Is there anyone who works with bending styrene for structural modeling, etc. on a regular basis?
I am referring to blank pieces of material in the range between .010 and 1,5mm.
If so, what methods are best (and most safe) to use regularly?
Thanks.
Cedarwoodron
Well define bending? are we talking a semi circular bend or a simple light curve of a few degrees. I have done both and have used several methods the simplest of which was to just put the piece of styrene in a pot of boiling water. I had the water really hot obviously but you may not need to have it that hot to bend the thickness your looking to bend. The most recent venture was bending some styrene brick sheets used to form a tunnel liner. I used a piece of PVC pip as a "buck". I clamped one end of the sheet to the side of the pvc pipe and heated the backside with my heat gun you could use a hair dryer and as the styrene softened I used my hand to form it around the pipe. I would get it so far and then clamp it repeating the process until I made my complete 180 degree bend. I will caution you slow and steady is the only way to go and you'll have to judge how close is close enough or too close for the heat gun or hair dryer. Good luck took my 3 trys to get it the way I wanted it.
Well, let's say that you want to bend the styrene in arcs, from shallow ones of 10 to 30 degrees to 90 degree ones with a radiused corner. I have heard about shop heat guns (such as those used to soften paint for removal), but aren't they much hotter than hair dryers?
cedarwoodron Well, let's say that you want to bend the styrene in arcs, from shallow ones of 10 to 30 degrees to 90 degree ones with a radiused corner. I have heard about shop heat guns (such as those used to soften paint for removal), but aren't they much hotter than hair dryers? Cedarwoodron
They may not have more wattage than hair dryers, but here is what I have found out:
1} Hair dryers tend to have heat coils spread out so more air flows over them to the wattage desired at the opening {don't want to scorch the head of the hair dried person} It is like a slow heat.
2} Heat guns tend to have their coils tighter together so the air flowing over them gets a higher concentration of heat at the opening {you want a more concentrated high heat application} It is like a fast heat.
3} a hairdryer can take forever to heat an shrink heat/shrink tubing for wiring, for instance. A heat gun, carefully, will heat shrink that sucker rather quickly.
4} a hair dryer heats up slowly, a heat gun fastly.
5} A hairdryer will not really strip paint good, a heat gun is not really good to dry hair.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
galaxy a heat gun is not really good to dry hair.
a heat gun is not really good to dry hair.
... more than once, he means.
John