Bending Resin Parts?

[Hugeprong]

Has anyone had successful experience of "bending" large resin bodywork parts?

I would like bend one side of the rear bodywork on my 1/12 956LM (MFH) a tiny amount downwards on one side of the hump that runs along the centre of the car. I am literally meaning maybe 1 or 2 degrees - nothing major. However I obviously dont want to break it, split it or melt it.

The instructions say that one can warm up resin to bend it - but not by how much - or with what. Candle? Boiling Water? Hairdryer? Also for how long and how long should I hold the piece having bent it and removed the heat source?

It is such a major piece that I dont want to take any serious risks with it and I dare say it will not look too bad as it is. However if anyone can guide me on this, I would be really interested to hear any do's and dont's!

Thank You

[sh-modeling]

Use warm water, not too hot at first. Try to increase water temp, if it doesn't bend. I would not use open fire

[capri-schorsch]

A hair dryer should also work fine.
Not too close, just try it step by step.

[BMW]

Another vote for warm water.
It allows to better control the bend, as the resin will soak the temperature better, becoming more flexible over a longer area.

I used just the hot water in the kitchen tap, and have a cutting board or template ready to place the part on, and let it cool on it.

[AJP01]

Agree on the warm water. I warm up a pot of water on the stove heating element starting about 125F / 52C and immerse the part for a bit, say 30 seconds or so, and try the bend. If that doesn't work, I sometimes increase the water temperature a bit and try again.

I think this works better because the heat surrounds the part on all surfaces at the same temp, unlike a hair dryer or heating gun which usually makes one side hotter than the other - and the heat penetrates differently. You can overheat the surface without getting the heat through the thickness of the resin.

If you're working with a large flat part (like a floorpan or undertray) I'll sometimes use a small flat plate or form (with weight on top) to try and encourage the part to cool in the right shape. That sometimes works better depending on the resin.

Cheers,
AJ

[SeanMAIN]

I recently fixed a badly curved, painted wing of a 1/8 Jag XJR-9 with a blow dryer. It worked perfectly. I did not damage the paint and it didn’t take more than 5-10 minutes to fix it, and it was a pretty thick part. I chose not to use water because I could not control the amount of heat applied to the area I needed fixing. I also placed the wing on a flat surface so that when it softened, it fell down flat. I used the same method on some 3D parts for end plates for a Jordan 191 front wing in 1/8 that were warped when I got them. That worked well too.

[ringleheim]

Use hot water!

I once tried to bend a styrene (NOT RESIN) piece of car bodywork with a hair dryer on "high heat" from a close distance. I was stunned to see the part melt and warp in front of my eyes after only a few seconds of blasting away with the heat!

I really couldn't believe it got that hot that quickly. Ever since, I really lay off the hair dryer and try to use warm water.

Let the part soak in some nice hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, and then try to bend to shape, and hold in that shape with tape or something like that.

[acer709]

I used steam from a boiling kettle but only small amounts to bend the resin grilles which were out of shape bent and had to straighten them.
The good thing with steam you can adjust how long to hold it in the required place where you require the piece straightened.

[Terry]

I've had plenty of experience bending resin and the techniques vary depending on the thickness of the resin. Hot water and submersion works well on most parts. I've had to straigten MFH resin bodies and found the best method to be a combination of things from hot water but also a hairdryer. The key is heating the part up enough for it to relax into a new shape, but also holding the warmed part in the new desired position until its gone cold.

To aid in this I tend to start with water no hoter than safe temperatures for hand washing (55 deg C here in NZ) Increase you submersion times before increasing temperatures. I submerse the part to warm it thoroughly and then put a flat board holding it in the desired position in the bottom of the kitchen sink while running cold water on it to speed up the cooling. You might need a second person to help with cold water because often holding the part in the desired position is a two handed job. Check rinse and repeat. Be patient.

[Hugeprong]

Thank you all. That why I love being a member of this site!