Droopy weapons ... Fix?


Miniatures


I have got some minis ... Runelord Karzoug, Stone giant, Warrior of Wrath, just to name a few, that have bent droopy weapons. No matter how many times i try to straighten them out, they always go back to their droopy state. This is pretty annoying to me, as this makes the minis not look too good. Just wondering if anyone has a solution to make the weapons stay straight.


I have never had a problem using the boiling water and Ice Water method. I have had some refus to stay fixed when I have only used "hot" water.

Did you use boiling water when you tried to straighten them out?


Not sure what you mean ... how do you use boiling water? just dunk the whole mini in boiling water?

Designer, RPG Superstar Judge

I'd hold the mini with pliers, dunk the part you want to bend into the boiling water, use tweezers or needle-nose pliers to straighten the part, then dunk it into the freezing water so it goes rigid in the new orientation.


How long would you say to hold the part in the water, hot and cold? and this is plastic minis I am talking about, not metal, just to clarify ... boiling water does not melt the plastic?


Dhot wrote:
How long would you say to hold the part in the water, hot and cold? and this is plastic minis I am talking about, not metal, just to clarify ... boiling water does not melt the plastic?

It softens the "plastic" so that it is easy to reshape. The ice water locks it back into place, so to say.

As for how long to hold them in the boiling hot water? It depends on how think the item you want to reform. Something like a sword might only take a count to 10 or 15. Something thick like a bent miniature at the waiste, like my Glass Golem, then it took closer to 30-45 seconds.

I have never had to dunk them longer than that. As for the ice water, it takes the heat out very quickly.

Sean does bring up a good point, use care not to burn yourself with the boiling water.


I use a hot air technique. I just wave a hot air gun over the part I want to reform (not too close), until it becomes very pliable. (A hair dryer is supposed to work too).

Usually the part is not too hot to touch, so then I just hold the part in the position I want and then dunk the mini into a bowl of ice water. I keep it in there for about 30 seconds.

After drying the mini off I then roll up a sheet of paper towel and wrap it around the piece I just reshaped. I make sure the paper towel is tight either against the mini itself or another object, so that even if the part wanted to bend again, it cannot.

After 24 hours I remove the paper towel and the mini looks great and will not return to it's bent shape over time.

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