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Drew and Kent don’t have glaciers at the ready to help form the mountains on our Canadian Canyons N scale layout project, but they DO have some handy tools! In this segment, the two share an array of knives, tools, and techniques they used to carve a rough profile into the foam insulation board pieces.
oh boy, dont watch this episode with headphones. 2 minutes in and my spine was crawling out of my back
Are the fumes that come off the foam, when using the hot wire, toxic as I was told that using a hot wire on expanded foam gives of cyanide gas. It it the same with extruded foam?
As much as I enjoy watching these episode, I really wish the landscaping part will start soon. 🙂 There is a lot of foam and woodwork going on these days. 😉
Looking great Kent and Drew ! Best be ready to reset your smoke alarms 🙂
Dryer sheets may keep the foam “sawdust” from cutting/shaping work from sticking to the blade, but it won’t keep those itty bitty pieces of foam from sticking to your hands, your clothes, the walls, etc. Keep the shop vac handy when using a saw or rasp on foam!
Hey all,
Yes, a respirator is a great idea. I wear one when I use the foam cutter, airbrush, or work with anything that gives off toxic fumes or puts a lot of dust in the air, such as sanding drywall. Be sure to replace the filters on a regular basis.
As long as you have moving air that has some way to be replaced by outside air, that should be enough for this project. Erik’s suggestion of venting the basement air up the stairs to an open window should be sufficient. The important thing is to have air movement to disperse the particulates in the air.
The wire foam cutter works very, and is my new favorite layout construction tool.
Lots more Canyons project to come!
David
These foam cutters have been around for years. A well ventilated area? I guess the option is moving your basement outside. When it comes to foam I have found you cut, wack,hack, pinch,pull and do anything else that comes to mind to get the shape you want. That includes taking hunks of foam outside and cutting them in the open air in winter.
I understand that the vapors created by using a hot knife on foam may be poisonous. I recommend using a respirator in addition to working in a well-ventilated space — preferably in the open air.
Suggestion – I found that one of the issues that can arise using a steak knife, serrated bread knife, keyhole saw, etc, is that the debris from the foam sticks to the blades like a magnet. I sure others have used this technique, and that is to wipe the devices blade well with dryer sheets which eliminates and/or minimizes the issuesbof static cling.
My layout’s in a basement without any openable windows. For ventilation, would it be enough to put a fan blowing the air up the stairs into the kitchen and have the kitchen window open?
All very good tools to use and Kent/Drew are right, you need to use them in a well ventilated area. Keep these updates coming as I keep looking at the present Can-Can on the live web cam… most impressive how it is coming along.
Great presentation on the types and uses of foam carving tools for creating rock faces and strata on the Canyons layout. I prefer a straight blade knife without a serrated edge to reduce binding in the foam when cutting. Thanks.