"Can a heated foam cutter cut hard plastic?" Topic
8 Posts
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| Zephyr1 | 14 Nov 2022 4:50 p.m. PST |
I need to cut up plastic Guidancetown building pieces to use for conversions (they are about 1/16 inch thick or so.) Using a small hand saw works, but is messy at the least. I experimented heating up a razor blade to make cuts (it kinda works, but the blade doesn't stay hot long enough to cut through in one go.)
Has anybody used their hot foam cutter to cut through hard plastic? Interested in your experiences.
Thanks! |
| mikec260 | 14 Nov 2022 5:39 p.m. PST |
Yes. I have done it to waterline a ship model. It is slow going and will be a little messy. Not as much as a saw. The melted plastic can attach itself to other plastic, so be careful not to cut it so that melted piece falls on a part you don't want to have to clean again. Even with this, you will need to sand the cut to clean it up. Some melted plastic can still be warm too. Finally, it can become wavy if you wait too long to move the Hotwire. Practice on another piece first. Good luck. |
| Sergeant Paper | 14 Nov 2022 7:39 p.m. PST |
Dude. You know that black smoke from burning plastic is nothing but pure unadulterated badness, right? Take the time to do it right… use the saw or dremel. |
robert piepenbrink  | 15 Nov 2022 4:06 a.m. PST |
I'm with Sergeant Paper. Melting plastic creates exactly the sort of fumes you never, ever want to breathe. Some of those compounds are neurotoxins. (I use my foam cutter only outdoors, and as rarely as possible.) Buy yourself a jeweler's saw and spare your brain. |
| Blaubaer | 15 Nov 2022 4:08 a.m. PST |
Maybe a blade would be a better choice. 2 or 3 cuts and its done. |
| BTCTerrainman | 15 Nov 2022 8:13 a.m. PST |
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| Andrew Walters | 15 Nov 2022 11:16 a.m. PST |
If only everyone had a bandsaw it would be a merrier world. I was only going to say: do this outside one a windy with a respirator and no one else for miles around. |
| Zephyr1 | 21 Aug 2023 3:13 p.m. PST |
To answer my own question, the answer is: Yes ;-) I've been using it outside (better light) and the fumes are minimal. The trick is to let the wire melt through at it's own pace and not force it. Nice, straight cuts, minimal wastage, still need to file off the edges, but that's an acceptable tradeoff.
I've got a huge pile of Guidancetown pieces awaiting conversion, so this will make the task much easier… ;-) |
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