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Hot Cutting
In article <1992Jul15.234621.13446@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>,
sasaki@sasaki.zko.dec.com (Marty Sasaki) writes:
> Having said all of this, I have to admit that I usually cold cut
> fabric these days. I double fold all seams so there is no fabric edge
> to fray. I use a razor knife, which is quicker than a hot knife.
>
> I still hot cut exposed edges of nylon and dacron.
I, too, tend to cold cut fabric unless I'm cutting templates for more than
one kite. Hot cutting on glass makes it easy to put several layers of
fabric under a template and cut out patterns for several kites. If I'm
doing a single kite, I use a 54"x36" self-sealing cutting board, found at
most art supply or fabric stores and a surgical scalpel (#11 blade). These
blades are comparable to the #11 hobby razor but tend to last a bit longer.
Whatever you do, don't use them unless you have a cutting board underneath,
they tend to dull real fast if used on glass and a dull point will surely
fray the fabric.
If you get serious about building, it would be a good idea to invest in an
industrial strength hot knife, primarily used for cutting the webbing most
kites use as nose reinforcement. A friend has one and it cuts two layers of
seatbelt webbing like it was soft butter! They run over $100 but they are
a nice investment. Check with the bigger ripstop sellers, they may have one.
------
Drew Commins - Senior Software Engineer Internet: dcommins@hayes.com
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