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 Posted 1/26/2022 11:10:33 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Three
sly
"I have tried a hot wire without much luck. Foam tends to keep melting a little after the wire passes which leaves an unpredictable cut."
A friend of mine that does a lot of work in foam for the entertainment industry informed me that controlling the tendency of the foam to keep melting after the wire passes is controlled for by:
Trial and error temperature experimentation of the wire temperature in the particular foam being used.
Using the smallest wire practical and the lowest wire temperature that cuts clean.
Most his work in done with EPS/Expanded Polystyrene and XPS/Extruded Polystyrene.
EPS/Expanded Polystyrene. This is the most common foam for hot wiring as it is strong, lightweight and cuts very easily with a hot wire or hot knife. It is usually white and is made of tiny foam bubbles. It’s often used for packaging.
XPS/Extruded Polystyrene. This is usually a denser foam that is very smooth and although the cuts are slower than EPS they are very clean and smooth. Some examples of XPS foam are Styrofoam, Owens Corning Pink board (Formular), and DOW Blueboard.
This commercial product has information on setting wire temperatures"
www.demandproducts.com/OWA/Product/Details/MAGNUM/001/-/magnum-no-gator-cord-min-24-max-108-8amp-fuse-no-longer-than-50-ext-cord
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| Posted 1/27/2022 9:19:49 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Three-B
Q: Are the fumes that are given off when cutting polystyrene foams (EPS or XPS foams) with hot wire tools dangerous?
A: Ventilation is always strongly suggested, but the smoke that you may encounter while cutting EPS foam is primarily CO2 and water vapor, which are far less harmful than other common art products like aerosols and paint thinners. The toxic values are far less than wood-smoke, which contains tars, resins, creosote, and acetic acid. The dust from cutting with saws and sanding EPS foam is more harmful than the fumes encountered while cutting foam with a hot wire tool. Always wear a good quality dust mask when saw cutting or sanding polystyrene foams.
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| Posted 1/27/2022 9:20:12 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Three-B
Q: Are the fumes that are given off when cutting polystyrene foams (EPS or XPS foams) with hot wire tools dangerous?
A: Ventilation is always strongly suggested, but the smoke that you may encounter while cutting EPS foam is primarily CO2 and water vapor, which are far less harmful than other common art products like aerosols and paint thinners. The toxic values are far less than wood-smoke, which contains tars, resins, creosote, and acetic acid. The dust from cutting with saws and sanding EPS foam is more harmful than the fumes encountered while cutting foam with a hot wire tool. Always wear a good quality dust mask when saw cutting or sanding polystyrene foams.
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| Posted 1/27/2022 11:51:11 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Four
The foam cutting hot knife
These come in a variety of configurations and a good one costs 3-400.oo with power source.
In the hands of a skilled artist the foam cutting hot knife can be used to create some amazing results such as the attached photo-images and video demonstrate.
www.bing.com/videos/search?q=hand+tools+for+shaping+foam&&view=detail&mid=C796EF426171B7BDE7ADC796EF426171B7BDE7AD&&FORM=VDRVRV
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| Posted 1/28/2022 10:24:57 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Five
What is the difference between the foam coatings?
Here's a brief rundown on all of our coatings: hotwirefoamfactory.com/025_All_Purp_FoamCoat.html#faq
Styroplast is a brush-on plastic coating. This is the best coating for retaining detail. It is the best brush on Polyurethane coating on the market. Use our syringe for accurately mixing small batches.
All Purpose Foam Coat is the easiest to use and quick drying coating. It is mostly for indoor use, but can be sealed for outdoor use. Melanie, who made the Foam Gone Wild DVD, has used our All Purpose Foam Coat, and occasionally Exterior Foam Coat, for animal enclosures in a zoo for many years.
Create Coat is a lot like All Purpose Foam Coat, but a little stronger, waterproof, smoother and whiter. It does not stick very well to itself because it is so smooth and waterproof, so you can't layer it unless you add Boost to it. It takes acid and water base stains better than any coating we have seen, especially when used in combination with our Stainfast stain base.
