Can FO be Permanently bent?

starmanmm · Post by **starmanmm** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 2:12 pm

Working on the Romulan Bird of Prey and will be lighting it with FO, but due to the thickness of the FO, I need to bend them and keep them in that pose so that the led can do its thing. I can't bundle them due to the space limits of the kit.

So, I was wondering if I heat a strand will it hold the bend?

Another thought I had was, if I cut them short, chrome the inside of the kit and put in two or three leds, maybe that will work?

DX-SFX · Post by **DX-SFX** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:25 pm

It can be bent by passing a small flame over a short length. A small butane torch is ideal but the tighter the bend and the rougher the outer surface, the less light is likely to be transmitted.

Marcal · Post by **Marcal** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:08 am

You can also try it under hot water, the flame is not easy to control...

Jonas Calhoun · Post by **Jonas Calhoun** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:45 pm

One thing I learned in SciFiU at Wonderfest is that if you bend FO enough that it kinks, that will attenuate your light significantly.

Dan

starmanmm · Post by **starmanmm** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 7:13 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. What I have done is used a hair dryer on high and pressed the fibers down "gentley"! This seems to be doing the trick!