a minifigure is not the same if it comes from a keychain. Its parts come glued, and it'll always have that ugly scar.

Of course, many are more pragmatic than me, but I just have problems with removing a keychain, both as a figure collector and as a keychain collector.

[Quichybo]

Greetings!

Thanks for these instructions. Though I'm a weakling it wasn't even necessary to remove the arms and legs in slyowl's method. I just pulled for some seconds and voilà! Must have been my secret origami-powers

Maybe it helped that I moved the metal pin in alternate directions. Having used lever principles this might have widened the space inside the minifig for the pin to move.

Or, you have to admit, there are sometimes pieces that are a bit more loose-fitting or very tight. Every brick is unique due to the arrangement of the molecules. It is practically impossible to have every molecule arranged the same way in two bricks...

[Darkdragon]

I've been using the tips from thebrickblogger for a while.

I find the soldering iron technique perfect for keychains. Safe, quick, and easy.

The hot water bath method works great for magnets. Getting the torso away from the hips usually doesn't work but getting the fig off the base works perfectly every time for me.

[questforcastle]

Thank you for the tips in this thread! :)

I managed to dismantle parts of my 1980s LEGO keyrings, you know the older stapled kind (before the screws).

Pictures here, if you want to see: http://questforbricks.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/dismantling-keyrings/

Edited March 17, 2013 by questforcastle

[pup]

The soldering iron method is the one I use. It's quick and it doesn't damage anything if you're careful with the tip.

I loop the keyring over something sturdy, then hold the minifig so there is tension on the chain. By holding the tip of the soldering iron to the top of the small connector ring, the heat will pass through the little rod without melting your LEGO. In a few seconds, you should feel the minifig starting to slide off the little rod. The keyring, chain, and rod will be left intact, in case you want to use them for something else.

Hope this helps!

[McDuder]

Hey, guys I received a Lego Darth Maul key chain from a friend today. I don't really need a new key chain, but I do want the body.

I've been trying, but the only thing I can remove are the hands. Are they glued on? What would be the best way to remove the body and legs from the head?

[Rick]

What would be the best way to remove the body and legs from the head?

I've merged your thread with an older thread about keychain removal.

[AmperZand]

I've been meaning to ask for a while what's the best way to remove the key-chain from a LEGO torch/key-chain such as this one: http://www.keyringstore.com/lego-keyrings/801-lego-ninjago-lord-garmadon-keyring-torch-flashlight-keychain.html

I don't think the insides are the same as minifig key-chains so suspect the removal methods already linked to in this thread won't work. Any ideas?

[Transparency for Effect]

Can we have a list of "exclusive" key chain designs that are worth ripping? Does Ollie the Dragon count?

[Poisso3]

Here is another keychain removal method: http://www.instructables.com/id/LEGO-minifig-key-chain-removal/

[Cara]

I use the soldering iron method it works wonderfully. The only figures you have to be careful of are the ones with the soft plastic molded heads (things like the Atlantis fish monsters).

[IronFish]

Has anybody noticed the newer keychains that have some kind of hard plastic holder, so you can't pull them out with brute force? I'd include a picture, but I don't have that great of a camera at the moment.