OT Working with styrofoam

My mother did. She suggests that you keep a fire extingusher handy just in case. She said that the styrofoam also melts slightly and sends an acidy smell into the room so make sure you are well ventilated.

She said that she now uses a hack saw & exacto knife and traces the outline onto the foam then carves that way.

hth kate

I was wondering if the same results could be had with a knife and a saw. So far it hasn't worked out too well, the foam keeps breaking and chipping. I guess I will invest in a hot wire cutter and see if I can get better results. Oh and I read somewhere that the fumes are toxic so I guess I will have to cut it outside.

At work we use a hot knife, has a blade instead of wire. We also use a bandsaw. Like a hacksaw but blade moves faster and we use a blade with many more teeth. The fast cutting action does not cause the breaks or chips as you say.

OKC Dave

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I don't know how big of piece you are trying to cut, but we have used a carving electric knife. The kind you use to cut ham or turkey with.

I have several large pieces to cut as I am working on the set up for my Christmas village. I will try the electric knife this week and see how it works.

I saw the hot knives and they are really expensive. I believe my oldest son has a bandsaw so I will get him to try cutting some and see what works the best.

Was it this kind of hot knife?

og&Type=Product&ID=82104 When I was in college, I worked in the theater department and we made our own with a longer wire and a handle at each end. I sadly can't remember how to make the wire heat up. I never was good with electricity.

A bandsaw should work pretty well, but depending on what kind and size shapes you're cutting, it could be hard to manuever the foam around the saw blade. Maybe a coping saw would work?

There are a couple of sites which tell you how to make your own using a battery charger and a soldering iron or coping saw but that looks a little too scary for me.

I was looking around on a Dept 56 site today and there was a suggestion to use something called sculptamold. It comes in 3, 25 or 50 lb bags so I am going to pick up a 3 lb bag and see how easy it is to work with. I like the idea that it could possibly be used for more than 1 year especially if I am going to spend alot of time creating the village base.