Polymorph is a plastic which melts at around 60 degrees C / 140 degrees F so that you can melt it in hot water and mash it about with your hands. It sets again when it cools and is probably as tough as nylon or some other domestic plastic. Polymorph is also sometimes called Shapelock in the USA.

I’ve used this material in several projects to make mechanical parts, or to make detail parts for models. You can see my wood and Polymorph robot concept in this article, and my Polymorph detailed Salacious Crumb project in the Jabba the Hut article.

Polymorph can sometimes be hard to get to the shape you want shaping it just by hand, but it can always be reheated and remoulded or completely reused. I sometimes use a hot air gun to reheat small sections of the piece I’m making once its set, and cold water to cool it quickly once it’s roughly the right shape.

Once the Polymorph piece has set it can be cut and drilled like any plastic, although due to its low melting temperature it’s important to be careful of friction – use a low drill sped or it’ll start to melt. I’ve read about some people freezing the finished Polymorph piece in the freezer prior to drilling, or using freezer spray to stop it melting again whilst the piece is being worked on.

All together Polymorph is a very handy hobby material than can be used to make practically any part of any project, costume, or even for that household bracket or hook that you just can’t find in the DIY store.

The cheapest UK price I’ve found is £15 per Kg from Rapid, and if you buy 2 x 1Kg packs you get free delivery.