Hot Knife question.

I have had the Woodland Scenics hot wire foam cutter for quite a while and now that I am on the verge of doing some more difficult scenery I am looking at other options. Back a long while ago I had read about some versions that consist of a knife like blade or straight wire probe. Thus my thoughts have turned to getting one, lots of models out there though. There are some limits to the Bow type cutter that a blade type can overcome. So any input into brands, pros and cons, I would appreciate.

 

From a lot of the reviews I have found on the dozen or so relatively inexpensive ones the comments have not been overwhelmingly positive. But as I read into some of the statements people may have been pushing things too fast. The ones I am looking at resemble a very thin ice pick versus the bow design of the Woodland Scenics one I have. My use would be some more delicate finer sculpting of the foam that the ice pick design lets you work in some smaller spaces. May end up settling on the one from Michael's. Certainly less mess using both cutters.

 

I've been looking at hotwirefoamfactory. They're the originals and made in USA. A bit pricey, but I figure you get what you pay for, especiallly after my Chinese made junk from JoAnn's bought the farm after cutting only one piece of 2" xps pink board.

Sent from the magical mystery box

 

At least one of the products I have been looking at are from those folks. http://hotwirefoamfactory.com/-K11-Crafters-Hot-Knife-Kit.html

And the price may be about $10 above the other ones I have seen for this model type there doesn't seem to be the plethora of complaints attached to this like the others. As I stated earlier this would be more for finish and fine work than large cutting. For that I have my Woodland Scenic's version which has stood me well over the years.

 

I made my own out of a huge old transformer I had laying aroun, a heavy-duty light dimmer switch and some electrical connection doo-dads I got at The Home Depot. I use several gauges of NiChrome wire a friend of mine got for me, and do such things as carve rocks, carve the ditches alongside my roadbed and highways, carve tunnel bores and much more. When I want to clean off the wire, I just dial up the power a bit and the residue evaporates in a puff of smoke.

I milled my own handpiece out of two pieces of red oak with a heavy-duty momentary switch for the trigger, with 12AWG speaker wire as the power leads from the dimmer to the handpiece.

This works better than any other wire cutter/carver I've seen out there, but even with the "free" transformer, it was still about 60 bucks, mainly the cost of the heavy-duty dimmer switch...which, if I remember correctly was nearly 30 bucks.

I don't remember all the particulars, but if anybody is interested in something similar, post the inquiry here and I'll put together the spec's for everybody to see.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

 

John... that particular item does not cut the dense insulation foam preferred for scenery. It is okay for the beaded white polystyrene foam products like Woodland Scenics uses. The type of hot knife needed to cut the 'extruded' type Dow/Corning (blue/pink) Styrofoam products needs to be much more stout. I got mine from a candle making website. Hotwire Foam Factory had one on their site which was similar to the one I purchased... but... was about $20 more expensive. I will look for the site I got mine from (7 years ago)... if they are still around.

 

I found this one on a quick search...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124788860/130-watt-heavy-duty-hot-knife-cut-foam

The price was similar to what I paid for mine 7 years ago.

 

I actually have a dimmer, it is the transformer that has kept me from trying this route. The only transformer I have is for my Lionel sets, and I can't sacrifice that. Be that as it may, I'm still always intrigued by diy solutions and gadgets.

Sent from the magical mystery box

 

Looks a lot sturdier with the blade than what I was looking at. How well are you able to do some fine carving with that?

 

FIRST!!! Hurry and go to the Harbor Freight website. That same hot knife is on sale for $19.99 but the sale end today at midnight!! http://www.harborfreight.com/130-watt-heavy-duty-hot-knife-60313.html



This would NOT be a knife for fine detail work. It is used to cut large pieces of a 4' x 8' sheet (or whatever large sheet) into smaller shapes to stack up and THEN... use a bow type cutter to create the contours... and the one that you found for fine detailing.

BTW: This is what I use for the 'contouring and fine detailing'
http://hotwirefoamfactory.com/-K47-Pro-Model-4-In-1-Kit-with-Multi-Heat-Pro-Power-Station.html

 

TIPPI Hot-Wire Foam Cutter

I tried several different foam cutters, but nothing really stood out until I ran across the Tippi Hot-Wire Foam Cutter from Big City Hobbies, in Johnstown PA. This foam cutter does the job, There are many different blades available and you can get straight wire for bending into cutting blades for your own design. I know several other modelers that use this cutter, and you can really get creative with it. You can get the basic foam cutting tool handle, but I bought the expanded unit that comes with the basic handle and COPING handle (looks just like a coping saw, but has a hot-wire blade and is used for cutting long blocks of foam).
It is a little pricey if you buy direct from the Dealer, but I got my complete unit with both handles and a LARGE assortment of blades for about 1/2 price at the World's Greatest Hobby Show when it was in Indianapolis several years ago. Big City Hobbies usually goes to the larger WGH Shows. And the guy demonstrating the cutter, at the show, will make a package deal on the spot. The more you buy, the better the price!

Go to: http://www.bigcityhobbies.com/ for more details about what is available and retail pricing.

YES, I know the tool is a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for and I don't buy cheap tools.

 

I have a WS hot wire cutter, too. But, I only use it for edge work and a bit of trimming.

I discovered early on that neither a wire cutter nor a hot knife is going to give me a clean, straight edge. After experimenting a bit, I came up with the simplest solution for straight lines - a simple utility knife. I mark both sides of the 2-inch foam, cut as deep as the knife will go (about a half-inch) from both sides, and then just snap it apart. I get a clean, straight break and there are no fumes.

For interior cuts, try a steak knife or a drywall saw. Makes a mess, but if you keep it for the small, awkward stuff you can life with it.

 

For long, straight cuts, I just use my table saw. Works great!

For my topographical curves on my mountains made from stacks of extruded polystyrene sheet, I use my long, thin filet knife

For general carving and getting to the "right" shape, I use my own hot-wire cutter.

For fine work, I use a fillet knife I bought at Sportsman's Warehouse, with a tungsten sharpener, various other tools for carving such as X-acto knives, dental picks, small and large sanding blocks...and 3M pads of different coarsenesses. Plain old sandpaper is good too. Another set of tools I like are stiff steel brushes, and file cards.

It's amazing what you can do with extruded polystyrene as far a s carving and detailing is concerned.

I always have a small shop vac handy for cleanup after I'm done carving.

Here's a photo of unfinished sandstone cliffs at Echo Curve on my layout made from extruded polystyrene and carved with all of the above:


Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

 

John, I agree with Mr. B, a utility knife (box cutter) with a NEW(!) blade on 3/4" foam works like a sweetheart. I bought a hotwire cutter, but never developed the skill for precise cuts, besides it smoked up my train room. It now occupies valuable storage space in a cabinet.

The major obstacle is accepting that your wrist and cutting hand ain't perfect. In other words, mark your lines with a Marks-a lot, cut as best you can, then fill with Sculptamold or equivalent. Enjoy our hobby, my friend, life ain't perfect.

 

I saw this when I bought my WS foam cutter. I have not had the need yet, but it sounds like an interesting alternative.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Foam-cutter-from-soldering-iron/
Trey

 

I have one of those Weller guns and will have to give that a try. Thanks.

Kind of makes me wonder how a simple arc welder for the power supply would work.

 

Have you considered taking a 30-40w pencil soldering iron and replacing the tip with cutters made from brass rod or flat stock? You could bend them to any shape you needed, and they would be thick enough not to deflect as they passed through the denser foam.

Don