SInce I am exploring the option of reforming some production car seats for my car I was wondering what the best method was for cutting the seat foam,
should this become necessary. A Stanley knife isn't really long enough to get a clean cut. I saw a guy use a sanding disc in a 4.5 inch grindr
once to shape seat foam and it worked brilliantly but left a rather 'soft' finish whereas sometimes you need a sharper corner. As far as I
know, anyone in any industry which does this uses hot wire cutters, is it possible to make such an item? Lots of questions, I know, but usually
there's someone infinitely cleverer than me on here who can supply an answer of some sort
On on the DIY progs they use an electric carving knife for slicing through thick foam.
Andrew
I used the bread knife from the kitchen drawer
Being about a foot long with large serrated teeth it will go thru any foam with ease
I did wash it before placing back in the drawer !!
I bought some seat foam in the market (leeds) once, that fella had a very odd device like a jigsaw with a leg to stand on, he said a hot wire melts it
and can leave sharpish bits, the cut on my bit was perfect, even though i never ended up using it. Maybe if you buy it in a place like that you could
persuade the chappy to chop it up for you? Failing that, as our learned friends point out, a carving knife is quite adequate.
or maybe a super sharp
unserrated knife...
Electric carving knife is great ........................................My Turkey has never tasted the same since..........................
I use the unserrated breadknife recommended by Joel and it works for me. The electric carving knife is the usual method, seen it done by upholsterer
down the road.
yours, Pete.
you can make a hot wire cutter using a 12v battery and some stainless steel lock wire the lockwire is mounted in a 'bow' arrangement and
either end is connected to the battery.
safety warning: the melting of the foam gives off some very nasty fumes best not inhaled. also the wire will be hot enough to burn.
Also, the wire being an effective short on the battery, might encourage it to explode.
Id suggest using smallish wire to start with, and work up if it vapourises, and keep the bettery away from you whilst doing all this.
atb
steve
I just cut down one of my seats last night, all I had in the house was a 'small' pair of scissors and a sharpened 'butter
knife'
I hacked the bits off that I didn't want, it didn't look very pretty but when I stretched the luxurious leather back over the seat and
stuck it on the back of the wood, you can't even tell it's been hacked.
Please note that the seat isn't finished and the wire from the side is for the heating element
quote:
and the wire from the side is for the heating element
Use the same that I produced in Fiber Glass, them cover with something, they will be very comfortable and have nice shape.
Best Regards
Joćo Martins
www.martinsportscar.com
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