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Hey guys, I'm a bit new to this site but I have not found any topic that discusses how to bend styrene. I've seen it used on a number of conversions, but i do not know how it is done.

Questions-

How do you bend styrene?

Does it retain it's rigidity in the new bent shape?

Is there a limit to how much it can be bent?

What tools do you guys use to do this?

How do you bend hollow tubing (fill it with play sand)?

Any general information on styrene would also be appreciated. For instance, What thicknesses do you guys find most appropriate for modeling on tanks or on men? How do you guys cut off little chunks of styrene rod to make rivets (mine never come out straight)? Etc. Etc.

Thanks.

Apply heat.

I use a hair dryer.  Some sort of stand or a helper is useful since you need one hand to hold the item, one to bend, and a third to apply heat.  Wear gloves to protect your fingers and use foil to protect areas of the piece that you don't want bent.  Be careful with the heat, making sure to it apply evenly.   Bend the item to shape and hold it there until it cools.

Heating it for the desired effect without melting it is hard, cooling it is easy.

Immerse in ice water.