The Commander Series Forum

i have some polystyrene blocks that are approx 2-3" thick and want to cut them in to hills but i do not have a hotwire cutter, what advice can you give to another way to cut and shape them.

mark

Mark,

Ive tried lots of ways but the best is still with a hot wire cutter. Its a pain in the backside but the difference between using one and not is big enough to warrant borrowing or buying one.

Cheers, Craig

A hack saw blade or coping saw, and a vacuum cleaner.

Having tried it however, I would lean strongly toward the hot wire.

Here's a demo without, however.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2_yQoalTWk

I like chipping away with a small hacksaw

the hotwire cutter is the best, lots of little flakes otherwise. Chainsaw anyone?

Using any kind of knife or blade is a real pain. Creates a lot of mess and unless the blade is REALLY sharp a very lumpy hill.

It can be done but usually you then have to cover the resulting hill with something like filler or plaster.

And the wifey gets quite irrate at all the polystrene bits stuck inside the vacuum.....

Depending on how much you have to cut the following might be useful

http://www.proxxon-direct.com/cgi-bin/sh000369....

I have a small bench saw from them ideal for making bases.

Hi, I can only recommend a hotwire cutter, too. Exact cutting without this dusty mess. Don't hesitate to spend the money on a hotwire cutter...it's worth the money.

2-3" polystyrene should cut fine with a sharp knife - try using one with a long blade - such as the type that the blade slides out and you can snap of segments. Slide out as much blade as you can work with then you can cut through at least half way each time.

thanks guys,

i went out and bought a hotwire today, never used one before so i will give it a try at work tonight and see how it goes.

i must say the hotwire worked very well no mess ( the wife was happy)

Result

I did have some sucess, heating a blade over a gas hob and using that, not as messy as using a cold blade, but far more fumes than with the hot wire cutter. Breathing Protection recomended

Can I ask which hot wire you got?

Have a look at this http://www.proxxon.com/eng/html/popupindex.html

Sorry link doesn't work so go for http://www.proxxon.com/eng/ and then to Micromot Tools and then look for TABLE TOP TOOLS
AND ACCESSORIES. You will find a hot wire cutter there.

I borrowed a hot wire and it worked well, but I was distressed by the vapors and haven't used one since. Am I over-reacting?

Cheers,
Chris

Fresh air, my friend, fresh air makes the difference ;-)

i bought a cheap plastic one with you attach a battery to but now im going to buy the one that is £109 on the proxxon site.

Yep, I don't intend to do any advertising for the proxxon but you can do pretty clean and exact cuts using this device...