Back to D56 Gallery Building a Simply Elegant Diorama By Bob O'Connor toolah@cts.com Village Views November 2001 "A SMASHING SUCCESS" Bob gives workshops for Department 56 club members in Southern California. "Our scheduled speaker Karen Plesetz came down sick and postponed her appearance. To the rescue came Bob O'Connor with a demonstration on cutting Styrofoam (a month early and totally unrehearsed). The demonstration started innocently enough with Bob showing how cutting with a saw or knife creates a tremendous mess of Styrofoam balls. He then showed a battery-powered hot wire cutter that is available at most craft stores. Then he showed two electric foam cutters*, the first a Sculpting Tool, the second called a Hot Knife. The Sculpting Tool is used like the battery-powered tool but with much greater span on the cuts. The Hot Knife expands the realm of hot wire cutting by allowing blind holes, fine cutting for steps, groves for wires and the ability to cut large sheets of foam. " Scroll Down To See All Four Pictures The raw foam in 2 inch by 4 foot by 8 foot sheets. Cut out terraces with the Hot Knife and stack on the 4 by 8 foot base. Glue with low temp Hot Glue or spray on Super 77 glue. Then make smooth or rugged contours with the Sculpting Tool. Not sure what he used to cover the foam with. We use Foam Coat, and paint it. Amazingly simple and innexpensive to build, yet it looks like a million dollar scene out of a Walt Disney animation.