Cutting shells

[JD]

Hey, i need some help cutting my shell... its a real bitch lol. I need to cut a hole for the heat sink and pullstart, and I'm having a few troubles.

I don;t know what to cut it with. I've tried stanley knives and even steak knives! lol and any knifes i can find and it won;t cut thru it. So i got angry and drilled a ton of holes everywhere lol. All inside the space I am going to cut.. so thats ok lol...

Do i need to buy some special lexan scissors? or is there some cool technique i can adopt.

thanks in advance (I'm such a noob :) )

[BALISTC]

Lexan scissors are worth the 8 bucks, they work a treat for cutting cable ties too :P

I have this craft cutter, its basically like a compass with a blade on the end....great for scoring round shapes on shells, then u can punch them out if you score it enough, or trace the scoring with a sharp blade, and it'll cut nice and easy :)

[JD]

cool, I'll buy some of those dam scissors this weekend, thanks.

[opAsx]

hahaha steak knives... your so dumb!!! everyone knows you use the fillet knife... sheesh!

:P

i am on the look out for one of those craft cutters if you can point me in the right direction BALISTC

[BAGES]

a fillet knife - damn I had been using a bunsen burner !silly

Seriously though - good question JD - I didnt actualy know what people here use either !super

[Dlux]

You can also you a hand held blow torch with a hobby knife attachment. It'll cut thru 0.6mm lexan like butter.

[justo316]

I just did my shell last night and it's almost perfect I think. I used some scissors and a stanley knife.

What I do is cut all the perpendicular bits left from the mold off first. Then I run around with the stanley knife, just scoring the edges of the body. You can skip the wheel wells and just run the knife straight across to meet the next flat bit of body.

Then I snap off all the excess polycarb. This should be very easy to do and will give perfectly straight edges, provided you scored them straight in the first place.

Then I carefully score around the wheel wells. Take your time and make sure you do follow the line for a perfect finish.

Next I use scissors to cut into the wheel wells. I make "cake slice" cuts all the way to (but not over) the line that you scored. Then it's just a matter of snapping each "slice" off. My wheel wells came out the best they've ever this time using this technique. And no need for special scissors...

[JD]

yea, wheels would be easy cos you have a place to start...

this is a hole starting right in the middle of the lexan.

[justo316]

Nah, wheels are the hardest....the rest is easy peasy.

[JD]

Sorry i didn;t mean "easy" I ment "easier"

cos i have no place to start lol

[KingBob]

Curved lexan scissors, make easy work of wheel wells.

[mik068]

dremel them faster and more power

[JD]

If only i had a dremel... lol

[justo316]

I have a dremel and it stuffed up a bit of my last shell...the sanding bits took too much off way too quickly :P

Trust me, it's easy (and FREE) to do it like I described. Harder than straight cuts for sure, but easier than having to go out and buy curved scissors/dremel/whatever...

[JD]

I bought some curved lexan scissors... best $8 i ever spent.

They glide thru the lexan lol

[bd581]

As a couple of people said, just score the lexan, don't try to cut through it, then just snap it off. Keep the knife at a low angle.
Personally, i cut out the shell before i paint it, easier to mount and don't scratch it when cutting it.
Curved scissors are great, not nessesary with a bit of practice. Painted at least 200 shells.

Tip for perfect round wheels. Emery cloth around a can of coke.

[Jai]

i used a dremel... it was surprisingly easy..... but i to have used the scoring action and that to is easy....
so really its six one and half dozen other isnt it...
depends on what your comfortable with....
wouldnt mind those lexen scissors.... haha

[danhfvcsd]

i just got my Kei Office S15 shell from yokomo - the wheel arches are already pre scored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jai]

nice one.. pity yokomo dont make a shell for the TLT

[Jai]

could you imagine it a hatchi roku jacked up monster truck style... hahha

[JD]

if only i knew what a 'hatchi roku' was...

[danhfvcsd]

-lmao- well - my LST will need a shell when it comes back, and i do have an ae86 lying around? -lol-

[BALISTC]

if only i knew what a 'hatchi roku' was...

Hachi Roku = Jap term for an AE86 Sprinter

[JD]

and whats a "AE86 Sprinter" lol

[BAGES]

A corolla yo..........

[RohaN]

a rear wheel drive corolla-y thing. aka tureno
www.students.dsu.edu/ burrin/AE86.jpg

[Matt]

corollas r0x4rs the big one!

[Jai]

hhaah i didnt even realise i had put a 't' in it hahah
oopps how disrespectful. if i put that shell on tho i would have to convert the TLT to Drift