01-17-2011, 05:21 PM
I have used the white beaded foam for years without the mess everyone describes. What saved me, and my layout room, from the dreaded beaded snow, was using a STRAIGHT, NON-SERRATED edged blade, in a rapid sawing motion of short strokes. DO NOT just rasp into the beaded stuff or you will get it everywhere and the rubbing motion builds up a static charge, hence, beads stick to clothes and everything else.
I used a simple kitchen knife with a 4 or 5 inch blade, again, and I can't stress this enough, NOT a serrated edge. No saw-teeth, just a straight, sharp edge. The pink and blue stuff makes a mess too, just a different kind of mess.
The other tip for working with the white foam (expanded poly styrene, not extruded, like the pink or white stuff) is to use a low-temp glue gun to attach the foam to itself and any other surface. Hot-melt glue will just eat away at the foam and release the aforementioned gasses. This is also why I have stayed away from a hot-wire cutter. Noxious fumes are to be avoided if breathing naturally and freely is desired.
The best reason for using the white stuff is that it can be obtained from many dumpsters and household purchases. Put the word out that you're looking and it'll appear on your doorstep like zuchini in August. You may not get nice flat sheets for building up subroadbed, but then again you might...just depends on how much you find.
Galen
I used a simple kitchen knife with a 4 or 5 inch blade, again, and I can't stress this enough, NOT a serrated edge. No saw-teeth, just a straight, sharp edge. The pink and blue stuff makes a mess too, just a different kind of mess.
The other tip for working with the white foam (expanded poly styrene, not extruded, like the pink or white stuff) is to use a low-temp glue gun to attach the foam to itself and any other surface. Hot-melt glue will just eat away at the foam and release the aforementioned gasses. This is also why I have stayed away from a hot-wire cutter. Noxious fumes are to be avoided if breathing naturally and freely is desired.
The best reason for using the white stuff is that it can be obtained from many dumpsters and household purchases. Put the word out that you're looking and it'll appear on your doorstep like zuchini in August. You may not get nice flat sheets for building up subroadbed, but then again you might...just depends on how much you find.
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!