How to Heat a Hot-Wire Cutter

Styrofoam is the primary material used with hot-wire cutters.

Foam has a variety of craft applications, from making small decorative elements such as holiday ornaments to large-scale pieces such as theatrical scenery. It can also be cut quite quickly with electrically heated cutting tools known as hot-wire cutters. The best hot-wire cutter in the world would be useless, however, if it were not properly heated before use. There are several different types of hot-wire cutters, but they are all heated in similar ways.

Things You'll Need

• Hot-wire cutter
• Respirator
• Brick
• Styrofoam

Instructions

1. Set the hot-wire cutter in its cradle so the wire cutting surface is not in contact with any other surface. If the hot-wire cutter does not have a cradle, prop it up on a fireproof surface, such as a brick.

2. Plug the hot-wire cutter's power cord into an electrical outlet. If your hot-wire cutter has a separate transformer and heat control, attach the cutting wire to the transformer, plug the transformer into the heat control and plug the heat control into an electrical outlet.

3. Adjust the heat setting on the hot-wire cutter to the lowest heat setting and allow it to heat for approximately 10 minutes.

4. Put on a respirator.

5. Test the heat of the hot-wire cutter by cutting into a piece of Styrofoam. If the hot-wire cutter does not cut into the foam adequately, increase the heat setting on the device until it cuts properly.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a respirator with fresh filters and working seals when cutting into Styrofoam with a hot-wire cutter. Styrofoam can release toxic fumes when heated.

References

• HHHH Associates: Building a Hot Wire Foam Cutter
• Hot Wire Foam Factory: Common (& Not So Common) Questions and Answers
• Dan's Workshop: Hot Wire Foam Cutting
• Horrorseek: Making Foam Tools
• Space Modeling: A Hot-Wire Foam Cutter from the Home Depot