Sintra distortion while molding armor

I'm scratchbuilding my own armor from sintra and have gotten up to the forming stage. My shoulder bells were identical before I started heating (with heat gun) and molding them but now there is a half inch difference on either side. One bell is an inch taller than the other and the other one is an inch wider than the first. Has anyone else had issues like this and what is there to be done?

Sounds like too much direct heat. I've never used a heat gun, but I know it's picky material if you put too much heat onto it. I personally boil a monsterous pot of water and dip the pieces until theyre just flexible enough to shape (not floppy like noodles) ......Large pickle jars work well to shape the bells with once you have the sintra pliable enough. A nice cold bath after shaping and you should be good to go. Boil, bend, cold bath....rinse repeat until you're happy with the shape.

Yeah, it looks like it was just too much heat too quick. I used a lower settting and an ice bath following heating and none of my other parts have warped so bad. Looks like I'll be making new shoulder bells though well we live and learn... the only other problem I've had is getting the chest plate with display cutouts to form right. Wish i would've cut those out after. oh well. the bounty hunter trudges on!

Throwing it into an ice bath might not be good. When an item heats up, molecules speed up movement and spread out allowing for the object to bed, the opposite happens when you cool something. If you were to take something near molten and submerge it in cold, there is a possibility that it will crack due to the dramatic temperature change.


What I would do is just not worry about it, a half an inch really isn't anything noticeable, but if it really does bother you, just heat it up a tad more and lay it on top of the shoulder that you all ready have formed. That way, both shoulder bells will have the same arc and will be near identical.

I wish I could still use them, it's worse than you think. I'm afraid they're just garbage now. I think the reason they shrunk oppositely is the grain of the material. I cut them with the shapes all mashed together to save sintra and they weren't on the same angle. The rest of my pieces have turned out fine and match up to the paper templates still. As for the ice bath, its just a tub of hose water from outside, not actually that cold (though it is winter here in GA). All my other armor has retained its flexibility and hasn't gotten too brittle at all.

Sintra shrinking like that is bizarre, are you sure you cut it right? I don't think the material should shrink much at all, especially not that dramatically.

Yeah, they were cut identically. I didn't realize how little heat was necessary to mold them so i heated them until they curled up and were floppy. I was shocked by the distortion as well, thus this thread lul

apolifka, i watched videos on youtube of a guy using his oven at 250 degrees. Looks easy as pie. Just search sintra armor over there and you'll see it. This is the method I wil be trying tonight. I shall let you know how it works

Don't put them in the oven unless you want Chlorine fumes in your house. Buy a heat gun or use a hair dryer, and do it in the garage.

Some people don't have garages. It's snowing out as well. I did a chest plate last night. Took less than 45 sec in the oven, I smelled nothing. The only time I smelled anything like that was whilst cutting out my armor pieces and sanding Ovens save money and work fine

Well have fun putting chemicals into the same oven you cook your dinner!

Hi i have a question....does anyone know if you can add to the 'Sintra' (PVC Foam board) to give relief features and detailing? Was thinking of using car body filler.