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Cutting polystyrene


Aquaman

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Hi Folks,

Does anyone know of any cheap tool to make a clean cut on polystyrene?

Obviously a stanley knife does the job, but it's rarely a clean cut and sometimes leaves tiny bits of polystyrene everywhere...

When I was in primary school some kid made his own do-it-yourself ploystyrene cutter and everyone thought he was a legend. The tool used thin wire and passed heat (via low voltage?) through the wire to act as a cutter....

Any ideas?

Thanks

Richard

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Not that this helps if you already have the polystyrene, but, you can get 'modelling grade' that 's much easier to cut. I can cut that perfectly with one of those yellow packing knives. (You can also sand and bevel it if you need to).

edit- spellin sad.gif

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I use an old rusty kitchen knife that I heat over the gas cooker.

Lotsa carcinogenic fumes and such but it cuts nice and neat wth nicely sealed edges (a bit like the effect it's probably having on my lungs I guess cry2.gif)

If I have a bit to do I'll start up the gas barby and heat the knife/cut the poly outside to let the neigbours share the fumes.

I actually have a hot electric wire I once used to cut sheets of wax but it's too slow at cutting the poly for my liking. Might be ok for small arty farty bits but not big sheets.

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Thanks folks,

I'll see if I can use some of your ideas.

I'm planning to buy some polystyrene at a factory in the next few days.

It's really cheap UNLESS you want it cut, then they charge an arm and a leg.

Cheers

Richard

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Hi Sarah,

Sorry it's taken me a while to reply, not ingnoring you just busy.

Foam Fabrications Pty Ltd

2/ 12 Laser Drv Rowville VIC 3178

ph: (03) 9764 1373

$7 for a 2400 x 1200 10mm thick sheet not cut

HTH

Richard

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I USE A SIMPLE 12 VOLT POWER SUPPLY THAT HAS A COUPLE OF ALIGATOR CLIPS ATTACHED TO A 10cm LENGTH OF STRONG STAINLESS STEEL FUSE WIRE IT CUTS SO QUICK AND LEAVES A NEAT FINISH, ONLY TROUBLE IS HOW HOT THE ALLIGATOR CLIPS GET WHEN ITS BEEN ON FOR A WHILE>>>> blink.gif

5. Please do not SHOUT (i.e.: using ALL CAPS).
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I vote with sci_blue

you could be fancy and glue the aligator clips to pencils or something to make sure you dont burn yourself. A 9 volt batt would do the same job.

Hot wire beats all other methods

Anthony

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That's the type of info I was after - the heat meathod!

Thanks folks, much appreciated.

Cheers

Richard

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i have used an old electric soldering iron in the past , its great for doing cave like holes in blocks of foam . unfortunately it is a bit slow on the big jobs due to heat loss .

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i remember seing one of those heating tools made asweel a long time ago. consisted of 2 bits of timber glued together with wire going through the middle of it and attatched to fuse wire to make the blade(so to speak) that heats up and on the other end had the battery attatched.supposedly really easy to make.

regards

chris

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