Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
Wedge - a lot less mess than if you sand the foam into shape! It is as messy as you let it get - if you carve of lots of little bits, then expect it to get messy. The advantage is though that you can carve of bigger pieces (depending on your cutter) than you can with a knife or other shaping tool. Reno - I built my own using an old transformer from a "basic" train set. The key is nichrome wire. Build some sort of holder - I cut a wood shape sort of like a hacksaw. Then install the nichrome wire across the gap. It is a good idea if you can make your shape kind of "springy" to keep the tension on, as the wire tends to sag a bit when it is hot. I ran telephone wire to either end of the "blade", and hooked it up to the vaiable output. More power = hott wire = faster cutting. BE SURE TO DO THIS IN A WELL VENTIALATED AREA!! Woodland Scenics makes the nichrome wire as a replacement part for their cutter. In Canada, my local shop had the wire for about $3, but the whole cutter was about $60 - that's why I made my own. I have read where others have gotten battery powered hot wire cutters at Michael's or other craft stores for much less, but have not found them myself... Andrew
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag

Update Reply

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Model Railroader Newsletter See all

Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!