I know many of you have seen this done before but I think there are as many who haven’t seen this technique. How to cut a curved line. Simple all you need is some string or heavy thread. Essentially the thread takes the place of a coping saw blade. I start by drawing the line I need to follow on the model. Then a tape the mode to the bench so it overhangs the edge to allow you to hold the length of thread above and below the object being cut.
By running the thread up and down you cut the plastic. Be careful not to use too much pressure or too much speed, this creates heat and will cause the plastic to melt and thread to snap. I cut through both halves of this helicopter in just a couple of minutes. It’s easy and it is fun. I was able to keep the tail boom and engines intact so it can be reused. Give it a try yourself.
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July 20th, 2008 at 9:12 am
What a cool tip! It makes sense, but never dawned on me. Thanks Gerald!
July 20th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Hey there Gerald!
I’ve tried about as many (unsuccessful) methods and decided to give this string method a chance and guess what? Bingo! Heard the string idea mentioned before but never really thought it would work. My first go-around was a little aggressive I guess and ended up with some crap/crud along the cut line but got it down now- Thanks for sharing!
July 20th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
First thought “you got to be kidding”. Tried it out and after a couple of tries got the hang of it. Next step, put the string in a jeweler’s saw (small coping saw) frame just like a regular saw blade. This works even better; one hand for sawing, one hand for holding parts. In plastic it works better than a small saw blade; it can turn very small corners or even right angles and doesn’t bind and break in the process.
July 21st, 2008 at 6:22 am
I’ve seen this done in the model car mags before for opening doors and such but haven’t gotten around to trying it…yet. Nice to see it’s making a resurgence of sorts!
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
What a terrifically simple solution to a frustrating problem!! I’ll definitely try it in the near future.