Exterior Foam Coat is stronger than All Purpose and Create Coat. It can be used in rain-or-shine and even below grade. It is gritty, but can be troweled smooth. It takes 24 hours to harden and 5 days to reach maximum strength. Works very well with Stainfast stain base.
Boost liquid fortifier can be added to any of the powdered coatings to greatly increase their strength. It will also make them stick to almost any surface. If Foam Coat with Boost dries on your metal tools you won't be able to chisel it off with a hammer, it's that tough.
Bounce can be used only with All Purpose Foam Coat, to make it chip resistant. Or, you can make a super rubbery coating that still looks and feels like stone by adding small amounts of All Purpose Foam Coat to the Bounce to get the consistency you need.
Grit is used to add surface texture to All Purpose Foam Coat and Create Coat. It is sometimes used with Styroplast, too. It can be mixed in or worked into the surface.
Mesh will greatly increase the strength of any of our foam coats. Especially useful across seams where cracking might occur. Available in heavy and medium thicknesses.
StainFast is a fantastic new sealant that is specially made for aquariums and terrariums. It is used to stain and seal Exterior Foam Coat and Create Coat. You can use StainFast with water base pigments, or if you just want to seal the Exterior Foam Coat or Create Coat you can just use it as an invisible sealer. Unlike all other sealers, it does not look at all shiny, so you are able to retain the utmost realism. If you want to mix in pigments for staining (so that it looks like real stone) it will work great with the Exterior Foam Coat and give the best stone look and feel, but colors will be brighter when used on Create Coat. StainFast was used to seal many of the aquariums at Sea World San Diego.
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| Posted 1/31/2022 7:11:13 PM |
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Supreme Being
Last Login: 4/6/2024 5:28:59 PM
Posts: 1,684,
Visits: 5,334
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| Good info. I'll check out some of these coatings
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| Posted 1/31/2022 11:31:11 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Six
The Flat Top Hot Wire Foam Cutting Table:
In hot wire cutting on foam this tool does the work of a table saw, jig saw, and band saw. The commercial unit with a 24" x 40" table below costs around 1200.oo but the do-it-yourself builder could build a similar unit with a 48" x 48" table for 250-400.oo There are hundreds of YouTube video and plans to build similar tables.
USA STOCK Desktop hot wire foam cutting machine
This is a true professional-grade hot cutting tool, for cutting different density foam with fine cutting edge, no mess. Desktop device provides the cutting plane, operation is simple and convenient. Cutting requires no special training or skills and allows you to create straight edges or complex shapes.
Product description
Style: foam cutting machine
Supply voltage：110V
Power input：160W
hot wire angle：45°-90°
Temp. of hot wire：500℃
Total weight： 20kg
Power cord length：3M
Power source：Elextricity
Hot wire length：Adjustable
Table size:100*60cm,
Cutting height: 65cm,
Total height: 150cm.
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| Posted 2/3/2022 8:40:14 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Seven: Where to buy hot wire foam cutting tools and supplies
Note: The blue industrial foam cutting knife sold by this company has many knock offs sold at amazon and others online for half price are extremely cheap and of extremely poor quality. Don't get suckered!!
This company that specializes in high quality hot wire foam cutting tools is used by many involved in cutting foam for the entertainment and design industries.
HOT WIRE FOAM FACTORY
www.hotwirefoamfactory.com
"Maximize your creativity and productivity with Hot Wire Foam Factory easy to use foam cutting tools and materials
Our professional quality foam cutting tools make cutting EPS foam (polystyrene foam and Styrofoam) fast, fun and easy. Since 1991 we have been manufacturing hot wire cutters and foam cutting machines. We supply hot wire foam sculpting tools, a Crafter’s Hot Knife, two Pro Hot Knives, and a new Industrial Hot Knife. Our Freehand Router has a shapeable foam cutting hot wire. The foam Engraving tool is perfect for detailing your foam sculpture. You can quickly cut down your big blocks of foam with our 2-4 foot adjustable hot wire Bow Cutter. We offer two versatile Foam Cutting Tables. Our spray on and brush on foam glues are the best on the market. Protect and beautify your foam projects with our versatile foam coatings."
