Bent piece: what is the proper way to flatten it?

77ncaachamps

i have this piece that was bent (presumably) it was caught in a bad spot and weighed down.

what is a safe and proper way to flatten it?
will it crack as a result?

Thank you!

JudgeChuck

Put it between two heavy-ish books for a couple of days?

Game_on

Almost wonder if you couldbuild it into something to straighten it out. 

Like stack a couple layers of full size bricks  on top and bottom to pull it back into position.

SumoLego

You may want to apply some heat whilst it being flattened.

SprinkleOtter

I've never had any luck with unbending working.

The_Rancor

Easier said than done but if you have any of the classic train weight pieces that would make the task a whole lot more effective. You could also use identical pieces lower down and above to make a consient tower.

Cyberdragon

SumoLego said:

You may want to apply some heat whilst it being flattened.

Be extremely careful with that, it could easily just warp in different ways. It only takes a tiny amount to make it not fit or lose clutch. The inner structure (tubes) where it's bent is most vulnerable.

Just apply small amounts of weight over a long time and monitor progress. Trying to flatten it in one go might snap it. This seems to work for baseplates.

madforLEGO

Cyberdragon said:

SumoLego said:

You may want to apply some heat whilst it being flattened.

Be extremely careful with that, it could easily just warp in different ways. It only takes a tiny amount to make it not fit or lose clutch. The inner structure (tubes) where it's bent is most vulnerable.

Just apply small amounts of weight over a long time and monitor progress. Trying to flatten it in one go might snap it. This seems to work for baseplates.

Just use really hot water, not boiling per se, but just hot water on it from a faucet while trying to straighten it out. I agree, you do not want to apply too much force or you can cause a stress mark

77ncaachamps

Thank you all for the recommendations.

I will try weighing it down gradually.
If that doesn't work over time, I will try the scalding hot water technique.

Hanzo

I'll go ahead and ask a dumb question, is this a rare expensive piece to just replace?

77ncaachamps

Hanzo said:

I'll go ahead and ask a dumb question, is this a rare expensive piece to just replace?

No. But it’s annoying and I don’t want to rubbish something that can be salvaged.

Cyberdragon

Better to try it here on something simple so it's no deal if it snaps rather than on an actual valuable part.

CCC

If it does crack, you can always cut it and use it as a custom sized smaller plate.

Baby_Yoda

^ Please, no! Oh god, no!

CCC

If something is broken beyond use, it might as well be used to practice customising skills rather than nothing or throwing it away.