Making your plastic more flexible?

[yz125ryder]

Have you guys tried this? Hopefully it will improve durability on your trucks!

 

[cuzzy]

25 years ago i purchased the biggest and best monster truck on the market...Kyosho USA 1 Nitrogen Crusher and I was told to boil some water and put the plastics into it for a little while. The plastics are pourous and it does keep them more flexible and it had to be done every now and then.... It worked for me as I still have this truck and many others since and have not broken any plastic parts...most obvious are the a arms that go...
I have never tried any type of oil or lubricant but it can't hurt.......The proof is in trial and error and looks like it has worked for this You Tuber......I gonna try it....

Sorry Nitro Crusher...bloody spell correct on my phone Hahahaaaaa........

 

[yz125ryder]

When he bends the arms, they do look like they have a lot more flex.

 

[slick2500]

I know a lot of bashers who swear by the boiling method.

I've seen a few of that guys vids, the one where he almost started his shop on fire with a lipo was pretty crazy.

 

[Big Arrma fan]

I know a lot of bashers who swear by the boiling method.

I've seen a few of that guys vids, the one where he almost started his shop on fire with a lipo was pretty crazy.

Hello how long do you leave the plastic to boil? I just broke my A arm, ordered some RPM. Thanks for any answers. I thought seen someone say they soaked in WD40??

 

[jondilly1974]

Hello how long do you leave the plastic to boil? I just broke my A arm, ordered some RPM. Thanks for any answers. I thought seen someone say they soaked in WD40??

If you’re buying RPM, they have advised me in an email to boil it as a way to straighten arms that are warped or bent. I don’t think you need to boil otherwise. I am unsure if WD40 is needed with the RPM arms. I have beat the crap out of mine and never broken one yet. I have a long list of stock arms I’ve broken.

 

[Big Arrma fan]

Great. Thank you Jondilly 1974 appreciate it. I am new to This hobby, trying to learn all tricks out there.

 

[slick2500]

Great. Thank you Jondilly 1974 appreciate it. I am new to This hobby, trying to learn all tricks out there.

When I did my wing mount I boiled it for like 5 minutes, let it cool then soaked it overnight in a bag of wd40.

 

[Big Arrma fan]

Thanks for that great info. I appreciate a lot. ?

 

[olds97_lss]

I recently did it with my RPM wing mount on my outcast. I had broken 2 stock mounts and 2 RPM mounts. I bought a couple LP mounts on ebay and while I waited for them to be delivered, I ordered another RPM one on amazon. Figured I'd try the boiling thing because at this point, what could it hurt. So far, it's holding up.

I just threw it in a pot of water, brought it up to a rolling boil, let it boil for 5 minutes or so, then shut off the burner and took the part out when it was cool enough to do so.

On my outcast, I replaced the wing with a block of TPR as I was tired of the wing just ripping off. After putting the block of TPR on it, I made it through about 1/2 a pack and when I landed a pretty high jump (10-12 feet up) and landed flat on all 4 wheels, the RPM mount just snapped clean off. Was mildly annoying as it hadn't taken any impacts yet directly.

So far though, since boiling I've been through 3 or 4 good bash sessions with quite a few direct hits on the wing. So far, so good.

What I have in place of a wing just to have something to hit the ground. I rounded off the corners so it was less likely to dig into the ground and hopefully promote glancing blows and then slide:

I made a similar one for my ERBEv2. Also tired of replacing wings on that as it tends to go through them at a decent rate. Even with both having the TBR rear skid/wheelie bar, the wings take a lot of abuse in less than stellar landings.

 

[Dmcgroggan3]

Bringing back another old one!

What about on stock Arrma parts? Is there Nylon mix in their plastics? About to boil some RPM and stock parts (Wing Mounts ???)

 

[DeafBasher80]

I boiled my arms 15 min and let it sit cool down naturally..I was advised 10-15 min?

 

[Clubin]

Nobody does this. Warming the plastic can not change the composition of the plastic.

 

[GRC]

Nobody does this. Warming the plastic can not change the composition of the plastic.

Speak for yourself. I boil all my plastics, stock and RPM. I also spray them with WD-40. Better yet, try it for yourself. Take two of the same part, boil and spray one not the other, then flex them. There's a difference. I rarely break any plastics.

 

[Clubin]

Speak for yourself. I boil all my plastics, stock and RPM. I also spray them with WD-40. Better yet, try it for yourself. Take two of the same part, boil and spray one not the other, then flex them. There's a difference. I rarely break any plastics.

