I’m looking into making a stand that will hold an in-flight model airplane, and I want to use a plastic rod that curves from the base to the airplane. The rod will go in at a 45 degree angle into the base and then curve around like a “C”. The top portion will have scratch built clamps, so you can remove the aircraft.
Now here is the question… what kind of plastic rod should I use? Acrylic, Polyurethane, Polystyrene, Polyethylene? I need to be able to heat it up with lighter or something, so I can bend the rod easily.
Here are some that I found:
Acrylic:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog_name=USPlastic&category_name=Acrylic&product_id=Clear+Extruded+Acrylic+Rod
Polyurethane:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/category.asp?catalog_name=USPlastic&category_name=Polyurethane&Page=1
Polyethylene:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog_name=USPlastic&category_name=Polypropylene&product_id=Low+and+High+Density+Polyethylene+And+Polypropylene+Rod+Stock
Polystyrene: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog_name=USPlastic&category_name=Styrene&product_id=High+Impact+Polystyrene+Tubing+And+Rod