Workbench Guides · Bent Parts
How to Fix a Bent Resin Miniature
Every now and then a thin part turns up with a bit of a curve in it. Don't worry. It's usually a bend rather than a break, and a mug of warm water will have your resin miniature straight again in a few minutes.
Swords, spears, staffs and tails are the thinnest parts of any miniature, so they're the bits most likely to pick up a curve. A warm sorting office or a squeeze in the post is usually all it takes.
The good news is that the same thing that lets resin bend also lets you take the bend back out. Resin softens a little when it's warm and firms up again as it cools. So you warm the bent part, let it hang straight, and let it cool in that shape. Gravity does the straightening, which means there's nothing to force.
There are two ways to fix a bent miniature below. The hanging method is the one we'd try first. The hot and cold water method is a handy back-up if you've nowhere to hang the model.
What you need
- A mug of water at 40 to 50°C. Hot tap water is often around there, or you can top up kettle water with cold until it's right. If you've got a kitchen thermometer, it takes the guesswork out.
- A clothes peg or bulldog clip, plus somewhere to hang the model from. The edge of a shelf, a box or a cupboard door all work.
- A kitchen towel for drying off.
- For the hot and cold water method, a bowl of cold water and something with a straight edge. A ruler, the spine of a book or the edge of a table will all do the job.
Please don't reach for boiling water. Our miniatures need far less heat than you might think, and too much softens more of the model than just the bent part. Gentle is the way to go here.
Bent or broken?
Have a quick look before you warm anything.
Hold the model up in good light and look along the bent part, turning it slowly. A bend is a smooth, even curve, and the part is still all in one piece. If that's what you're seeing, you're in the right place, and either method below will sort it out.
If the part has snapped clean through, warm water won't help, but a small dab of super glue will rejoin a clean break. And if it arrived snapped, you don't need to fix it yourself at all. Send us a photo and your order number and we'll put it right.
Tap the diagram to open it full size.
Bent or snapped. A bend curves evenly along its length and the part is still in one piece. A snapped part is in two pieces, or still hanging on by a thread of resin.
The hanging method
A short, warm dip, then let gravity do the work.
This is the gentlest way to straighten a bent part, and the one we'd always try first. Our miniatures need less heat than you might expect, so start with a short dip and only add time if the part needs it. Water that's too hot, or a dip that's too long, softens more of the model than you want.
Before you start, get your clip and hanging spot ready. You want the model to go straight from the water to hanging, without sitting on the table in between.
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Warm, hang, cool. About half the bent part goes in the water, never the whole model. Hanging the model with that part pointing straight at the floor lets its own weight pull it straight as it cools, so there's nothing to force.
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Warm the water
Fill a mug with water at 40 to 50°C. It should feel hot, but not so hot that you couldn't dip a finger in.
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Dip the bent part
Hold the model by its base, turned so the bent part points straight down, and dip about half its length into the water. Count to 10, then lift it out.
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Hang it
Hang it straight away, with the bent part pointing directly down at the floor. Clip the base to the edge of a box or a shelf and let go. For a spear or staff held upright, that means the model hangs upside down. Gravity will do the rest.
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Leave it to cool
Now leave it alone until it has cooled completely. It's tempting to turn it over and check, but turning it the right way up too early lets the bend creep back in.
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Check, and go again if needed
Once it's cool, look along the part. Still a little bent? Dip it again, this time for 20 seconds, and hang it up again. The thicker the part, the longer it may take, so don't be put off if it needs another go.
The hot and cold water method
Straighten it by hand, then set it in cold water.
This one is a bit quicker, but you do the straightening yourself rather than leaving it to gravity. It comes in handy when there's nowhere to hang the model, or you'd rather keep it in your hand.
Use the same 40 to 50°C water as the hanging method. Have your straight edge and the bowl of cold water within reach before you dip, because the part only stays soft for a few seconds once it's out of the water.
Tap the diagram to open it full size.
One dip, one hold, one cool. Resin springs back a little, so ease it a touch past straight, and keep holding it in that shape while it sits in the cold water.
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Get both ready
Fill a mug with water at 40 to 50°C, and a bowl with cold water.
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Dip the bent part
Hold the model by its base, turned so the bent part points straight down, and dip about half its length in for 10 seconds.
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Straighten it
Lift it out and, while it's still warm, hold the part against your straight edge and gently ease it straight. Go very slightly past straight, as resin likes to spring back a touch.
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Set it in cold water
Keep holding it in that shape and lower it into the cold water for about 30 seconds. That sets it.
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Check, and go again if needed
Still bent? Warm it again for 20 seconds and have another go. As before, thicker parts may need a little longer.
Already painted?
If you can, straighten it before you prime. If it's too late for that, a hairdryer gives you more control.
Already got paint on it? Don't worry. A short dip in hot water is usually fine on primer, but it can cloud a varnish and lift paint that hasn't fully cured. A hairdryer lets you warm just the bent part and keep the heat away from the rest of your paint job.
Set it to low or medium heat, hold it 10 to 15cm away and keep it moving over the bent part for 20 to 30 seconds. Then either hang it with the part pointing down to cool, or straighten it against your edge and set it under the cold tap, just as above. You may need to touch up the paint along the part afterwards, but that's a lot quicker than repainting a whole model.
Tap the diagram to open it full size.
Heat the part, not the model. Keep the airflow moving and pointed at the bent section only. Holding it still in one place, or getting closer than 10cm, can soften the paint before the resin underneath is ready to move.
Never do this
The radiator
It looks like a cosy spot for a bit of gentle warming. It isn't. Radiators spread heat unevenly, so instead of one bend you get several new ones, and a knight who looks like he's been through the mangle.
The microwave or the oven
Not on low, not for a few seconds, not even if you watch it closely. Your miniature is not a jacket potato.
Your mouth
We know it's warm and right there. Please don't. The same goes for armpits and any other body part you might be eyeing up. The one exception is a fingertip: once the part is out of the water and cooling, a gentle finger can coax a slight kink straight.
A candle, lighter or gas hob
Resin and open flames do not get on. You'll have scorch marks long before you have a straight sword.
The car dashboard or a sunny windowsill
Leaving it in the sun to warm through sounds patient and sensible. It also has a habit of bending the parts that were straight to begin with.
Bending it cold
Muscling a cold part straight is the quickest way to turn a bend into a snap. Warm first, every time.
Pliers
Tempting for a stubborn bend, but they'll leave tooth marks in the resin and probably snap it anyway. Fingers and gravity only.
The dishwasher
Your miniature has been through enough.
When it doesn't go to plan
The short version
Dip, hang, cool
Check it's a smooth bend and still in one piece. Dip about half the bent part in water at 40 to 50°C for 10 seconds. Hang the model with the part pointing straight at the floor and leave it until it's cool. Still bent? Dip again for 20 seconds. If there's nowhere to hang it, straighten it by hand against a flat edge and set it in cold water instead. Painted models get a hairdryer.
That's really all there is to fixing a bent resin miniature. A little patience while it cools makes all the difference.
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