"Are There ROUNDED Foam Cutters? If Not, How To Make?" Topic

If I want the sides of the foam tunnels/corridors to have a tubular cross-section (round sides and floor), like an open-topped worm or bore beetle's dug out path, are there foam cutters with looped or curved tips?

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vimeo.com/61862073

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If not ready-made, then any suggestions on how to make one, or convert an existing wire one?

Thanks,

Dan
TMP link
TMP link

This is the one I use, several tool choices. You can use the knife, basically a heated rod or one of the wire sculpting tools. The wire is heavy enough to shape as desired.
hotwirefoamfactory.com

Wow. I think this one might work:

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Thanks!

Dan

Glad to be of help. That one is very versatile.

When I did a search to see who sells it, I found this other one too:

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The set-ups seem a little pricey though.

Thanks again!

Dan

I looked at the foam factory set for a couple of years at Historicon before pulling the trigger, been very happy with it so far. I've been tempted to expand it every year since.

The problem with the wire ones is they only work under tension, so making a round, or oval shaped one is problematical.

The thicker, knife-blade type design would work though, with a little artistic talent.

You could of course try experimenting with spraypaints too, since they eat foam (warning, the fumes from this are caustic, so wear a rated mask, and work outside).

You could cover the foam with a cardboard, or plastic template, and then apply a solvent-based spraypaint to the areas you want eaten away. Probably best to make the opening(s) a little smaller than desired, since the spray may eat a bit further into the foam.

Then spray as desired, and let chemical reactions do the work for you.

Then, you can do any fine carving after the reaction is finished.

I recommend a good, thick plastic tarp, and/or other protective covering underneath your work area, as well as some old newspapers, and paper towels, to clean up the mess.

The wire sculpting tool from foam factory doesn't require tension. It's intended to be shaped as required

A wire brush attachment, depending on the size you want, for your electric drill would work well, and would be cheap.

It would make sculpting the shape you want pretty easy too!

Yea, hadn't thought of that, but the wire brush idea is a good one, as long as you have a good mask, goggles, and a place to make a huge mess in.

I can't imagine the cleanup process will be much fun, but if you can make a plastic tent-like enclosure from a tarp, or sheeting, that'll localize the mess somewhat.

I made my own foam cutter yesterday from some spare bits and pieces lying around and a Guitar string.

Shouldn't be too difficult to find some stiff wire that would work as well providing you are pushing enough current through it (my power supply is 5 volts, 3 amps)

Mike

The wire sculpting tool from foam factory doesn't require tension. It's intended to be shaped as required

The only caveat is you do need to go a bit slower and make sure you're not tugging it out of shape. Let the heat do the work, not mechanical cutting by wire.

Black Hat Miniatures' Mike: "Shouldn't be too difficult to find some stiff wire that would work as well providing you are pushing enough current through it (my power supply is 5 volts, 3 amps)"

Do you think that a coat hanger wire would be too thick for current like yours? And does it matter what metal is the wire?

Thanks,

Dan

There are ones that use heavy wire loops that allow you to cut all sorts of shapes.

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I have this model, it comes with several wire loops, or you can buy thick nichrome wire and make your own.

I made my own with various nichrome wires from ebay. I use a car battery charger wired into a dimmer switch so I can adjust how hot my wire is.