I’m working on a project and I’d like to “bend” some sheet styrene. I’ve tried heating it up with a hot air tool, but when it starts to soften, it shrivels up. Has anyone had success working with styrene this way?
Yes, trying to heat the soft styrene sheet and strips we use will cause all kinds of warping and shrinkage. The safest way to “form” styrene is to simply bend it into (or at least near) the shape you want it and then somehow hold it in that shape and let it sit for at least a week. The most common shape I need to bend styrene into is some sort of radius. Thus, I find some round, or tubular, object around which I can wrap and tape the styrene. Note that the first inch or two of the styrene piece will likely not take the new shape so make you piece a little long, then trim off the edges to get to the bent section. Depending on how thick the styrene piece is, you may need to bend the piece around successively smaller objects in order to get to the desired radius without kinking or cracking the styrene. Good luck!
Are you working on your air ducts? Just wondering, if you are, and if it was a tube, what would be the diameter?
The thinner the styrene, the better. I’m thinking of something like a piece of pipe, heated to where you can just handle it, and slowly working the piece of stryrene around it, and then holding it in place with small clamps.
Any chance of shaping a wood dowel to what you need?
Mike.
I built some water tanks with .o15. I just rolled it about 2.5in dia. and held it till glue set.
Don’t know how big/small you need, but I ‘‘think’’ if you just start rolling it gently the stryrene should conform
I had some Tyco 40’ reefers…
…that I decided to modify into 34’-ers…
…but with radial roofs…
…so I cemented some strip styrene “battens” onto a sheet of .020" styrene, big enough to do all four cars, then wrapped it around a large cardboard tube, securing it with elastic bands. The two files are covering the ends of the sheet material, in an effort to persuade them to participate in the curve, too…
After a couple of days, I removed the elastics and wasn’t overly impressed by the curve thus created, so I wrapped the sheet around a piece of plastic pipe of a smaller diameter, and left it for a couple more days…
With the elastics removed, the curve looked pretty good…
However, seeing how much effort was required to impart the curve into the styrene, I worried that simply cementing the roofs to the top of the cars’ sides and ends might not be enough to keep them in place, so I used some .060" sheet material to create a ridge beam and some crossmembers, filing the tops of the crossmembers to match the arc of the cars’ ends…
Gidday Pete, you don’t specify what type of hot air tool you are using, but if it is an industrial type heat gun, then it will be producing far too much heat!
I have tried using a heat gun and even though I thought I was being sparing with its use, have ended up with a molten blob or an overcooked piece that’s extremely brittle.
I borrowed her-in-doors hair dryer, and even then, used the low setting and was, surprisingly, very patient and managed to achieve this from .030” styrene using the dowel.
The end result.
Yes, this is for my Pullman project and I’m working with .010 styrene. I tried using a short length of 3/8" pipe (actual diameter is about 5/8") and I tried using a HF heat gun on both high and low settings and got the shrivel effect. I also stuck the styrene to the pipe and set it in a frying pan with some water on the stove. Nothing…
But, THANKS to all those who answered! All of your workmanship is beautiful!!
I’m planning a trip to the LHS today and I’m going to get some .005? brass. I have a pattern for end pieces and they have a changing radius. I doubt I’ll ever get them to bend in styrene!
Pete, one of the reasons I asked about diameter, is to think about what else might be found in a hardware store, that could be used, like tubing, or hose, etc., et., ?
The wife, always looking for things that I could use while out shopping, found some plastic straws, OMG YES! I said plastic straws, that are a HO scale 3’ in diameter, or about 13/16".
Not sure where she found them, probably hanging in an aisle in WalMart or the grocery store, but it’s just a thought.
Good luck!
Mike.
I would use K&S Brass or Aluminum tube…cut with a razor saw or tube cutter. Preferably a tube cutter. K&S also sells one. You can use a medium CA to attach it to the styrene.
https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/k+s/k+s8143.htm
Good Luck! [:D]
Frank
I have had good luck heating styrene strip in very hot water and then bending it and securing it in place while it cooled. I haven’t tried it with sheet styrene.
Jeff White
Alma, IL