Getting into the model train hobby for the first time. I’m looking for a good hot wire foam cutter. Any suggestions and/or tips how how to use them. Thanks in advance for any replies
I would look at a hot knife cutter rather than a wire cutter. Wire cutters have a U-shaped yoke with the wire across the tips. They are limited to cutting no more than about 6 inches from the edge of the foam sheet. It’s also not very good for making straight cuts, because it’s hard to control and “drive” it in a straight line while maintaining a square edge.
I’ve got a hot wire cutter, and I don’t end up using it much. For long cuts, I usually use a regular knife blade, score both sides and finally snap it in the middle.
I am using a Proxxon hot wire cutter to shape the Styrofoam for my layout.
They offer two different models, one is a bench top unit, the other one a hand-held device.
Find their homepage here.
Please be aware that the fumes are toxic!
I have tried the hot wire cutters and have stopped using them. They are slow, smelly and leave a smoth edge. I do all my foam cutting with a serrated steak knife,
There are many who use a hot wire/knife and like it, but I don’t. You will have to decide. I like the speed of the steak knife and the rough edges it leaves. Seeing I carve all my rock details directly into the stacked foam and use very little plaster, I think I get better results faster with less mess.
I cut, slice, dig, gouge, scrape, and stab with abandon. The rougher I get, the better looking the rocks. You may find you like the technigue better than plaster.
That’s my opinion.
Ive done some toying around with steak knives for jagged edges and such, and you are right is does make the rocks look better. I, however, am looking for something that will work well on cutting down into the foam for bodies of water and valleys. Thanks for the posts guys, keep them coming. I enjoy reading about others choices of model building
This is the best one out there. Have used it. Great item although expensive.
If you are going to the Amherst Railway show in Springfield MA , you can test it there.
I got a no-name hot knife from American Science and Surplus that hands down beats any other hot device I’ve had so far.
Someone once suggested using a Weller soldering gun, with the element replaced with a loop of #12 solid copper wire. He shaped this into the cross-section shape of a tunnel he was building, and then cut the tunnel right through a sheet of 2-inch foam. I haven’t tried that, but it looked like it worked very well. The thick wire held its shape.
The thin wire on a foam wire cutter, on the other hand, has no strength at all, and is held straight by the metal yoke. You would not be able to use it for gouging out shapes from the face of a flat sheet.
A number of years ago, after reading an article by Bill Darnaby in the June 1994 issue of MR, I built a hot wire cutter which worked very well. If I were to build a foam-based layout, I’d definitely go that route, as I was able to cut roadbed profiles which included ballast, sub-ballast and lineside drainage ditches in a single pass. The details of mine are a little vague, but the power was supplied via a surplus oil furnace transformer, with the cutter wire formed from a coat hanger - you can make multiple cutter shapes to suit the terrain which you want to create. As mentioned, the fumes are toxic, so good ventilation and a two-stage respirator are required.
Wayne
I have only used the hot wire foam cutter sold by Woodland Scenics so I can’t compare it to any other cutters. My experience is that the WS one is a piece of worthless crap…period! I love their products but that one isn’t up to their normal quality. The first time I tried to use it one of the arms rotated in the handle which stripped out the retaining mechanism. YES, it was fully hot and not too much pressure was applied. Another modeler in the area I talked to had the same result. Perhaps a defective batch? I think the suggestions to use steak knives is the best way to go when you need to cut and form foam. My 2¢, Roger Huber
I have this knife:
http://www.harborfreight.com/130-watt-heavy-duty-hot-knife-66182.html
and another shorter hot knife that looks like a large soldering iron with a tip that is aobut 2" long. It has a longer tip too. I got it at a train show. {right now I can’t find it so as to tel you more -where DID i put it?} I don’t think they make it anymore.
I use the first one for major cuts and the second for clean up or small cuts and shaping.
Here are a bunch of several kinds in all different price ranges too{ a little on the expensive side}:
http://www.craftershotknife.com/
Good luck in your cutting.
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MisterBeasley is correct. I have used the Weller soldering gun with the a loop of #12 copper wire. It works great for rivers and creeks. You can shape the wire for narrow creek or wider for a large river. It cuts through the foam like hot butter. I would advise you to use it in a well ventilated area. If you already own a Weller – it’s a cheap way to go. Good luck.
You must keep the temp below 472degrees ( if I remember the exact temp), otherwise you emit toxic gas. WS only goes to 425degrees and I love mine but then my base is styrofoam).
I think that the WS is a poor design also. Like previously mentioned, the bow rods will rotate in the holder and render the unit worthless. I hot glued the two handle pieces together. That allowed a better grip by the bow holder thumb screws and that has helped. I will turn to a hot knife next time.
Here’s a guy who shapes foam with a propane torch. You’d definitely want to do this outside while wearing a respirator.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTK8Y_6aLZE
Steve S