DIY Aircraft Foam Building

Place a sheet of foam rubber on a work surface. Place the model aircraft wing that is to be replaced with a foam one on the sheet. Draw an outline around the wing with a grease pencil. Remove the wing and place it aside.

Measure 5 inches out from the sides and ends of the outline. Make a dot at each measurement with the grease pencil. Draw a rectangle around the outline that connects the dots using a straightedge and grease pencil. Cut out the rectangle with scissors and dispose of the excess foam rubber.

Place the foam heat cutting tool on the work surface. Rotate the tabs at the ends of the two protruding vertical rods with your fingers. Insert the ends of the cutting wire into the slots on each of the rods. Tighten the tabs to hold the wire in position. Further tighten each tab with a quarter turn clockwise using pliers.

Plug the foam heating cutting tool̵7;s power cord into an outlet. Turn the tool on and let it heat up the wire for five minutes.

Grip the cut foam rubber by the sides. Place an edge of the rubber against the wire. Press the rubber against the wire so the heat sears into it. Push the rubber into the wire and move it along the outline of the wing. Continue doing this until you have cut the wing̵7;s outline from the foam rubber. Remove the foam rubber from the wire and turn the tool off. Unplug its power cord from the outlet.

Press against the wing on the foam rubber to separate it from the sheet. Dispose of the excess and place the cut wing on the work surface. Sand the edges of the wing with ultra fine-grit sandpaper. Continue the sanding until the edges all feel smooth. The other wing can be made using the other wing from the model and by following the same procedure.

Attach the new wing to your model airplane.