Fellas,
I’d like to remove some 3” thick foam surrounding a model perimeter as it’s a bit too tight as it sits in its box. I’ve heard of some folks who use a hot wire but I’m not sure how to set that up. I’d prefer to buy a blade/knife that can do the occasional reasonably neat job that I’d need it for. Suggestions?
Thanks
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A serrated bread knife works fine or you can go to YouTube and search for "Hot Wire cutter" - there are lots of videos.
-Greg
Zona saw works (or some other fine toothed saw). If you’re just fine tuning it 80 grit sand paper would do the job. Just vacuum up the dust before you put the model back in.
Could also use a rasp or a Stanley sureform.
depends how much you gotta get out and how tight of a spot you’re working in... Foam is pretty easy stuff to mess with.
Someone makes a “hot knife”, it’s like a cross between a soldering iron and an xacto knife. I’ve never used one myself.
Brand new #11 scalpel
Hi All,
A few years ago, I found a foam store in the Philadelphia, PA area. I lost the info for the location and phone number of this store. Does anyone in the Philly area know the phone number or website of this store? It is near the Philly airport.
Thanks,
Ed
P.S.: I have found no way to make decent cuts in thick foam. It always looks like I took lessons from Jack the Ripper.
I went to ACE Hardware earlier this evening and found a $5 “Snap-knife” (2199719) similar to a box cutter but with a much longer blade intended for carpet, insulation, roofing materials and linoleum. The razor blade extends about 4” which is what I was looking for. It worked better than anything I’ve tried before. The cuts I made, while not perfectly straight, were very clean and smooth looking almost as good as original.
PRR5841: Even though it seems you have found your solution, I offer in the alternatives category for discussion sake, another option of this saber saw blade also recommended by folks here on the forum. Works very well and smooth cuts (when held down properly). My in-artful sample video not withstanding...
We use an old fashioned electric carving knife. Work great. That's what packaging companies use to make prototypes of packaging materials.
Like this one:
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