Frank STENGEL Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 I recently bought a small bunch of RC/PF tracks during a garage sale. They were cheap, really cheap. The thing is the points are bent: when on a flat surface, the ends stick out by 0.5-1cm. It seems they were stored in a hot garage attic... Has anyone an idea on flattening the thingies? I mean anything quicker than: "put it under a few dozen pounds of books and wait for a (very long) while" would be welcome. Quote
LEGO Guy Bri Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) You could try heat. I think Lego starts to soften 200F-300F, but this, I found, might contradict that: ABS maximum temperature is 80C (176F) and melt at 105C (221F) Polycarbonate plastic used for transparent bricks melt at 267C (512.6F) Still if you use your oven and start the heat a it's minimum (mine is as low as 170F) and raise it slowly you should be fine. Definitely try a practice run first Edited March 25, 2012 by Lego Guy Bri Quote
legoboy3998 Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 try a hair dryer and then put a heavy book on top to hold it flat. I once had a LEGO hotrod style exhaust pipe that was bent, i heated it with a candle and it got very soft very quick. A hair dryer on hi should work fine. I use that method to soften the leather on work boots to speed the breaking in process. Sal WFB, WI Quote
Frank STENGEL Posted March 27, 2012 Author Posted March 27, 2012 (edited) Still if you use your oven and start the heat a it's minimum (mine is as low as 170F) and raise it slowly you should be fine. Definitely try a practice run first Tried that out. I heated the point to about 100C (212F) for 5-10 minutes until it started flattening. Took it out and let it cool under some weight. And voilà, a nice flat point... Thanks. Edited March 27, 2012 by Frank STENGEL Quote
JasperL Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Great idea! I've got a level crossing gate that's really bent, I will certainly try this. Just think I need to be extra careful because it's really thin. http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4512pb01 Quote
LEGO Guy Bri Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 Tried that out. I heated the point to about 100C (212F) for 5-10 minutes until it started flattening. Took it out and let it cool under some weight. And voilà, a nice flat point... Thanks. Glad it worked out for you! And thanks for the info on heating, I have a few elements that need it Quote
Frank STENGEL Posted March 28, 2012 Author Posted March 28, 2012 Glad it worked out for you! And thanks for the info on heating, I have a few elements that need it Just one thing: keep a constant eye on the parts. You want to be able to take them out of the oven before they are overcooked I had a chair in front of the oven which had my wife wondering what paint I was watching dry Quote
LEGO Guy Bri Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 Just one thing: keep a constant eye on the parts. You want to be able to take them out of the oven before they are overcooked I had a chair in front of the oven which had my wife wondering what paint I was watching dry Good to know. About how long did you have in? Quote
Frank STENGEL Posted March 28, 2012 Author Posted March 28, 2012 (edited) Good to know. About how long did you have in? I don't remember: 5 to 10 minutes... Edited March 28, 2012 by Frank STENGEL Quote
splatman Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I had a chair in front of the oven which had my wife wondering what paint I was watching dry Mom, I'm bakin' some LOLs. I need to make shure it's just right. haha. Quote
J_B2 Posted March 31, 2012 Posted March 31, 2012 Boiling some water in the microwave and then putting the pieces in the boiling water is a mostly safe way. Water boils at 212 degrees F. Quote
Frank STENGEL Posted March 31, 2012 Author Posted March 31, 2012 Boiling some water in the microwave and then putting the pieces in the boiling water is a mostly safe way. Water boils at 212 degrees F. Actually, I tried this. It did not work: the water cooled too fast for it to properly heat the rather large parts. Quote
J_B2 Posted March 31, 2012 Posted March 31, 2012 Actually, I tried this. It did not work: the water cooled too fast for it to properly heat the rather large parts. You could try a double boiler method on the stove top too.. a bit of a PIA though. Quote
splatman Posted April 1, 2012 Posted April 1, 2012 You could try a double boiler method on the stove top too.. a bit of a PIA though. Yep, a Pain In Anterior would be the result if you stood too close to the stove too long. Quote
Frank STENGEL Posted April 19, 2012 Author Posted April 19, 2012 Beware! Check the temperature of your oven and stay there to be able to act quick! As previously stated ABS starts melting at about 105 °C. I just made the bitter experience. I had wanted to go faster and heated the oven to 110 °C. Result : a totally shrunk piece of plastic ready for the bin (or to be used for modding !) Quote
teflon Posted April 19, 2012 Posted April 19, 2012 Ups, this sounds like Dali's tracks: You should call those track an art and sell them for a lot of money:-) Quote
Frank STENGEL Posted April 19, 2012 Author Posted April 19, 2012 Ups, this sounds like Dali's tracks: You should call those track an art and sell them for a lot of money:-) Weird, my wife said exactly the same! Quote
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