Correcting deformities?

[Fabrux]

I just received a resin 74-76 Dodge pickup grille from eBay and it is seriously deformed, to the point of being unusable. No idea if it came out of the mold that way or if it was deformed during shipping. Either way, I have contacted the seller to see if they will do an exchange or send a new one. Should the seller not come good for this, what would be the best way to try and massage this back into shape? Can it be handled like regular kit plastic and warmed up with water and slowly bent back into shape?

[Jeremy Jon]

just the grill, or as part of the hood?

for subtle deformation, I prefer to use hot water in a dish, let sit for a few second & check pliability, if not enough let soak a little longer, until is just enough to bend / twist back into reasonable position

[Fabrux]

It is just the grille by itself. The seller is sending me a new one, so here's hoping it arrives in proper shape!

[gtx6970]

About a year ago I bought a resin Dodge truck grille of similar model year .

It was molded so bad no amount of work was going to improve it. After hearing back from the seller stating it was the best he had, I dropped it in the trash can and moved on. I bought a builtup truck instead later on for the project I have planned.

I seriously hope your experiance goes much better.

[Fabrux]

Here's hoping. The seller claimed that this has never happened to him before, but considering the grille arrived in a bubble envelope with no cardboard inside to stiffen it up I'm rather surprised he hasn't had a claim! This particular seller almost always 74-76 Dodge grille up for auction, and I think he's had the 72-73 up before as well.

[Maindrian Pace]

I bought that exact grille from the Modelhaus, perfect quality, better than a kit part, with flawless chrome.

But I second the hot water, I'd run it under hot tap water for a few seconds, if it doesn't bend easily enough, a few more seconds. When it's in the right shape, flash it hard by dipping it in cold water.

-MJS

[Fabrux]

I currently have the cab for this grille sitting in brake fluid; once the paint is all stripped I will attempt to get this grille to fit. If it won't go back to shape, I'll just have to wait for the replacement!

[dimaxion]

I've found Brake Fluid tends to warp / misshape resin pieces . I don't recommend this course of action to remove paint . IMHO ; the parts you save may be your own . Thanx ..

[MAGNUM4342]

As a resin caster, I would not expect anyone to fix one of my parts, nor would I send something like a large grille in an envelope with or without protection. I also highly doubt this is the first time this has happened if he ships that way. Standard opaque resins are notorious for heat warpage and the interior temperature of a UPS or USPS truck box, can exceed the 110 degree mark on an 80 degree day. Always ask how the item will be shipped and see if you can get it shipped in a box where there will be airspace around it.

To fix the part, I agree with the above. Run some tap water, just hot enough that you can't hold your hand under it for long. Then set it on the counter for about four minutes. Then place the part in it and have a flat surface to place the part when it comes out. Resin is a lot like memory foam in that it should pull itself back to it's original molded shape. Unfortunately once it does you have to handle it very gently to get it to retain it's shape while you remove it from the water and set it aside to cool. You may also have to tweak it gently.

For stripping resin, there are all sorts of fun horror stories. Some brands of resin are affected by Easy off, while others are affected by brake fluid. They can be turned into a gel in mere minutes by the wrong cleaner. Unfortunately this is a 50/50 leap of faith. You'll either lose the part or not. All I know for certain is the resins I use from Raw Material Suppliers is resistant to Easy-Off.

I hope at least some of this is a help.

[Greg Wann]

http://www.smooth-on.com/tb/files/TASK_8_-_TB.pdf

If you are a resin caster, this is the resin you should be using. You will not have to worry about parts warping in the mail. This resin is chemical proof. You can rub alcohol on things like badges on car bodies and will not distort them like on the Smooth-On 300 resin. Gabe Soto told me this resin was much better to turn on a lathe too. It won't build up heat and melt down.

[MAGNUM4342]

Thanks for the tip Gregg, but i'm very happy with the supplier I have now and have never had an issue with any of my parts...so far (knock wood!)

[Fabrux]

The cab is an original MPC item from the 72-76 run of Dodge pickups; no worries about the brake fluid damaging it!