Reshaping plastic ?

[Jon Haigwood]

I am trying to flatten out this Revell trunk lid to use on a AMT 32. I have tried putting it in these clip clamps and heating it up with a hair dryer and then letting it cool down. I have done this several times but it doesn't seem to be flattening out any. I don't want to apply to much heat and over flatten or warp it. Anybody have any better methods of doing this ?

thanks

Jon

[Krazy Rick]

Try putting it in the middle of two hardwood pieces, clamp, then place in a container of super hot water & let it cool down - that should work fine.

[cobraman]

If possible I think you could glue a like piece only smaller to the bottom side and then clamp it and let it dry. ?????

[LDO]

Place a wanted ad for an AMT '32 trunk lid.

[Jon Haigwood]

I have a AMT trunk lid. I want one with louvers

[LDO]

Have you tried making them from 1/4 round Evergreen styrene? You'd end up with the amount you want, and the pattern you want.

[Jon Haigwood]

I already have the Revell lid with the louvers I want. It would be a lot more work to louver a flat lid than to take a little bend out of it.

[Art Anderson]

I am trying to flatten out this Revell trunk lid to use on a AMT 32. I have tried putting it in these clip clamps and heating it up with a hair dryer and then letting it cool down. I have done this several times but it doesn't seem to be flattening out any. I don't want to apply to much heat and over flatten or warp it. Anybody have any better methods of doing this ?

thanks

Jon

John,

There is one possibility I'd try: Why not "relieve" the underside of that decklid, with a series of slits, cut with a razor saw, evenly spaced apart, and as perfectly square with the sides of the panel? I'd consider using a razor saw for this, cut about half-way through. Once these are done, you will have relieved any stress that "flattening out" the decklid just that little bit you likely need would otherwise place on that underneath surface? Once you have the decklid corrected to the curvature needed, you can "fix" it into that curve by simply filling the slits with some gap-filling CA glue and using a setting agent to cure that CA quickly.

You could try this on a scrap body panel, or even a piece of say, .040" sheet styrene, see how it will work?

Art