How to bend curves in styrene or plastic for scale models

Styrene is great stuff when scratch building scale models, but it is stubbornly straight. Sometimes you need curved styrene plastic for your scale models. It's easy with the right technique! A few minutes and a little boiling water, and you can bend curves in any plastic surface.
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[@occamsrayzor]

Hi Dave - a good tip, but you can save a lot of time and effort if you get it into the right shape and then put it under cold running water, or even better to dip it into iced water. Doing that locks the styrene into place.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

nitramyar aha, I didn’t know that. Makes sense. Thanks for the tip!

[@greenplasticgun]

Really excited for this build. Can't wait to see the paint job start. Thanks for the tip!

[@Carwyn.Morris]

When i'm curving styrene I tend to cut it longer than it needs to be (because the ends don't seem to want to bend for me) warm it with a hair dryer and then wrap it around either a piece of tubing or a marker pen or some type of cylinder and then hit it with the hair dryer again and then let it cool before removing it. I also use a strip heater, it really depends on what I'm building.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

I've not used the hairdryer technique for a long time after I had a little melted plastic disaster. But that was a long time ago, I think I should re-visit this. D

[@sujathamohanram]

Many thanks for sharing the trick of taming the styrene !

[@nasanonimnez170]

Can't wait to see the model primed.I bet it will look awesome. Keep it up!

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Naš Anonimnež it’s exciting to be at the priming stage, let me tell you. It’s been a long time coming!

[@brsnorthernhorsejourney3579]

Good tips, both in video itself and in the comments. I've used the rubber-band-to-curved-former mentioned in one the comments below a number of times, worked great for some fairly small pieces like air cleaner brackets for 1/25 trucks.

[@markwakeley3835]

Very useful video Dave. Thank you.

[@ascensionindustries9631]

Oh this is cool. I'm om my fourth Gunpla build and starting to scribe and customize parts so this very helpful. Thanks!

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Ascension Industries - very cool, I like the Gunpla aesthetic.

[@2kidsnosleep]

I am doing the exact same thing right now as I wait for the water to heat, thought I would peruse my uTube list...and here you are with a video. Happy Easter

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Synchronicity! :)

[@styrenehelp]

Another great tutorial Dave. I am really looking forward to the primed Seahorse. Happy Easter to you and yours.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Thanks very much Bilko, and to you as well sir! My daughter loved her Easter egg hunt this morning...

[@njcivicwagon1]

Great tip Dave. Thanks for sharing

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

VisionONE24 JORGE my pleasure mate!

[@stupidfrog2205]

Working with plasticard later this week for the first time. Thank you for this video!

[@uuffzz]

Still working with it or are you frustrated with it? 😂 It's nice stuff to work with but if you start to do miniature stuff then it's a pain in the ass.

[@DamianLappin]

Great tip, thanks. I am lucky enough to have a band saw and quickly cut the curve in wood then clamped the hot styrene in between the 2 pieces, worked really well and no spring back.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Clever - very clever.

[@simonz28]

i have used this technique , but i use rice to hold it in place , gets into all the right places and holds it in place really well , and you can use it over and over

[@lancecaldwell3874]

Good one Dave. I have not tried this for styrene but I did try it for a model ship deck that was warped. It was a complete disaster. Now I have to scratch build. I'm not to far from Washington State where Evergreen styrene is made. It's great stuff that everyone should have in thier stash.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Hi Lance, that sounds like a bit of a nightmare... Bugger. And yep, Evergreen is good stuff - I love it. Cheers, Dave

[@tonyja661]

Good job Dave! Real handy trick.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Thanks Tony!

[@twistedsniper42]

Nice tip Dave.

[@Dontwlookatthis]

Thank you Dave. Im trying to make a gear shift housing for a Dragon Models 1/35 SdKfz 10. The parts supplied with the kit at the gear shift area are woefully inadequate compared to walk arounds of the real vehicles.

[@ModellingIndianRailways]

Great thanks

[@jjab99]

Great tip Cheers mate!!

[@gost4995]

Thank for the tip 👍

[@Deliverygrot]

Thanks.this is very helpful, i want to scratch build a Ralph maquarrie y wing.

[@MiguelBRScalemodelsDioramas]

Great tip mate!!!

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Miguel BR Scale models & Dioramas thanks very much! Dave

[@derricksmith4710]

Great work I'm working on an. N scale train layout I was looking into scratch building a couple buildings n subway platforms what's the width on the styrene?

[@CaptainFutureman]

Well, it's convex as seen from one side and concave from the other, so they are both right in this case.

