Common
(& Not So Common)
Questions and Answers
Q
How do I make circles in 20mm thick foam?
A
Hey your English is way better than my French. To make a circle they
put a series of grooves with the Engraving Tool on the inside of a thin
piece of foam and curled the foam in toward the grooves. You can see
the grooves in one of the pictures. The other way to make a circle is
to put a nail in the center of a piece of foam, tie a string from the
nail to the Hot Knife tool, pull the Knife taught on the string and
spin it around the nail cutting a circle. If you are using foam over
an inch thick (2.5cm) you will need the Sled Guide to make an even cut.
I don't know where to get such thin foam, so I make it myself. I clamp
the bow cutter to a workbench with the wire facing up and slide the
foam across the table and into the wire. You can make ultra thin sheets
of foam using this technique. If you only need foam slices that are
8-12" (20-30cm) tall (they can be as long as you want) you can use the
Scroll Table or 3D Table with the Fence Guide.
Q How do I protect foam when
it is outdoors?
A Howard, I have not yet come accross
a website dedicated to surfacing polystyrene foams, but I can give you
a few tips.
The cheapest and easiest coating is outdoor latex house paint. If the
foam will be in an area where people and animals won't be banging into
it it will outlast painted wood because shrinkage, expansion, or rot
will not occur with polystyrene foam, as it does with wood. My daughter
made a sign for the local Mexican fast food restaurant nearly 10 years
ago and it has held up to the elements better than most other signs
that were made that long ago. It has faced right into a big rainstorm
that was driven by 80+ mph winds. Pigeons apparantly have begun to peck
into the edges of the foam.
We sell an outdoor foam coat that has much the same qualities as stucco.
It dries to a rock hardness. This coating is slightly porous so you
might want to seal it with paint. You can also stucco over the foam
coat which has been formulated to adhere well to foam.
If you are looking for super stregnth you can fiberglass and epoxy
the foam. Many kayaks and windsurfers are made this way. Never use resin
directly on the foam as it will desolve polystryrene. You can use a
coating of white glue as an insulating barrier from the resin.
I plan on experimenting with polymer roof coatings. I have heard that
they have a slight tendency to sag, but they might still be useful for
some applications.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you come up with any other methods.
Q Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 13:09:19
-0500 From: "James Luciana" Hello, I would be using the Hot Knife and
Sculpting Tool for carving various moldings, trims, and architectural
pieces for theatre sets. It seems that most users are working
with small pieces, model RR's, etc. Would your products work for large
pieces and props for theatrical use? Would the cordless kit with the
knife and sculpting tool be a good choice? I doesn't seem that the engraver
would be something I would need. I would be using the products for fairly
long periods of time. Should I go with the AC adapter as well?
A Peter, We have sold tool sets
to many theater groups, movie producers, and parade float creators with
positive feedback from all. The Hot Knife and the Sculpting Tool would
definitely be the good choices for detail work. Lego Land in Southern
California recently bought one or our Pro Kits to make foam backdrops
for their amusement park. We have also sold Pro Kits to Disneyland,
Disney World, Knotts Berry Farm, Columbia Studios, the FBI, and the
list goes on.
The Pro Power is used by most people who are doing serious projects.
It has twice the power and outlasts than the AC's. The tool extensions
use a mini jack, so you can pick up a longer extension at any audio
supply store or Radio Shack. You will need an extension with a male
mini jack on one end and a female mini jack on the other. You probably
would lose too much power if you tried using an extension with the AC
Power Supply.
Also, we have a new Freehand Router tool that has a stiffer cutting
blade for more serious carving. The brass arms are shorter, and the
cutting wire is 5" long. You shape the blades any way you want with
your fingers or pliers and they will not bend while you are cutting.
People who have tested the prototypes say that cutting foam with this
blade is the fastest sculpting they have ever experienced in any medium.
We are also now making a Pro Hot Knife that is much sturdier and cuts
faster than the regular Hot Knife.
(We now have 2-4 foot bow cutters for knocking those big blocks of
foam down to size!)
Q How can I make 6
foot wings for my RC airplane with your tools?
A From your plans, cut out cardboard
templates of the cross sections of your wing or fuselage every 6'',
or closer where there is a drastic change in shape. Sandwich a 6", or
appropriate length block of foam between these cardboard templates.
It helps to pin the cardboard to the foam. Then just drag the hotwire
around the templates, cutting out each section. You can even cut out
the groove for the spar if you notch your cardboard templates in the
right place. Glue the pieces together, and sand out any imperfections.
Cover the finished wing or fuselage with fiberglass strapping tape and
they will outlast the best balsa wood. (Save the rain forests!!!) Save
your templates, they take longer to cut out than the foam.