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| Posted 2/14/2022 9:57:06 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Eight-A
Building a heavy duty 36" X 48" Flat Top Hot Wire Foam Cutting Table for 3oo.oo or less.
In hot wire cutting on foam this tool does the work of a table saw, jig saw, and band saw. The commercial unit with a 24" x 40" to 36" x 48" table run 1200.oo to 3000.oo but the do-it-yourself builder could build a similar unit with a 36" x 48" table for 300.oo or less that will perform all the essential functions of the 3,000.oo commercial table.
I built my base table from scrap sections of 2 x 4s and 36" x 48" top by trimming down a discarded damaged piece of 3/4" wall display board. Cost: 10.oo for some screws. Work hours: 4
Cost to build base table from new wood: Still less than 100.oo
Next posting: Building the table boom.
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| Posted 2/15/2022 8:42:44 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
Posts: 3,232,
Visits: 5,166
|
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Placed a copy of this post here for anyone planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
How to Cut and Shape Foam without a CNC Foam Router or other expensive Professional Tools
Part Eight-B
Building a heavy duty 36" X 48" Flat Top Hot Wire Foam Cutting Table for 3oo.oo or less.
POWER SUPPLY: The most important requirement in choosing a power supply is that it must come with an adjustable variable control to control the temperature with an easy to set voltage control.
Without this ability it is very difficult to cut foam without under melting or over melting your foam materials.
That said, it is possible through other methods to adjust a non-variable control power supply to the ideal cutting wire heat. You can find thousands of low-price fixed power supplies online and information/suggestions to adjust the power supply to the ideal cutting wire heat.
Bought a heavy-duty industrial power supply from HWFF for just over 200.oo delivered and received it today.
It performs all the main functions of other high dollar power supplies that range in price for 800.oo to 1600.oo.
Variable high voltage high amperage industrial power supply.
0-120V and 16Amps can power up to thicker semi-rigid hot wires and hot wires over 20 feet long.
Control the temperature with easy to set voltage control.
Easy to read built in voltmeter, replaceable fuse, two high wattage output plugs, replaceable brushes.
Cannot be used with GFI outlets - may permanently damage your power supply. Caution, turning up the power too high will fry your blade and can easily melt the cutting blade, cause severe burns, fire, and ignite volatile substances.
You will be required to read and sign a safety waiver when purchasing this power supply.
HWFF, Inc DBA Hot Wire Foam Factory
R E L E A S E A N D W A I V E R O F L I A B IL I T Y A G RE E M E N T
I, the Buyer, acknowledge that I am purchasing an Industrial Power Supply from Hot
Wire Foam Factory. I AM AWARE THAT I AM USING A HAZARDOUS PIECE OF
INDUS-TRIAL EQUIPMENT AND THAT I COULD BE ELECTROCUTED AND
BURNED AND SERIOUSLY INJURED OR EVEN KILLED. I AM PURCHSING
THE INDUS-TRIAL POWER SUPPLY WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE DANGER
INVOLVED, AND AGREE TO ASSUME ANY AND ALL RISKS OF BODILY
INJURY, DEATH OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, WHETHER THOSE RISKS ARE
KNOWN OR UNKNOWN. ONCE I RECEIVE THE INDUSTRIAL POWER SUPPLY
I ASSUME ALL RESPONSI-BILITY FOR ANYONE ELSE WHO USES IT. I AM
USING THE INDUSTRIAL POW-ER SUPPLY IN AN INDUSTRIAL
ENVIRONMENT WHERE MYSELF AND ANY-ONE ELSE USING THIS KNOWS
AND USES APPROPRIATE SAFETY MEASURES FOR EXTREMELY HOT HIGH
VOLTAGE EQUIPMENT.
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