The Art of Improvising

[Mojo]

We had an old saying in the Marine Corps which was:

Improvise - Adapt - Overcome

I have 20 yards of Recacril to cut and my customer demanded I cut all of his awning fabric with a hot knife.
No problem. Actually there was one tiny problem, I have no hot knife. So I bought a $ 19.95 Harbor Freight special. It wont cut Recacril. So I thought, dang I am going to have to buy one of those fancy Engle hot knifes. Then I seen how much they were. I came to the conclusion that there was no way I was spending
$ 200 for a bloody hot knife, especially considering it is a tool I rarely use.

So for kicks and grins I went to my woodshop and grabbed a woodburner I had laying around. I fired it up and tested it on some scrap Recacril and it gave me a perfect cut. I was amazed at how clean the cut was and how quickly it cut through the fabric.

I have ordered an electric X-Acto hot knife for $ 15 and will give that a try as well. But I am extremely happy
with my little $ 5 dollar woodburner / slash improvised hot knife. :)

If any of you get into a jam and need to cut some fabric with a hot knife and do not have one or yours is broke, grab a woodburning knife and give it a try. :)

I am still amazed at the price of some of our tools. Foam saw's, hot knifes, etc. It is ridiculous what these manufacturers charge. ........gessssh.

Chris

[fragged8]

i'm the same Mojo, i absolutely hate paying for very pricey tools
even if i do need them.

but well done on the woodburner knife :-)

necessity is the mother of invention ..

Rich

[Mojo]

Just an update. I got the X-Acto hot knife and after using it found the woodburning knife works better.
The Xacto hot knife gave you a real nice clean cut but I wasn't impressed with it sealing off the fibers like I was with the woodburning pen/knife. There is a slight trick in using it but once you get the angle down on holding the pen it is a piece of cake and gives a good seal on the fibers.

This is similar to the woodburning knife I have.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Deluxe-Hobby-Crafts-9pc-Wood-Burning-Pen-Kit-Set-/360354602258?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e6cedd12#ht_2277wt_905

I just cannot justify the $ 200 for an Engle hot knife and blade. Maybe if I had a high production shop then I would buy one for occasional use, nahhhh.

I missed a used engle for $ 90 bucks a few weeks ago. Got to the auction to late.

This woodburning pen will work fine for what I need it for.

Chris

[Bob T]

In case anyone is interested, Challenge Sailcloth carries the Engel hot knifes.  They can be found on page 90 of their catalogue.  The Engel 110v hot knife "THKEC2"  lists for $112.85 and the Engel cutting foot "THKEF" is an addtional $33.  You can check out their catalog online or you can call them at 1-800-962-4499

[Mojo]

Wow. That is a cheap price for the Engle. I have never seen it that low anywhere.

Thanks for posting.

Chris

[bobbin]

Just a word of warning!  (I have not followed Bob's link but remember this from ordering my own Engel) 

Like the Bosch foam saw, Engel used to sell the components of the hot knives separately.  You pay one price for the body of the knife, another for the type of blade you select, and then you have the option of purchasing the guide foot.  So, maybe $112 buys the body, but the blade and any guide will be additional. 

They are not cheap, but I've never regretted buying one.  I use it to cut acrylics and I love it.  If I remove the guide over the foot I can use it to "butter up" any loose threads, raw edges on a project.  Great tool and, IMO a good investment for a shop. 

[fragged8]

talking of invention and also thinking of what Mojo is doing

how about using a gun style soldering iron ? they are about £20
here and are pretty much the same thing as a hot knife. they range
between 100 to 150W and the tips are removable.

at that price you could throw away 1 a year for about 10 years
and still be in pocket :-)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/150-WATT-POWER-SOLDERING-GUN-IRON-TOOL-KIT-3-TIPS-/180666998055?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item2a10979d27

[Mojo]

That would probably work. The elements are very similar to the Engle elements.

I cut my acrylic with using a straight edge as a guide. It also helps hold the fabric down while I am cutting it.

Chris

[Allan]

Rich and Chris

That's what I use
Works great but still thinking of getting an Engle

Allan

[Mojo]

Rich and Chris

That's what I use
Works great but still thinking of getting an Engle

Allan

Yeah but you Aussies have all kinds of money though. Us Yanks are poor folk. We are all so broke we can barely afford to pay attention......:)

Chris

[Allan]

Chris

Gee!! I wish we did with rising prices in everything there is not much money to go around these days

My gun is a 100 watt iron not 150 and it cost me $100 on ebay so the one Rich showed for 20 pounds (don't have a pound symbol on keyboard) is not bad value and does the job ok
the only problem I find is because the tip is so thin it doesn't hold the heat like the engle tip would.
I purchased an engle tip but could not make it fit without destroying one of the items because if it didn't work then there would be no going back  so i'll wait until I buy an engle.

Allan

[scottymc]

That would probably work. The elements are very similar to the Engle elements.

I cut my acrylic with using a straight edge as a guide. It also helps hold the fabric down while I am cutting it.

Chris

Chris , our money is only worth anything in America.

[scottymc]

Rich and Chris

That's what I use
Works great but still thinking of getting an Engle

Allan

Yeah but you Aussies have all kinds of money though. Us Yanks are poor folk. We are all so broke we can barely afford to pay attention......:)

Chris

thats one I meant to quote