Tip for sawn polystyrene foam

Maybe this is obvious but I was surprised how well it worked ...

I was making a heated insulated box (for melting set honey as it happens) using the rigid expanded polystyrene foam packing from an old TV as a lining. The padsaw-cut edges were pretty ragged and the snowstorm of "crumb" stuck electrostatically to every surface.

So I carefully played a hot-air gun over the sawn edges, which melted down beautifully to a flat, hard skin with very little loss of shape, and all the loose crumbs shrank away to nothing.

Worth a try if you don't have a hot wire cutter. Don't know if this works with PU foam.

Reply to
Reentrant
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But a hot wire cutter can be just a length of copper wire from 2.5 t&e in a wooden handle heated every few mins with a flame (candle will do).

Leckstrickicy isn't always the answer.

R.

Reply to
TheOldFellow

I've just cut nearly a hundred yards of inch polystyrene foam (breadknife) to insulate the shed. Would have taken a long time with a candle!

Reply to
Andy Dingley

1800 stlylie
Reply to
Joseph Craine

I needed to remove some chunks from internal corners where I couldn't use a wire (or angle grinder). The padsaw was ideal.

Reply to
Reentrant

Trying to picture what you did with that .lol..can you explain further ?

Reply to
Usenet Nutter

Making the 8x2 boards shorter and a smidgen narrower, so as to keep the spacing of the battens between them in synch with the width of the plywood panels going over the top.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

easiest to use a fine sanding block. Shapes EPS foam easily.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Aah I see...That must have been messy ..I have just made a few cuts in some insulating foam sheets and that was bad enough ...polystyrene "dust" all over the place . Glad I have a vacuum .

Reply to
Usenet Nutter

Usenet Nutter wibbled on Thursday 10 December 2009 11:45

A long time ago, I made a hot wire cutter out of a bit of heater element wire (then easily available for repairing bar fires and toasters), a car battery charger and IIRC a big old wirewound rheostat. The frame was just a few bits of scrap wood assembled crudely into a "U". Worked really well.

Adjustability was a good thing. Tool cool and the wired gunked up. Too hot and it was smokey and charred the material. Just right and it was perfect.

Reply to
Tim W

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