Can i bend plastic parts?

[StarFyre]

Hello,

The new plastic furioso dreadnought (http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440192a&prodId=prod900150a) has an ammo feed for the frag cannon. If i wanted to attach 2 or 3 of these feeds, and curve it to reach another point on a model (instead of a direct line the way that feed is setup), how would people suggest I do it? I've never tried to bend plastic (without breaking it).

Regards,

Sanjay

 

[gohkm]

Try heating it up gently first, say, with a hair dryer on high. I've never tried bending plastic, to be honest, but the hair dryer method and immersing in hot water works quite well for resin. Perhaps you could try these techniques first?

 

[QuietiManes]

That'll work ^^.

Any heat source, candle, torch, stove, etc. Just be careful, it is very easy to heat up the wrong area and destroy the area you hold trying to bend the other area. It's also very easy to overheat the right area and it will be way too soft, deforming...or burning. Not that it is all that hard to get right, just take it slow.

Are the ammo feeds just those tubes comming out the bottom of the guns? I can't see any bullet belts or anything on the sprue in the GW online shop. If it is just the tubes, you might could just use guitar/piano wire instead. Or make your own with some 20 gauge wire wrapped around ... 16 to 20 gauge wire (20 - 30 gauge you can get at the floral section of craft shops or the picture hanging/automotive section of other shops, usually 2$ or so each, 16 or 18 gauge you'll probably have to hit up the local DIY home store or auto shop for $5 or so...but you can make a thousand ammo feeds with one roll, FYI). I can't say what gauge you should use but just check what the width is and get the gauge that is 1/3rd as thick, then wrap it around itself. Should work a treat. If you want to spice it up, wrap a very thin wire around one wire, then use that wire to wrap around the last wire...I wish I had some pics but I broke my arm near the shoulder a couple weeks ago and playing with wires sounds too painful.

Best of luck, either way. Let us know how you get on.

 

[Einion]

Hairdryer is worth a shot (haha) but boiling water may be your safest bet, long as you wear kitchen gloves to prevent scorched fingers.

Make sure the plastic is well heated before you begin, bend a little at a time and reheat as necessary. This is the advantage of boiling water, where you can in theory bend while the plastic is being heated. I'm not sure how much of a bend you need to put on these but if it's quite a bit there is still the potential for breakage, if they do break you can always make replacements as suggested by QuietiManes.

Einion

 

[StarFyre]

quiet - if you scroll through the pics at the GW site, one of them shows the frag cannon and you can see the ammo belt. It's on the sprue as well.

Awww...fix your arm *Sanjay & Shilpa's teddy bears hug your arm*

hmm...pic no longer on GW site:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E8MAURXGy...AACBg/tqBJz2Uq5vY/s1600/frag+cannon+dread.jpg

here is one...
that belt feed is in line with the entry and exit point.

I want to modify a FW GK dread. THis time, have a right arm gun similar to: http://www.coolminiornot.com/167668 (made from a plastic LR heavy bolter), adding the 2 FW auto cannon ammo drums to the top of the arm (or bottom), and then belt feeds going into it from the backpack of the dread. So i need the ammo to curve all around from the arm to the back...

Sanjay

 

[Wicksy]

I swear someone posted an article here using hot salt to cradle the part you wanted to bend until it had softened enough. You use a metal tub full of table salt and heat it on the cooker or in the over then used it as a dry bath.

 

[aosol]

I heard that boiling them alittle bit will bend them back into proper shape. Sorta like fitting a mouth guard.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Use a test piece of the sprue. Plastic can distort real bad when heated too much. Where that line is I'm not sure.

 

[QuietiManes]

Oh, there it is, now I see it, thanks SF.

Salt can make rock and metal red hot, so, be careful with it. It should be good insulation though.

 

[Tee999]

I used hot water and to bend plastic.
I just microwave some in a cup or bowl.

once its hot i put the plastic in it for a little bit of time.
then it bends a little.

Tee