can styrene be formed jus by heating

[jboehler04]

I was wondering if styrene can be molded by heating with a heat gun. I'm thinking of maybe building a body from scratch but for the mild roundness of like around the fenders and stuff can I jus heat it up and lay over something that's close to the shape I'm after and let it "fall" around it. Some the stuff I'm looking to do wouldn't really justify trying to make a vacuum form box.

[Szczerba]

I have done it before with a lighter with mixed results. Get it too warm, it kinda melts and distorts. Don't get it warm enough, with a thick piece and you can snap it. I would guess a heat gun would be the ideal tool for this job.

[jboehler04]

I was gonna try it with a heat gun. Jus heat it enough till it forms. As either gonna get like that hard Styrofoam they use in home crafts and carve it to the shape I want or try using clay and make a mold. I wanna try to make a new body style Dodge like the current body style out for the 1:1s.

[Debonair]

ESC mount made with a heat gun.

Originally Posted by Debonair

ESC Mount -

Flat black styrene



Hit it with heat gun until soft and then put a bend in it using a block of wood. Do the same on the other side.







Clearance at full compression

[jboehler04]

how did that work as far as strength? did it weaken it much?

[Debonair]

Originally Posted by jboehler04

how did that work as far as strength? did it weaken it much?

Not at all. It's plenty strong. I think if you were to heat it up and stretch or pull it it will weaken significantly.if anything the bends I upt in it mad it stronger.

[jboehler04]

what thickness was that? im looking at using maybe .050 or .060. probly see if the lhs has .040 also dont wanna get too thin since, hopefully it turns out, will be my main body.

[sgtbham]

Molded .40 is surprisingly strong - those bends really put some strength into the piece.

Also - you will find .040 easier to mold

[jboehler04]

awesome for all your help guys. ill be getting some supplies and trying it out when i get a chance. still have some research to do on the body i wanna build and get some measurements.

[808eng_rc]

I posted a thread about this the same time you did but I guess a moderator deleted it
but anywho I had the same question but I was thinking soften the styrene and squeeze it to the inside of a lexan body to make the whole body or if it can be done with one sheet and maybe vacuum molded on or possible a squish mold...but don't know if the thickness of the lexan shell not be thick enogh for whatever hars resin I pour to be strong enough.....anyone got any ideas
How to squish mold

[THX_138]

It wasn't deleted. It was merged with the other comments you posted about the same thing.

When you scatter the same comments continually in several posts, they are subject to either being merged or deleted.

[jboehler04]

808 I'm not 100% sure but in ur thread you talked about heating the edges up and squishing them together I do t think that would work how ur thinking. You need some sort of bonding agent. Like bondene to glue them together. I could be wrong tho. Also that squish method looks interesting. If you could put ur lexan body ur wanting to make into a hard body I would get some plaster and make a cast of the outside and then take ur sheets of styrene and lay them in that way. If you lay them inside ur lexan body you may not get the detail u want from outside of the body.

[808eng_rc]

hmm good point Iwas actually just thinking about using the rc3 hard resin from alumalite
but like I said the lexan is thin and the membrane or body I would replicate would be that thin as well...I'm waiting to hear back from my contact over there...if every thing is on the up and up I should be able to turn any lexan body into a hard body....I'm thinking I could even sell them..hmmm $$$

[hellbounder]

If it were that easy everybody would be doing it. It's about the detail in the body , not just that it's hard . Most lexan bodies lack much detail .

[808eng_rc]

well good thing we can chop cut glue and reheat lol