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B-1B 1/48 warped exhausts from Barracuda resin


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Hello all!

I purchased 2 complete sets of resin at the IPMSA show this year.

When I received them in the mail the exhaust nozzles (featherless) were oblong. Does anyone know of a method to make them round again.

I called and emailed Barracuda but never got a response. I paid a decent amount for the resin and a little disappointed. I will say that Barracuda's resin is AWESOME! Just didn't expect to have to make these items round again.

Any help would be much appreciated. I am going to start my first B-1B in a couple of weeks. I am pretty excited. Need to get my (2) 1/32 Tomcats to a stopping point before I start the BIG BONE!

Thanks,

Mark

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Couple of thoughts:

- I know Roy has been really busy in the run-up to (and during) Telford. That's probably why he's been slow to respond. I've just forwarded him a link to this thread, so hopefully he'll get in touch.

- Which parts are warped, and how warped are they? If it's not too severe, it's possible the parts will return to round once you've glued them together (if, say, the turkey feathers are a little pinched, gluing them to the beefier, round exhaust tube may push them back to shape) Same principle as dealing with minor warpages in styrene.

- If that's not going to work, or the warpage is more severe, then hot water is your next best-bet. Dip them in scalding water for a few minutes, then squeeze to shape, and run them under cold water to set the shape. For a round item like an exhaust, it may help to slide the part onto a suitably sized rod or dowel first, to act as a form to help set the shape. It may take a few dips and some coaxing, but it's not a difficult process.

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Hello all!

I purchased 2 complete sets of resin at the IPMSA show this year.

When I received them in the mail the exhaust nozzles (featherless) were oblong. Does anyone know of a method to make them round again.

I called and emailed Barracuda but never got a response. I paid a decent amount for the resin and a little disappointed. I will say that Barracuda's resin is AWESOME! Just didn't expect to have to make these items round again.

Any help would be much appreciated. I am going to start my first B-1B in a couple of weeks. I am pretty excited. Need to get my (2) 1/32 Tomcats to a stopping point before I start the BIG BONE!

Thanks,

Mark

Nuke a cup of water for about 2 minutes. Use tweezers to dip in for a few seconds. Resin has a "memory", so most of the time it will return to it's original shape without having to force it.

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Hello all!

I purchased 2 complete sets of resin at the IPMSA show this year.

When I received them in the mail the exhaust nozzles (featherless) were oblong. Does anyone know of a method to make them round again.

I called and emailed Barracuda but never got a response. I paid a decent amount for the resin and a little disappointed. I will say that Barracuda's resin is AWESOME! Just didn't expect to have to make these items round again.

Any help would be much appreciated. I am going to start my first B-1B in a couple of weeks. I am pretty excited. Need to get my (2) 1/32 Tomcats to a stopping point before I start the BIG BONE!

Thanks,

Mark

Slight deformation in some resin items is something you have to live with, specially with thin wall items. Sometimes even with good packaging the weight or pressure from the same packaging or other items weighing on top of the blister can deform the resin. I think 50% of the exhausts I've bought from other companies like Aires aren't perfectly round.

But like Les said it's just a quick fix, dunk it in hot water and before it cools down bend it back to shape. A quicker fix than to wait weeks or months for a replacement in these cases.

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I have heard people using hot water or steam to warm the resin, then it can be bent back to the right shape.
Dip them in scalding water for a few minutes, then squeeze to shape, and run them under cold water to set the shape.
But like Les said it's just a quick fix, dunk it in hot water and before it cools down bend it back to shape.

Do not bend to shape! As Les wrote below, resin has a memory and in the several decades I have dealt with resin, I only had to 'bend' shape or force when the product came from a vendor not known for quality molds. If an item came out of a proper squared mold after curing, it has a memory to which it will return to with little effort.

Nuke a cup of water for about 2 minutes. Use tweezers to dip in for a few seconds. Resin has a "memory", so most of the time it will return to it's original shape without having to force it.

I know it is armor but resin is resin!

http://www.modelersalliance.com/forum/sprue-u-tips-and-techniques/22580-dealing-with-warped-resin-parts

Regards,

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Thanks Everyone. I wasn't bashing Roy or Barracuda. I just need to know how to fix the shapes. They are pretty oblong, so I will try the hot water method before I contact him again. I met Roy at the IPMSA and was great talking with him for a few minutes. The exhausts and all the other B-1B resin looks awesome though.

Have a great day!

Thanks,

Mark

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Resin has a "memory", so most of the time it will return to it's original shape without having to force it.

I heard this somewhere; when I get hold of a mis-shapen resin item the first thing I try is a hair drier. Carefully applied to bent items like slats or missile bodies, the heat usually softens the PUR enough to let it 'pop' straight again. The more annular shape of an exhaust may not respond in the same way, but given the memory property of the material it may be worth a try. Also, if you have a very low-speed rotary tool, mounting the item on that with compressed tissue or whatever to hold it may distribute the heat-flow evenly around the circumference.

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