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Hot Cutting

In article <14504@umd5.umd.edu> jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka) writes:
>In article <63514@hydra.gatech.EDU> sc5@prism.gatech.EDU (CSEPLO,STEPHEN P) writes:
>
>>wood burner has replacable/interchangable tips and normally I use a knife
>
>How big is the blade on your flat tip?  The only trouble I've had with
>

The blade is about 1/4" wide and I go around a lot of tight corners, but I've
gotten very good at it.

>It helps a lot to have a template to cut around, but when I don't, it's usually
>because my template doesn't include seam allowances and I've drawn them on

I'm a little different in that I come out of Autocad, no hand drawn stuff
for me unless I miss a little bit and don't want to replot. Being on
a micro CAD system makes allowances a breeze and changing size is as
easy as plotting to a different scale. To say nothing of being precise.
Normally my kites are within 1/16" of being perfectly symetrical. God, I  
love CAD.

>
>>As far as cutting surfaces, I have to agree with Marty. Glass is the ticket.
>>Just get a big enough piece and treat the edges some way or you can
>>cut yourself very nastily and easily.
>
>Is it safe to bet that I'm the only one around here who does his hot cutting
>on top of a pinball machine?  It's the perfect height, and you get used to
>the slope...;-)

Pinball machine? What a great idea! Just hope its an old one or that you
own it. Could scratch up the glass and get people mad at you.

>
>>One thing I normally do is make cardboard templates for my pieces.
>
>Note:  I use posterboard, not cardboard (the corrugated variety)  The problem,
>of course, is finding posterboard for templates.  It's not much of an issue
>

OK. Maybe cardboard was the wrong choice of words. But would you know 
what I meant if I said chipboard? Maybe if you're an architect or architectural
student or a printer for that matter. The stuff is typically gray, 1/32" to
1/16" thick and is used as protection for printed matter or blue print
paper (blue line paper to be precise, haven't done blue prints in the industry
for over 15 years, but the name still sticks). Typically, I get mine from
packs of bond or vellum we get for the Xerox 2520 Engineering copier, 
at work. It's nice 'cause they're big, 24" X 36" typically, and the best
part, it's free. Can't argue with the price. Oh yes, now that I think about
it, it is the same material you typically see backing up legal pads, you
know, the "cardboard" on the back of the pad.

>
>Jeff
>-- 

Later!

The Mad Hata
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