[@leonardusgroenendyk6027]

I prefer to scribe fine vertical lines on the inside and then glue in the same principle as welding. Great video, keep up the good work.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

That's a clever technique. Does it give a more angled final surface, or does it still end up nicely curved? Cheers mate, hope you're feeling a bit better this week, Dave

[@randycoolbaugh1408]

awwmannn!! wish I saw this tip about two years ago!!.... I was TRYING to bend angle to fit the hull of a model ship I'm building.... I settled for flat stock.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Randy Coolbaugh ... bummer... is there any way to replace that section now two years later?

[@randycoolbaugh1408]

I'm sitting here right now looking.... and I'm sure I could. There would be some difficulty.... I don't know....maybe ill give it a try.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

It sounds like a massive pain in the *&^%, I must admit. But if it's bothering you...

[@randycoolbaugh1408]

good point. and not really. sure I wanted the "angle" ribs, but the "flat" ribs look ok. besides with it being rather difficult to remove the main deck, I'm thinking ill leave well enough alone.

[@charlie418791]

Good tutorial. 👍

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Charlie Mac thanks very much :)

[@aromarmustahab3660]

Hi can we use hair dryer.I fixed my pvc dented rc body shell using hair dryer .

[@carolinehaf21]

Great help to a new model builder, thanks! Unrelated question re the drill holes in the other piece - do you use a pinvice mini drill and scale up the bit size or just a normal electric drill? I need some speed holes in rat rod and found It hard to do them without expensive hole punch die set...

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Hi Caroline, I do use a pin vice mini drill set. If the holes need to be larger, I then just scrape inside the hole with a scalpel blade and rotate the scalpel to enlarge the hole.

[@lukenorman7649]

This is great, thanks! I have a question about the holes you cut: What tool do you use to cut out thos crisp circular holes from the styrene?

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

From memory, I think I used a 10mm diametre drill piece. I also often start with a small hole, and then just use a scalpel blade - stick it in the hole, rotate the scalpel handle and the hole will gradually get bigger. Stop when you've hit the size you want.

[@bismarck19br70]

Obrigado!!!!

[@tomatoes3]

Nice , I was told to make a wooden former and then fix to it with tape after heating , then cool with cold water. All goods tips .

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

That would work well, but it sounds like a lot of extra effort? What do you think? Cheers, Dave

[@rcscrapgarage9149]

Easy and it's works. Like.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Thanks very much!

[@Southern8099]

Would this technique work on a plastic kit wall that has a "bow" to it? I run into this problem a lot in construction of kit buildings, etc.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Definitely. Heat is the best way to make plastic malleable, so either hot water or a hair dryer. Just be very careful with the hairdryer it doesn't melt any fine detail moulded on the kit pieces!

[@nokiot9]

I just do a ribbon curl pull on the strip and it’ll make it curve. Makes it so easy. And you don’t have to leave the bench.

[@nokiot9]

Just like dig your fingernail into one side and squeeze and pull. Easy as pie.

[@conradrobinson3315]

Hi Dave - any suggestions for bending in situ on the model. My error (bodge!) but I've got an engine nacelle on an aircraft and the already curved sections don't meet on the underneath. Bending together would solve but there's no way I can put this in hot water. I thought of using a hot air gun but its spread could be detrimental to too large an area.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Hi Conrad, that’s a tricky one. A hot air gun might be too powerful and just melt everything. Maybe a hair dryer might be less powerful, but I’d still worry it would uncontrollably warp or even worse melt the plastic… maybe build up the gap with putty instead?

[@danward8720]

Use a few clothes pins (or whatever you call them there) to clamp the ends and middle in place in the ramekin?

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

That would definitely work Dan. They might slip, but if you were careful it would work. And we call them "pegs" here ;)

[@ron99693]

Prefect

[@allanmartinez1190]

Hello Sir, After you bend the plastic strip and then join the two pieces together do you use some type of filler to hide the edges Thank you for your time Sincerely Allan aa

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Hi Allan, I didn't use any filler on this piece. Cheers, Dave

[@chrisbumgarner5214]

Concave, convex, I can't get them straight either. What I do is wrap the plastic around the outside of a cylinder then secure it with a rubber band while it cools.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Chris' Hobbies I think I’ll have to do a second video showing this second technique, thanks for the idea! Dave

[@kevinbrister8801]

Try using 2 medicine bottles from pharmacy, one of them being a size bigger. Heat it like your doing then wrap it around the outside of larger one then place in smaller one and let it set in ice water! That shape will stay without effort

[@danielefabbro822]

Im making a model of a spaceship and the propulsor is basically a cylinder covered with panels that are curved around it. So I bought Styrene in plates and everything's fine until the piint I have to curve it. I dont know the rupture break point of that material nor if it properties will change if I heating it up to curve it. Plates are 22.5 cm x 8 cm. So a bit bigger than normal small pieces.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

I guess all you can do is do a trial run on one plate, and see how it goes. Good luck with it!

