Equipment and Tools
Most everyone has the tools necessary to start working with foam. "The great thing, though, is that everyone has the basic tools at home to start out: scissors, kitchen knives, and mineral oil," Ashton said.
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Electric Carving Knife
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Best for cutting large pieces or sections quickly. Keep clean and occasionally rub the blades with an oiled rag while working especially if it snags in the foam.
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Sharp Kitchen Knives
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Work fine but are harder to control.
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Scalpels
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Utility Knives
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Exacto brand with replaceable screw on blades is recommended.
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Scissors
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Large and small are good for layering, contouring, and rounding edges to look organic. If using a large scissors, keep it oiled with mineral oil.
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Hot Tip Cautery
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Use with
caution
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Q:
For dye work, once you use a pot or measuring tool, you don't ever use it again for food cooking. If you use a kitchen knife for cutting foam, does the same rule apply?
A:
.
We don't usually use kitchen knives for carving - at least not our own kitchen knives. Foam dulls the blades, but that's easily fixed by sharpening. We have found that the best tool is an electric carving knife. You have to wipe and refresh the blades frequently with a bit of mineral or cooking oil on a rag because the carving knives get clogged with minute foam particles. This is the best and fastest tool for the initial carving of big pieces to establish the basic shape of the piece that you want.
After getting the basic shape and curves, we switch to finer blades such as scissors, scalpels, utility knives, and occasionally a small cautery tool.
I don't consider foam in the same category as dyes as far as toxicity, however, if I was going to use a blade frequently for foam, I think I'd just keep it in
the workroom and replace the kitchen one with a new one. It's so cheap buying knives at yard sales, why take the chance?
Page maintained by
Carole Parker
