large-ish rectangular resin base warped - how to handle?

[lsamuels]

I'm cleaning up the parts on "Actress X", the X-O Facto model from some years back. The resin base doesn't quite lay flat:

Front View


Back View:


(I labelled sides 1 and 2, so you can see which is which from both views.) Side 2 is warped a bit up into the air. How do you best handle this on a resin base?

Some ideas I have:
1) Ignore it; who's going to look at the base with "Actress X" around? -)
I could do this, but I'd see it everytime and think about it and obsess.... -)

2. Glue it down to a wooden base below.
This works, but sort of makes a big model even bigger (though maybe not by too much).

3. Heat it up, then clamp it down to a level support so it cools down and holds that shape.
Will this work? I have a heavy duty heater (the sort you use to free locked bolts, etc); I'd be a bit worried about overheating and melting, but perhaps that's why I need to be careful.

Any feedback about the heating idea, or other methods I'm not considering?

Thanks for any help!

Larry

[NM 156]

Boiling hot water in a cooking pan should work.
Just weigh it down on the corners.

[kevtk135]

I also do the boiling water technique for my warped kits - but don't boil it.
If mine, I would boil water in a pan, turn off the heat, then drop the base in. Depending on thickness you may have to leave it in for an extra minute or two.
Since I have a flat bottom sink, I'd bring it to the sink and while pressing the warped part down (flat) in the sink, I'd turn on or have some help to turn the cold water on. Once cool, the base should stay in it's new un-warped position. HTH

[JJCap1]

I've used Aves and filled in the high side then sanded the bottom level.

[Ant]

I've found straightened pieces will just warp back to their bent state over time unless there is something else to mechanically keep them straight.
If you don't want a bigger base, then I'd go with what Jim suggests and just fill in the space.

[lsamuels]

Thanks all for the ideas. It'd be tricky for me to get a big enough pot/pan for this thing to fit in -), so maybe I'll try the filling method, or nailing it -) to a wooden base.

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Thanks all for the ideas. It'd be tricky for me to get a big enough pot/pan for this thing to fit in -), so maybe I'll try the filling method, or nailing it -) to a wooden base.

I have the wee lassie next to me - a medium sized, 2" deep cooking tray (like for pizzas or lasagna) would work.


.

[scuzzfink85]

Cat litter pan.. buy a cheap one.. it will fit ..
Thats how I stripped the mars attacks nightmare I have ..
using a microwave wave to boil water set 6 minutes and find plastic bowl or pan..

[Otto69]

I've found straightened pieces will just warp back to their bent state over time unless there is something else to mechanically keep them straight.
If you don't want a bigger base, then I'd go with what Jim suggests and just fill in the space.

I had this happen with vinyl (Wrightsons Frankenstein), but it seemed to stop when I started rapid cooling of the warmed and straightened parts using this stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=electronics+ ... 3cm5wusm_e

I never completed the kit, the parts seemed to hold their new shape much better than would happen with more casual cooling. Beware, this stuff can give you frostbite: it is COLD.

[PROFESSOR JARROD]

In many cases soaking uncured resin kit kit parts in boiling hot water and letting them sit until the water cools will also finish curing the resin, I have done this several times, one kit was so bad before I did this that just handling it left finger prints embedded in the resin.
This method of curing the resin is called SHOCKING THE RESIN, out of four kits I have done this to over the years I only came across one that didn't fully cure after this treatment.


Rick

[lsamuels]

Thanks Rick. I remember how surprised I was when a (different) kit seemed to ooze oil from the resin and not hold primer. Not what you expect, but the garage kit "industry" has all sorts of levels of QA. -)