newbie need help for project..

[horatio]

hi,

i need some help to cut a profiled wing in a pink foam..i tried to build a hot wire cutter but for some reasons i'm not sure of,it didn't work..is there anyone here that is kind enuf to help me cut the wing?pls sms me at 93957219.thanks

[horatio]

can anyone help?

[weeliano]

Hi Horatio,

I'll try to give you some tips. Go to Art Friend at Bras Basah near the foam sheet section and buy the thinnest hot wire you can find there. I think it's about $5 for one coil of wire.

Get a step down transformer from Sim Lim tower that you can convert from AC mains to 12V. Get a Clipsal Variometer so that you can control the voltage and thus the heat of the wire. Make sure you get the right hot wire. If you want to be safer, you can use a 12V sealed lead acid battery to cut your foam, but these can run out of juice fairly quickly and you have to get a charger to keep it topped up. If you are not too sure about setting up, get a qualified friend with electrical knowledge to help you.

There are plenty of Foam cutter guides on the internet, this one is crude but works.

[horatio]

hi wee liano,

thanks for the tips..i finally got my foam cutter to work..maybe i'll add in the variometer to control the heat..

[horatio]

one problem after another..the wire on my diy cutter didn't heat properly..it suddenly cooled down in the mids of cuuting the pink foam..i ended up carving the foam with a penknife..luckily it turned out well..but i really want to perfect my cutter so i won't have to go thru carving and sanding foam in future if i want to make wings..can anyone pls advice me on this?thanks