Need help with damaged/wrinkled PE parts.....

[epi4561]

Does anybody have any tips, ideas, suggestions on how to fix PE pieces that somehow got creased or wrinkled in an area where it is supposed to be flat? I am working with PE for the first time and one of the pieces got wrinkled and I am having a "heck" of a time trying to straighten it back out. any help is greatly appreciated..

[southpier]

what's done is, but there may be some tips here, at least to get you started:

http://italianhorses.net/Tutorials/Photoetch/pe.htm

http://www.scalemodelguide.com/construction/techniques/photo-etched-parts-models/

http://thesmallshop.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

[my80malibu]

I roll my hobby knife over it. Several times and flip it over every few times on a flat surface.also try rolling in different directions just like using a rolling pin.

[Blown03SVT]

I have used the method Gabriel mentioned but be aware to work it from different sides as it will curl. If your not too aggressive you should be able to get it fairly flat.

[Chief Joseph]

I have a flat nose pliers that I use to bend & flatten PE parts. If the PE part isn't mangled, I can usually get it back to usable shape with these pliers by squeezing it between the smooth jaws until it's straight. If you heat the piece and let it cool, it will take the springiness out of the metal and it will be easier to flatten.

[Pete J.]

Yes-All the above! I do work with a fair amount of thin brass sheet stock and I have to flatten it especially after annealing. I have some round aluminum stock I have turned to about 3/4" diameter and use that as a roller. The smaller the diameter, the more it will cause it to curl. Start with a gentle pressure until you understand how the metal will react and then roll it once or twice and check to see how flat it is. Repeat and flip until you get it the way you want.

[epi4561]

I've done pretty much all of that and it has kinda worked. I haven't tried the heating/cooling technique yet. Will that help shrink the metal? It seems that the area I have been rolling out has stretched a bit. Is there a way to shrink it back down a bit.. I'm almost to the point where I am considering cutting out a tiny section and soldering it back together to remove the slack.. Thanks guys for the input and I will try these techniques out a bit further.