Plastic parts in the sun

[MatchboxFreak]

I picked up this top cover for a 47c DAF Container Truck at a flea market this weekend (along with several plastic girders, a 1e Mercedes truck, 2e Mercedes trailer and the orange top canopies for the vehicles). All the other plastic bits were okay but as you can see, the 47c top sagged in the heat.

Does anyone have advice for how to flatten/straighten this?
I tried hot (tap) water. Should I try boiling water? Put it in the oven for a moment? Any suggestions on temperature and time?

Thank you
Kurt

[Malibu]

Hi Kurt,

I would first take water with a temperature of 70°C.
If it dosn´t work and does not harm the part I would take 80°C / 90°C / 100°C.

Viel Erfolg
Stephan

[numi]

Try wrapping in thin foil and apply heat from a hair-dryer or heat gun.Place on level surface and then place a weight in the middle. Should work if u know what ure doing!
numi

[MBXPilot]

I've not tried it on a part like this, but with the axle "springs" that get bent like this over the years, I light a small candle and run it gently through the flame, and that heats it up and straightens it out... Try it with a scrap bit of plastic first to make sure it doesn't damage anything, but that might just work for you.

[MatchboxFreak]

Thank you for your suggestions!

I like the incremental approach of increasingly warm/hot water baths and the hair dryer approach.
Running a piece of plastic through a flame scares me a bit but if the first two methods don't work, I may try that one too!

I'll keep you posted on the results.
Fingers crossed!

[MatchboxFreak]

Success!
Increasingly hot water and gentle pressure did the trick. 90 C was the bending point.
Thank you for your advice.

[MatchboxFreak]

OK
So maybe the top is not quite perfect yet.
The warped top is on the turquoise DAF tipper.

But now that I have a technique, I can dial it in.

[numi]

Hot water could easily fade this cover and burn your fingers so I have the best solution.....try finding another cos they are quite common!
numi