Cutting ABS-hull?

[VonHoldinghausen]

Dear friends!

In a distant future, far, far away, I hope to have much more time for modelbuilding

Hence I have now (among other kits) bought Billings "Calypso"-kit.

It looks very nice I must say, very much so compared to the Billings-kits I built early 80s.

This one has a ABS-hull though. A first one for me.

What might be the best way to cut away the excess ABS plastic?

Simply scoring with a sharp knife a few tines, and then breaking of the excess plastic, piece by piece?

Thats what I do with styrene sheets anyway. Any other tips, hints or tricks? The ABS is rather thick in this case...

 

Kind regards, Pontus

[wefalck]

A hand-held electrical drill with an abrasive cutting wheel might be another option.

[VonHoldinghausen]

Thank you!

That might be true. I read somewhere though that it might melt instead the plastic.

I guess i will try though.

With bodys for bigger RC-cars I happen to know they score the surface and then simply break off the excess plastic,

thats why I was curious if that technique could be used fot such hulls also (it is not the same material though).

Cheers!

[wefalck]

Whether plastics melt during mechanically working them depends on how much energy you put into them over what interface - or in simple terms: when you run the cutting tool too fast, you are putting too much energy into the cut ...