Q ROTTSHEPWOLF8@aol.com wrote: Do
you have a hot knife to carve the pattern of a gun into the foam that
comes in a gun case? Something like an
ice cream scoop to take out some foam to lay the gun in. Thanks, Russ
A Yes, the Freehand Router is used
for making cutouts in foam for packaging purposes. The other popular
method is to buy one-half to three inch thick slices of foam and progressively
terrace the pieces using the Hot Knife Tool. This is how the inside
of many camera cases are designed. You can glue the pieces together
after they are all cut out. Check with the foam manufacturer to make
sure that there are no health or safety hazards when cutting their foam
with hot wire tools.
Q Peter Thannhauser wrote: Dear
Sir or Madam: My company manufactures large scale, composite model aircraft
kits. The wings & flying components are made of 1 pcf poylstyrene foam
using a hot wire mechanism for the airfoil surfaces. What is taking
a lot of labour intensive time is what we call
'honeycombing' ie. removing cells of foam from the wing cores.
Hopefully the attached diagram will give you an idea. I am interested
in your hot knife tool to assist with this job. I'm thinking if I can
secure it to a base to keep it perpendicular & plunge into the foam
& around the cell perimeter guided by a single template, similar in
action to a router. Presently I am using 2 templates on either side
of the wing & feeding a thin wire through a pilot hole etc.
A Our Hot Knife is designed for
plunge cutting. Look for the Sled Guide in our Accessories area to keep
the Hot Knife perpendicular to the foam while cutting.
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Q From: EDWIN L STEVENS [mailto:edlstevens@juno.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2002 7:38 AM To: faqs@hotwirefoamfactory.com
Subject: table cutter knife I PURCHASED A WOODLAND
SCENICS FOAM CUTTER AND DISCOVERED YOUR WEB SIGHT. ARE YOU THE
MANUFACTURER FOR THIER PRODUCTS? IF SO IF I ORDERED A TABLE AND/OR KNIFE
FROM UOU WILL IT WORK WITH MY TOOLS ? THE HOT WIRE FOAM CUTTER IS ST1435.
THANK YOU. EDLSTEVENS@JUNO.COM
A Ed, No. They actually purchased
a set of our tools and made an imitation. We offered to manufacture
them for them, but they said no, and are having them made and packaged
in China. Our tools require more power due to our longer blade, so they
are not compatible with their power supply. Our Hot Knife, Hot Scroll
Table, and Sculpting Tool all work with either the Pro Power Station
or the Crafter's AC adapter.
Q From: La Monk [mailto:aerostar@prodigy.net]
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2002 6:29 PM Will your product cut through foam
core board also? Does it burn the paper surrounding the foam
or is it compatible to a clean cut? I would like to mount photographs
onto a foamboard and cut around the picture to stand in a wood block.
Will your product help me to do this? Thanks for any help...Linda
A Linda, No, a hot wire tool will
not cut through paper. I have cut out pictures and glued them onto thin
(and thick) pieces of foam and cut the foam off around the edge using
the picture as a guide. I usually use DOW Blueboard or Pinkboard and
paint it. Another cool mounting technique is to mount your photo to
glass using Swiss Clips and then making a frame of any shape or thickness
desired and rubber cementing it onto the glass. I made a very convincing
granite frame for some waterfall photographs.
Q From: eric sandie [mailto:eyelusions@mindsync.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2002 11:13 PM Hi I would like to know what you
suggest that would be the best product for cutting
logos/signs out. What would you use the Hot knife or the Hot
scroll Table. The foam I use is 2 inchs thick. Thanks Eric Sandie
A Eric, It really depends on your
skill as a freehand artist. Some people have the rare talant of being
able to pick up a tool and make perfect freehand cuts. By far the majority
of people making signs use the Hot Scroll Table or the 3D Table. It
is much easier to keep the cutting wire perpendicular to the foam using
the Table model. Most people, including myself, are not able to make
nice looking letters with the Hot Knife. Did you find our helpful tips
on making foam signs in the Gallery/Signs area of our website?
Q From: eric sandie [mailto:eyelusions@mindsync.com]
Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2002 2:44 PM I know I have a lot of questions.
Now it's coming down to the final question of purchase. What saw would
you say I should go with if I'm going to be doing signs/logos etc. The
Hot Scroll Table or the 3D scroll table?
