Spectre711 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Can I use hot water to straighten out a warped clear canopy part? Probably doesnt matter but it is the clear center section between the front and back canopy on a Testors Phantom II. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Beary Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 That is a very fragile area. I think any attempts to straighten it will surely lead to fracturing it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spectre711 Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 The parts actually seem kind of flexible. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MoFo Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 How warped is it? Couldn't you just glue it in place to correct the warp? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spectre711 Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 Its warped enough where it falls into the cockpit. Not sure if I glue it on one side and stretch to glue the other side that it will hold. I still have to mask and paint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MoFo Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 CA or liquid cement (if you're careful) should hold it. Otherwise, yes, you'd want to use hot water to soften the plastic, so it doesn't get stress fractures. You want hot, but not boiling water. Boiling water risks deforming the part (as in, the plastic will try to pull itself into a blob). Let it sit in the hot water for a few minutes to heat through, pull it out and stretch it a little past the width you need, as it will have a tendency to spring back. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
balls47 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I don't know what your skill levels are, but you could carve a master out of Basswood, then make a couple of new ones out of clear plastic. Buy a vacuformed canopy from a mail order place like Squadron or SprueBrothers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Scaremonger Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Use a caliper to gauge the extension that you need to stretch the clear section to fit properly. Then score the edge of either the front or rear side of the clear part with a felt tip marker and stamp it on a piece of paper. That way you'll get both the length you need to stretch your clear part and also, you will have the shape of the part you need to make a wire rib in order to stretch it to that proper length. You can make a wire rib for both the rear and the front edge of your clear part, and glue them inside of the part in question (on each frame of the clear part). This way not only will the clear part hold its form, but also, it will be hardly visible when painted black. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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