As a suggestion to the community, an olfa style razor(or even wider blade) knife dulled edge and rounded off tip from the tip down with 2 inches of new razor left exposed is a really nice alternative to scissors for cleanly trimming edges and ends of foam. Make the Razor extend far enough out and sufficiently dulled and the leading edge tip rounded that it acts as a flat plane. The wider blades help stay more level. Drag the blade angled like you would cut a sheet of paper. Crisp clean cuts, like butter. Fun even. Let me know if this tip helps you out. Thanks for making the great video for us to comment on!
I use my trusty Rose Bud Tip and Soldering Iron. Results so flawless and long lasting, the customer never returns for a replacement for lifetime of the sofa. Satisfaction.
Can you explain this in a little more detail please , I am reupholstering my sofa and would really appreciate some expert advice on how to shape the new foam I have.
I believe the rosebud tip refers to a torch, and is used for the rough shaping, while a soldering iron matched with a broad tip is useful for the final shaping and small details. (An adjustable iron helps a lot in maintaining an ideal temperature on foam and plastics to avoid scalding and excess fumes/smoke.) It takes a steady hand and some practice but you can shape a lot of foam quickly if you need to, although for most homeowners, using a rough tin and sandpaper (or low grit foam sanding block) will be a very effective and manageable way to achieve the same if not better results. 🙂🌎
You can also use an average bread knife to cut foam. For straight lines, you'll score the foam until you cut all the way through, depending on the thickness it could take a few swipes. For curved lines, cut the foam perpendicular, and only progress along the line a bit at at time. Little nibbles!
Hah, the jump cut @8:20 speaks louder than words. It isn't so easy to place something that large accurately in one go. I wish we had seen those missing seconds/minutes. :)
of course.... the "foam edge rounding machine" is a notable specialty machine tool that is not widely copied or duplicated. The german/austrian and now Indian manufactures of these devices enable you to cut that rounded corner in about 1 second. IIRC, primarily used for mass production of memory foam pillows or any application that cannot use molding.
I've found cutting along both lines but tangential to the curve leaves you with less foam to shape in the shaping step while also leaving you with a smaller work area since you're, essentially, shaving a point where the two tangent lines meet down to a curve.
I dont know much about abrasive pad or how to us them. What kind of abrasive pad did you use with the drill? Your video has been extremely helpful thank you for sharing.
I have seen professionals use an "Air Angle Die Grander" with a course sanding disk. However, I have always had trouble controlling the fast speed of the tool on the foam, so I do not like using them. If you do use it practice on some scrap foam first.
You don't necessarily need a foam knife , if you practice with an electric carving knife you can still get got results . Also best to cut along the very top and very bottom marker lines - at an acute angle - rather than cutting just the middle. If you get it neat once it's smoothed of you shouldn't really have to add any extra foam if covering with a good vinyl .
Hi Furies, No, we would not attempt to shape foam with a Hotknife. We use either the foam saw, an electric kitchen knife or the foam shaper to shape our foam. It all depends on how much shaping is required.
I think so. Most foam can be shaped with high temperature. (I needed to cut high density foam toppers perpendicular to their length to create two half's and to join them to softer foam topper halves. At 30 inches wide, a hot wire would be the best option for making a clean cut. = )