Thanks for all the help. Eric Sandie
A Eric, The Original Hot Scroll
Table is much easier to set up and is less expensive. You can even use
it with the AC Power Supply. People have been using the Original to
make beautiful signs for over ten years. The 3D Scroll Table does some
things that the Original does not, but you might not ever need these
features for sign making. The added features are more for making models
and architectural shapes. The 3D does have the benefit of letting you
mount the Hot Knife using the Sled Guide as a rigid plunge cuttet, so
you don't have to restring the blade for cutting the insides of letters
like O's and D's. You will need the 3D if you want to contour the edges
of the letters, or make shaped mouldings to frame the edge of the sign.
Q From: Keifer0999@aol.com [mailto:Keifer0999@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2002 8:53 PM Subject: Paints
on foam. Just wondering....what types of paints do you recommend
using? interior or exterior? acrylic latex? etc etc. Thanks Keith
A Keith, Always use water based
paints. Acrylic latex is fine. If your project is going outside use
exterior as it will not fade as fast as interior and will protect the
foam longer. Give me more details on what your uses will be and we might
have more suggestions. Always test the paint on a scrap piece of foam
since there might be additives that dissolve foam. It can take a couple
of minutes for the foam to dissolve.
Q From: Ilan Brami [mailto:bramilan@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 10:11 AM Hi. I am looking for a possibility
of cutting foam in different forms for sciences experiences. I could
not understand from your site if ANY kind of foam
can be cutted with your tools or only some kinds. I would also
like to know if there is a place in Israel
where we can buy your stuff. If you can also send me some technical
details about your tools and their abilities, it would be very helpfull.
Thank you very much in advance. Ilan Brami.
A Ilan, Our tools are designed
for cutting rigid polystyrene foams, also known as EPS (expanded polystyrene)
and XEPS(extruded polystyrene) foams. EPS foam is made up of little
beads which vary in sized according to the density/weight/strength of
the foam. XEPS is smooth and also comes in various strengths. These
foams are often found in building supply stores and packaging supply
outlets as they are used for insulating walls in homes and for padding
in packages. DOW Blueboard and Pinkboard are XEPS foams that are used
for insulating. EPS is often used to insulate electrical appliances
when they are shipped- your computer probably came packaged in EPS foam.
Be very cautious before cutting any foam. Many foams are flamable and
give off toxic fumes. ALWAYS check with the manufacturer of the foam
for any health or safety hazards which could occur when cutting foam
with hot electrical tools. I hope this helps. Please don't hesitate
to ask any specific questions. We do not have a dealer in Israel. We
will help you with shipping costs if you would like to order directly
from us.
Q Hi Would you please let me know
if fun noodles are made from latex foam?
I have a latex allergy and need to know if they are made from latex.
Please advise.
A Jan, Although it is not my field
of expertise I would imagine that most people would suffer some negative
side effects from eating any kind of foam noodles. Hot wire tools will
not work with noodles made from flour, but I am sure flour noodles are
more healthy. You really need to ask the foam noodle manufacturer. Our
tools are designed to cut polystyrene foam, like the foam we sell.
Q WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR FOAM COAT? WE ARE
MAKING A MOULD FROM POLYSTYRENE TO CAST CONCRETE WITHIN. DO WE NEED
A COATING ON THE STYRENE BEFORE CASTING
A Shane, If you want to re-use
your foam mould you should coat it. We have someone in the United States
that we refer people to who makes a plastic that can be sprayed or brushed
onto the foam. Even with that you will probably want to butter it up
with a parting agent. I can give you their contact information if you
would like. I have a friend who does spray on polyeurea bedliners for
trucks which works good as a hard coating for the foam. You can use
epoxy as a coating, but it is expensive. A thick water based paint that
is well greased would probably work too. The foam is very absorbant.
Anything that will seal it might work. Many materials will melt the
foam, so be sure to experiment on scraps. For small stuff I have simply
used a layer or two of what we call seran wrap, the clingy-stretchy
clear plastic sandwich wrap as a parthing barrier and it worked great!
I would like to hear what works (and doesn't work!). You are pioneering
new territory. Good luck.
Q You obviously have a great sense
of humor....but, I really need to know if the foam
noodles are made out of latex, as I have a serious allergy to
latex. If you can possibly assist me as to whether or not the foam noodles
are made out of latex, it would be nice to know. By the way, I don't
have any interest in eating them, I just want to use them in lthe pool
for aerobics. Thanks for making me smile. So, if you do know, I would
appreciate a real answer. Thanks, Jan
A Jan, I honestly have never heard
of foam noodles, so I have no idea what they are made of. In fact, I
thought you were putting us on. We do get many of those kinds of emails.
So, you will have to contact the manufacturer on this one. Sorry I couldn't
help, but glad I made you smile!
