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Modeling dents in (plastic) steel plate.....

Started by trisonic, May 30, 2010, 07:42:43 AM

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trisonic

Anyone care to share their techniques?

I'm a newb here so if this has been covered before please point me to the right thread and I'll delete this one, many thanks.

Best Pete.
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eTraxx

How deep are the dents? Marc Reusser used a Dremel w/round headed bit to make dents in a muffler. Beyond that where the steel plate is actually deformed you will either have to use heat to actually deform the plastic. That's 'iffy' as you can easily ruin whatever you are working with. If you were for example working with a structure 'welded' from plates you could replace the 'dented' plate with a piece of thin plastic .. .010 which would be much easier to deform safely.
Ed Traxler

Lugoff, Camden & Northern RR

Socrates: "I drank WHAT?"

trisonic

I was thinking of 1:48 scale gondola's and boxcars - very few examples are perfect (after a couple of days).
Apologies for not being specific before. I realize that by judicious weathering they can appear battered and used but it's not the same. That's why I thought to consult with the experts.

Best, Pete.
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DaKra

Something I've experimented with, but not yet built into a finished model-- make a resin casting of the part.   The resin I use, probably typically, remains soft and pliable for a long time after its demolded, an hour or more.   It can be easily dented and bent and distorted.   

Dave

chester

This was an attempt to do what I think is similar to what you want to do. The container on this Mack RD800 (not your customary fare for here but....) is styrene plastic. One can find a heavy aluminum foil on the tops of some food products like coffee and peanut butter (the two major food groups) I simply cut a piece the size of the wall interior and used a 25w soldering gun. The foil acts like a heat sink and spreads out the hot spot. I think with a little practice I could do a lot better with this technique.


NORCALLOGGER

Hi Pete,
I haven't actually tried to do this on purpose but I would think that an electric soldering iron with a rheostat to control the heat and specially shaped tips would give you a good result after some expiermentation. 

I have used this set up to cut/form bricks or stone blocks in foam sheet with very satisfactory results.  Foam is a lot less heat tolarent than plastic. 

Should work.
Rick

marc_reusser

#6
Dang eT..you know where to find my stuff better than I do..... ;D ;D ;D

Pete,

First off, welcome to the forum.

One method/option, in cars that will not be internally visible...such as boxcars with closed doors, or Gondolas with a load in them, you can try thinning the interior side of the plastic wall with a round Headed dremel bit (or whatever bit you choose/prefer)....then when thin enough to work with, use your finger tip, or appropriately shaped tool, to make the "dents" in the styrene. When making the dents, try to think about what caused them, as this may affect the size and shape you create.

Because plastics vary in their qualities/properties I would experiment on a donor car to see if you can get the effect you want.

It is a fairly time consuming approach. I have used this method on truck fenders in 1/35, and had to grind the plastic pretty darn thin, and in a larger circumferance than the final dent area, to get the look and shape of the dent I wanted.

Marc
I am an unreliable witness to my own existence.

In the corners of my mind there is a circus....

M-Works

trisonic

Thank you all very much for the ideas.

Best, Pete.
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eTraxx

Just got the Microscale. They show a Railbox boxcar that has been modeled to show bulging sides due to shifting loads.

The author, Butch Eyler says ..

QuoteThis car demonstrates bulging sides due to shifting loads, or warping metal due to weather conditions, hot or cold. I don't know what causes these but I've seen them on new cars.

I completely rebuilt the sides of the cars from styrene. I cut .005 Evergreen styrene to fit between the side supports. I rubbed, poked, scored my bulges into the styrene and then glued them using Tenaxx 7 on to existing Intermountain box car. On this car I also removed the door and scratchbuilt the "pink" [6 panel seperior] door with styrene.  Repainted the car, slightly weathering, and I was finished.

Ed Traxler

Lugoff, Camden & Northern RR

Socrates: "I drank WHAT?"