[@danielefabbro822]

@@DavesModelWorkshop thanks.

[@albertoestrella5098]

hey Dave how to make plywood panel from .020 white sheets please

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Alberto Estrella I would just scribe in wood grain effects using a steel brush or very carefully with a slightly blunt scalpel blade.

[@MrEnKaye]

Do you think this would work on clear plastic runners?

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

I'm not sure what you mean by runners? All I can suggest is try it on an inconspicuous piece first, it *might* cloud the clear...

[@RobotJeeg]

There is a better way. Put the piece of stirene on the outside of the cup. Hold it in place with masking tape. Put the whole thing in hot water and wait. Then cold water and the stirene will maintains the curved shape. Bye!

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Koutetsu Jeeg that is a solid piece of advice. Perhaps I should do a follow up video of this second technique! Thanks.

[@rui2duarte]

Same technic here. rubber bands around a cup then everything to hot water.

[@ReoTharmus]

What about a heat gun or hair dryer? How would this translate into bending tubes without wrecking the tube?

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Could work, but I think the tube might get a kink in it where it bends?

[@phxJohn2010]

I use a heat gun to shape PVC and styrene all the time. It's my go-to method and works great. The trick is that you have to heat it slow and evenly

[@ptudor63]

@@DavesModelWorkshop what about putting sand in it first

[@sashashadowhive6128]

so... I put my plastic piece in steaming hot water for like 10 minutes, and still rock hard... anyone know why this is? Based on some searching it should be styrene plastic.

[@ChannelingJohnBonham]

Miniature clamps to hold it place.

[@oldman9642]

Failing the cold water fix, I would clamp it down.

[@Grayman58]

Use clothes pegs to hold inside bowl or paper clips

[@merajhusainansari3628]

CAN WE BEND IT BY HEAT?

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

It might distort or melt.

[@garyparker2969]

Thanks for the "Hot" tip Dave , lol,God Bless All

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Gary Parker heh heh, I see what you did there... ;)

[@matthew7419]

I tried this and it didn't work. It kind of sort of softens it into gentle curves, but it doesn't form the styrene. Full-on boiling water.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Did you then bend the styrene into the shape you wanted once it was softened? Sometimes you need to then clamp it in position and wait for it to cool to really hold the shape?

[@juanrios9522]

Very useful trick....I will try it in the next project.....thanks for taking the time and effort to produce and share your methods...! ...my dad used to say...there's many ways to skin a banana.....share the way and eat the banana..! There are million of wizards out there...but not a single one here to share the wisdom...

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

So true. There are so many ways to achieve a result in this hobby. I like your phrase millions of wizards out there!

[@AnhTuPhucDerrickHoangCanada]

I'm gonna get a bomber, build it then cut away! And cover it with clear plastic.

[@Jb-tf4tf]

I'm your 2nd like woho🎉

[@donivanpotter2762]

Yeah I made fenders for my scale scratch built RC half track by boiling water and soaking the plastic. Like you said be about getting burned either by the water or steam.

[@gonefishing5415]

maybe with plasticine as a support...

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Could work, as long as your bend isn't too extreme and too likely to spring out of shape, definitely.

[@user-wg6ik1wi6s]

I use a heat gun

[@douglasmitchell5033]

I do it with a hair blow dryer.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

That's a good idea - I'll try that too. Thanks.

[@vicenteabdala]

may be better to do the shape in wood and clamp it down.

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Ah, Vicente, my woodworking skills are terrible - I would totally botch that if I tried to carve it in wood :D

[@vicenteabdala]

Just saying! You know your craft anyways. Great works in your channel!

[@eligebrown8998]

Use scotch tape to hold it in the bowl.

[@pgabrieli]

botton line: you need a ton of ramekins of all sizes :-)

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

And the additional bonus is you can make a whole lot of creme brulee as well! ;)

[@davidstokes8441]

To make styrene follow a curve, for thicknesses up to .5mm. Cut the piece to the required dimension except the length over the curve. Leave it quite long. Now pull the strip of styrene through your hand and over your thumb nail until it begins to curve. Continue until the piece approximates your required curve. Glue it in place as soon as possible with plastic weld (thin) type MEK or similar, starting at one end, and work your way around the curve. This can be followed up with either ACC/superglue or old fashioned "plastic cement" as reinforcement.

[@donlogan3529]

Try dragging the styrene over a rod , you'll find it curves

[@kingj1840]

Thats cutting not bending

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

Ummm, did you actually watch the video? The entire thing is about *bending* the rectangular strip of plastic!

[@soulshower]

Too much work, use a hair dryer!!

[@DavesModelWorkshop]

You certainly can, I find this a more reliable method (and I burn my fingers less!)