Q From: mikelli [mailto:mikelli@fayette.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2002 10:26 PM I would like to know if your
products have a thermostat control on them. I make beeswax candles
and I am looking for some "tools" to design and cut the wax. Thank you,
Kelli Burnett
A Kelli, Hey, I just tried our
new Pro Hot Knife on a regular candle, and it cuts fairly fast if you
saw back and forth as you cut (though not quite as fast as the Candlecutter),
and if you lean the candle as you cut the wax drips out instead of resealing
the cut. The Pro Hot Knife has a round blade so you can easily change
the direction of your cut and also make holes. It looks just like the
Hot Knife on our site, but it's longer and a little thicker. It will
only work with the Pro Power Station. Let me know if you have any specific
tests you would like us to run.
Q Do you have any patterns like
scrolls and/or fancy moldings? They would
be used for theatrical sets--carved wood is very expensive. If not,
can you recommend anyone who would sell such patterns?
colleen ryan
A Colleen, Here are a couple of
URLs that have samples of moldings. It's very easy to duplicate the
molding designs using the Router wire on the 3D Table. You can make
fairly large moldings and can run them as long as you want. You can
get super fancy by cutting out an outline of an object like a leaf or
fish or whatever in a thick piece of foam, then slicing it into dozens
of thin objects that you can then glue onto the molding. And, if you
need to make them more rugged we sell large 50lb boxes of foam coat
to theaters.
Q Subject: replacement hot wires
Message: I have an old Pro set (with an all black handle) that I bought
8 years ago. I finally broke my first wire but I can't find the replacement
wires. I tried using 20 guage galvanized wire and 22 guage copper
but neither work. Where can I get replacement wire quick?!?!? I am working
on a model railroad module for a train show coming up next weekend.
PLMK! Bill
A You probably need .010 or .020
Nichrome wire. Is it grey or black? Using any other kind of wire will
likely kill your power supply. We can send you wires if you can't find
them near you. Or you can call us at 866-735-9255 and we will try to
find a dealer near you.
Q Subject: cleaning
the equipment Message: The tips of my tools are getting dirty.
I usually use them on blue foam core, and the material sticks a bit,
so the tips have little bit of the melted foam stuck on it and i donno
what to wipe it with.. or should i clean it with alcohol or something.
I did not use anything on it, and wanted to ask u for the proper way
before doing anything. hoping to hear from u soon, Nadia.
A Nadia, Most people clean their
tools as they are working by just gently wiping them against a cloth
or paper towell while the foam is in a melted state. If you feel the
need to clean them even further you can clean them while they are cold
with acetone. That Blueboard foam does leave a lot of residue.
Q Subject: precise foam cutter Message:
Hello, I need to cut out of thin foam various shapes-like dog's paws,
tails, heads, ears and so on. My problem is that I can't find anything
to cut those forms very precisely and in large
quantities(scisors are not perfect cutting tool,and hot knife
that I tried burns the edges of the foam). I have a big request for
You to advise me what would work. Please let me know, it is very important
for me. Best Regards, Aga Lewis.
A Aga, I think that the Original
Scroll Table would provide you with the most economic and accurate cut.
This tool is also available with a Pro Power Station and a Fence Kit
to provide even more accuracy and speed. Look in the Pro Kits area of
our website. The 3D Kit is even more accurate and has more cutting features
than any other hot wire tool in the world, but is the most expensive
tool we offer.
Q Will you ship to a school on
a purchase order and if so what more would you require?...I am interested
in buying one of your comprehensive kits with multi pools and shapable
wires and foam lathe kit.
A Yes, we do accept school purchase
orders. Just fax or email it to us and we will ship your order via UPS.
Our fax number is 805-735-9285.
Q Kim Fry asked: Have you heard
of anyone creating their own faux stone veneer for the outside of their
home, and if so, with what degree of success? We would be wanting to
glue it to concrete and wood. I'm an artist, so I think I could create
a realistic look with the right materials. However, it's probably cheaper
if I just buy it already fabricated. I actually want the hot wire kit
more for sculpture than home improvement, but I figured I'd check out
my options.
A Kim, We don't have any examples
of faux stone veneer in our Gallery yet, but you can get some pretty
good ideas by looking at the tombstones people have made. Also look
at the rocks that Boulder Image has built for their waterfalls, also
on our website. I talked to an artist that was restoring the outside
of a brick building who said he and his customer were very happy with
the red brick veneer that he created. I see no reason that you can't
create any exterior finish you want with a foam substrate. Did you see
the realistic 'woodwork' that a theater group created for "My Fair
Lady" (not to mention the stone walls and plaster crown molding)?
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