Flattening Walthers structure bases that are warped

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I just opened some of my Walthers Cornerstone “Ashland Steel” building kits and noticed that the plastic supplied “bases” were warped (in particular the Rolling Mill bases.) The warp obviously is a manufacturing defect from removing the plastic part from the mold while the part was still too hot. These bases have integral mounting points for girders / equipment and I do want to use them so I can remove an entire building from my layout for maintenance. I thought of placing them in the oven at low heat, but I doubt that would guarantee them to come out flat without sagging in the wrong places (more problems than its worth). And since it has been years since I purchased these I doubt Walthers would replace them without the original sales slip (the replacement set may also be warped). Any thoughts how to rectify the warped bases so I can use them? Thanks in advance Nick Nick Yuhasz Amherst, Ohio

2

We used to take old 78 RPM records and heat them in an oven over a bowl or some other shape.

Maybe you could do thin in reverse and reheat the offending piece on a flat cookie sheet.

ROAR

3

I like Lion’s idea. A teflon-coated cookie sheet and pop it into the oven at maybe 150 deg F for just a few minutes, BUT with some weight on it that won’t flatten details. For example, you could place small blocks of wood on the item with something like a glass on top of the block so that the block will attempt to flatten the warped part before the plastic gets hot enough to start losing the properties you would like it to retain.

-Crandell

4

I would try putting them in the sink, stoppering it up and adding hot water. Make sure the base is on a flat surface, and add weight above to flatten it out.

5

I’ve taped mine to a glass table and built the building on top of it. For warped walls, I glue one corner at a time (yes, I mean over 4 days) then glue the assembled building to the base. Most of their larger kits I’ve found have both warped walls and bases and even roofs. The Electric Furnace was a doozie (no base on the original kit). I’ve always been afraid to put plastic parts in the oven, because I’m afraid to ruin them.

6

Extremely “hot” water" ( may need to add some boiling water to the “sink hot”) or oven/ cookie sheet will work for some or most of the distortion. If the part starts to flatten, yet doesn’t flatten enough, add shims/ blocking and weight to “overbend” the piece. Generally over bending aids in that flex back that you don’t get when placed just flat. This is especially true if the part has been deformed as you say, rather than skewed from packaging.

Styrene doesn’t have that “memory” and spring back quite like that of engineering plastics.

7

I have to agree with bogp40 on his way. I have done it before and it works.

Frank

8

Thanks for all your thoughts. I will give them a try! I appreciate your help. Nick

9

Call Walthers. They will replace that part for free…

10

E-mail Walthers. I did that a few years ago about a piece I had lost from a kit I had purchased years earlier. They were very helpful & sent the missig part for free.