billn53 Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 I'm currently building Lindberg's old JN-4D "Jenny", and have a problem. The wings are warped: What's the best way to get them straight again? I'm thinking of taping or clamping the wing pieces to a metal ruler and immersing in hot water... the question I have is, How hot? or, is there a better way? Any & all suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
europapete Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 yep, you got it. Not quite boiling though. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orso Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 Exactly. Boiling water will make it shrink. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Thompson Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 1 hour ago, Orso said: Exactly. Boiling water will make it shrink. Don't spin dry it either. Before going the water route though you could see if flexing it will work. Depends on the plastic used, but with relatively simple shapes like wings it can be enough just to brace it with your thumbs halfway along the affected bit and pull back with your fingers either side. Worked for me with the notoriously warped Meng 1/32nd Fokker Triplane wings. Wrong sort of plastic and it will just return to the warped state and then hot water will be your best bet. Some people use a hairdryer but I think that's too risky. Obviously you need to be careful if the plastic is very hard, because it may also be brittle and snap, but I've done it many times and the effect has been permanant. Paul. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 Au contraire I used boiling water. I had a warped 1/48 Fokker D.VII wing I clamped it between two bits of metal, poured boiling hot water over it and then let it cool at its own rate; result = one flat wing, no melting 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orso Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 I had a car body destroyed by boiling water. But on the other hand it had no metal attached to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
europapete Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 ahh, yes, but was that Celcius boiling or Farenhiet? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 Thanks to everyone for your tips & suggestions! I was able to get my warped wing issue straightened out (excuse the pun!) through a combination of hot water bath and spot heating with hair dryer. For the hot water method, I found that a water temperature of 180-185F was needed with the plastic I had. The lower wing pieces came out completely straight, but the much longer upper wing still had a bit of bend in it. I was able to remove the residual warp by heating the wing center section with a hair dryer. Even better, I was able to achieve the desired dihedral by putting appropriately-sized spacers under the wingtips and holding the center of the wing down with a wood dowel while applying heat: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
europapete Posted September 13, 2021 Share Posted September 13, 2021 Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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