Found in the net
The concept of boiling plastic parts goes back to the material that the parts are made from, which is mostly nylon impregnated plastic, specifically Nylon 6 or Nylon 6/6. The process is better known as conditioning. It does not make the part any stronger overall, it simply allows it to be more flexible, and absorb impact better. "Tougher" would be a better description that "stronger".

Nylon 6 or 6/6 has the ability to absorb moisture, more so than polymers like polyethylene. As a result, the introduction of moisture into the finished part can reduce the brittleness. Be careful though, if the part is brittle due to low moisture content, this will be a good way to increase flexibility. However, if the problem is more related to material degradation during the molding process, conditioning the parts will increase flexibility, but only temporarily, and the brittleness can return over time, once the part is put into use. Murphy's Law says that this will probably happen about half a lap before you do a cart wheel over a big triple

Assuming the part is sound coming out of the mold, it will reach equillibrium naturally through exposure to the atmosphere. If the parts are left in open air, especially in a humid environment (like your spare parts bag in the hot, humid summer months), the process of moisture absorption will occurr by itself, but it will take longer. Conditioning simply accelerates that process.

If you're interested, and like to read techincal papers, there's a very detailed explanation of this process here.

If not, below is the "reader's digest version"...enjoy.

Conditioning plastic parts

Originally by Plasticar

Adding water to the gears works because the material usedto make them is nylon. Nylon absorbs moisture, which makes it more flexible and resistant to impact, both of which help it be less likely to break. A common trade name for nylon usedin hobby and sporting goods is Zytel, but there are many other brands also.

It is not recommended to actually BOIL the parts, as thehigher heat can degrade the material. Rather the suggestion to bring the water just to a boil, then either pour it into another container, or take off the heat and add the parts to sit is a better one. It doesn't take very long to improve the toughness of the gears (or any other nylon parts). 20-30 minutes should be plenty.

This method will not work with any other types of plastic. Delrin, Lexan, none of these are improved in this method. Fortunately, most of the structural parts in RC cars are nylon.

This process does happen naturally, but takes 6-9 months in open air. Once the moisture has been put into the part, it will continue to adjust the level, but this is a permanent condition, as it is mearly accellerating a natural process.

The nylon gears and other parts will not melt in the boiling water. They don't melt until over 200

 

[GRC]

Nylon absorbs moisture, which makes it more flexible and resistant to impact, both of which help it be less likely to break. A common trade name for nylon usedin hobby and sporting goods is Zytel, but there are many other brands also.

It is not recommended to actually BOIL the parts, as thehigher heat can degrade the material. Rather the suggestion to bring the water just to a boil, then either pour it into another container, or take off the heat and add the parts to sit is a better one. It doesn't take very long to improve the toughness of the gears (or any other nylon parts). 20-30 minutes should be plenty.

So it does work. Also glad to see my method of adding boiled water to another container works better than directly boiling the plastic.

 

[w0den]

I know I am bringing back an old thread (and there are several threads on this), but do you guys boil your chassis? I cracked the chassis of my typhon, and I am debating whether whether it is better to make the chassis more durable at the cost of adding flex and potentially reducing performance. I mostly use the car for bashing, so I am not sure if the performance matters that much.

Thoughts?

 

[King blitz]

I use mink oil leather conditioner on my plastics.keeps them looking awesome and adds the minerals and oil that is lost due to sun light heat exposure..been using it in all my 1/1 cars and SUV because they all have leather and works great on vinyl...this is not a dressing so don't worry about it having a high gloss because it does not .just apply it with a sponge then let it sit for a bit then wipe with a soft clean towel and your plastics are protected and rejuvenated. plastics snap and break because they dry out so if you replenish the oils and minerals back in to the plastic you'll be all set..

 

[w0den]

I use mink oil leather conditioner on my plastics.keeps them looking awesome and adds the minerals and oil that is lost due to sun light heat exposure..been using it in all my 1/1 cars and SUV because they all have leather and works great on vinyl...this is not a dressing so don't worry about it having a high gloss because it does not .just apply it with a sponge then let it sit for a bit then wipe with a soft clean towel and your plastics are protected and rejuvenated. plastics snap and break because they dry out so if you replenish the oils and minerals back in to the plastic you'll be all set..

Thanks! Do you boil them when they are torn down?