this stuff is pretty tough. dunno what it's like under load, but think guitar string, except i can't break it. (smallest guitar string is pretty easy to snap)

Yeah that probably wouldn't break, when I was asking about it I was thinking of using 30-40 gauge nichrome (battery powered even), but deflection could still be a issue. That's maybe less of a problem for freehanding, my application uses guides.

I'll see what I can find and we can decide which to use on Sat.

You'd be setting up the wire rig kinda like an old-fashioned bucksaw, right? H-shaped wood frame, with hot wire at the bottom & turnbuckle at top for tension adjustment?

Yeah, I'm thinking threaded rod an wing nuts, but yeah.

Same concept but easier to tighten. I like it.

(Probably want to sleeve the threads somehow, where they pass through the frame on the wing-nut end of the rod, so they slide & don't bite into the wood as you tighten.)

i think one of the issues for the foam sculpting will be scale - relative to the yet to be completed spoon.

also: anyone have butcher paper? or something decent for sketching out these things to scale.

Yeah I was thinking that too. I'll try it without and see how it goes.

I have the frame together and just went out to get the transformer, etc.

Makes me kinda nervous to be working with wall AC.

metis should have some laying around.

I finished the hot wire foam cutter, works great! I just wired it up with mechanics wire for testing, glows red in less than a second and is easily controllable with the dimmer.

Awesome! Michael & I got the 'pult frame tightened up and battened down today (yeah I actually drove to his place & back in all that blizzard crap, not fun) and now the spoon veneering is next.