"Hot Knife and Styrofoam: toxic or just smell bad?" Topic

Hello, all,

I've assembled my hot knife and my styrofoam insulation sheets (white, 1"), and I'm all set to embark on making some big ridges for an upcoming convention game. I've heard about the fumes that come when using a hot knife for cutting foam/styrofoam.

My question is whether the stuff just smells bad or if it is actually harmful? I don't have an outdoor place to work, so was going to work in the basement with a fan running. Anyone else live through a similar process?

Best,
Ed

The stuff is apparently pretty toxic.

While you don't want to snort a lot of it, if you stay in a pretty well ventilated area, you should be fine in small doses (no more than 30 minutes).

Thirty years ago I was a firefighter in a burning wharehouse full of styrofoam,and polyurethane, and similar products. All the firefighters involved had skin rashes, and smoke inhalation problems, we were wearing SCBA. I would buy a filter mask, that protects you from those fumes.

I use a painters filter mask and a big box fan in the window whenever I'm working with styrofoam. Maybe I'm taking too much precaution but rather too much than not enough. ;)

I do it out side, on my porch...it IS toxic...so be carefull.

I don`t think it will kill you, as I have folled with blue foam core and the like for many many years, but it is better to not breath in the smoke.

I was busy doing a lot of terrain a few years ago, and I was working in a room with out propper ventilation, and the fumes caused me to get a minor head ache...so be carefull.

;)

BME

It certainly explains your "coolio" persona .

LOL!!

Thanks, folks,

Based on what I'm hearing here, I think I'll add a mask to my preparations!

Best, Ed

Seriously, do it outside.

Let Big Mean Elf be an object lesson - and do it with ventilation! :-)

Hey...it was ONLY a small head-a-ma-pain-ache`n!

;)

BME

Do it outside and make sure your upwind of BME. That way hey can enjoy the toxic fumes AS HE SCULPTS!

GET BACK TO WORK BME!

In order to stop the effects of the very small particulate of these fumes you would need a very expensive mask with a really good filter.

PJ

Polystyrene most likely produces water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and various forms of benzene derivatives (toluene and xylenes). I would treat it in much the same way as handling spray paint.

Here is the kicker though, polystyrene is colorless. The blue or pink color comes from other addatives. My knowledge of pigment chemistry would suggest that these are some form of azo dyes that would break down to ammonia on combustion. Ammonia (and other amines) are pretty nasty things (like from the combustion of polyurethanes)

My suggestions to you would be:
- treat it just like you would if you were spray painting. Well-ventilated.
- forget the mask. I think you'd only be fooling yourself in thinking your safe. Better to have a ventilated area with the wind at your back.
- If possible, use your hotwire knife as cool as you can that will still allow you to cut. Remember, the toxic stuff comes from combustion of material, not the metling of it.

tabletopwarrior "GET BACK TO WORK BME!"

I am...I AM I tell yea`s!

I gonna sculpt up ALL day, even!

;)

BME

But no fumes...

I've burned lots of styrofoam in my lifetime and there's noth-noth-noth-noth-nothing wrong with me. :))))))))

Liam

If it smells bad, then it probably is toxic -- handy.

it lethal very dangerous, and will kill you, and will wipe out ur pets first(goldfish ,birds etc)get a wire cutter and use it out side please.

Whoa, I'm glad I never have hot knifed the stuff o_O

What I got told when I was working for a terrain manufacturer, is that the stuff is toxic, but not bad in small doses. But like several other people have pointed out, just do it in a well ventilated place, just like you would when spray painting something, or working with any other noixious substance.
My boss use to joke that if his place caught fire, with all the foam he had on hand, that it would probably kill the surrounding neighborhood at the very least.

You burn plastic and it makes syanide gas. ask any body in the death camps how it works. Have a nice day

jim de

"cyanide"....

also...

"anybody"....

hmmmmm.......do you sniff glue?

I was wondering who was going to make that comment first, Velbor. Put that together with "The Wind in the Willows" in another thread and I nominate you for class clown of the day. Kudos.

SGrunziger is right. Any mask with complete protection would be a big one, with specific organic cannisters.

Burning sheet with a styrofoam cutting hot wire knife or wire will produce merely irritant, so adequate ventilation is more than ... adequate. Outside, fans with windows, that kind of thing.

Ummmm, eaterofdead. Where did you take organic chemistry, and what grades did you get?

How do you not have an outdoors?