Hot Wire Foam Factory - Lompoc, California

Christopher C.

I am an award-winning cosplayer by the name of Clarke Cosplay. I specialize in making elaborate foam props and armor from scratch and by hand. When I was making my 5.5 foot long Ultima Weapon, pictured below, I used a blue expanded polystyrene (XPS home insulation) foam. It's stiff and very lightweight, just what I needed. However, it is also very difficult to carve. After a few tiresome nights of attempting to carve my blade to shape with a long, sharp knife, it was a futile and exhausting attempt. I discovered Hot Wire Foam Factory and purchased their Crafters Sculpting Tool and Tensioner and it made short work of my prop. I was able to easily carve it to shape. It is a very valuable tool. But that's not all the make. They have hot wire knives of different styles and different sizes, even for the really large jobs. They also make a variety of adhesives and foam coats.

The biggest problem with working with polystyrene foam of any kind is that it will disintegrate from Acetone, a chemical that is found in any amount in many adhesives, sealants, and spray paints. I've tried various products like foam board caulk adhesives, covering my props with paper maché, using Spar Urethane, Gesso, you name it. Nothing would really do the job I needed it to. Then I tried their Foam Fusion and Styrogoo adhesives and wow! I love this stuff, especially the Foam Fusion. It takes very little and takes only 12 hours to cure (compared to a week with the caulks), and creates a very strong bond. I'm never going back to anything else! I also tried their Bounce. It's a brushable rubber substance that, after a couple coats directly on a sanded XPS foam surface (EPS foam you don't need to do this), makes a wonderful and fully sealed layer. It takes a fraction of the time to cure compared to Gesso, isn't messy like paper maché, and is very scratch resistant. Acrylic paint also binds to it very well. Bounce is amazing! You can even add it to their All Purpose Foam Coat.

I may sound excited by their products but, because I am a prop maker and polystyrene is such a tricky material to work with, my props will be far easier to build and will look far better, so yes, I am excited. And once you try their adhesives, coats, and hot wire knives, you will be too.

Leonard B.

Fantastic glue, I use it to bond balsa leading and trailing edge to my custom cut foam core wings. Best adhesion when you apply a smooth bead to one side, make contact then pull apart then re-attach . Instant bond which is permanent after glue has cured. Cannot pull apart without breaking the balsa and foam. Never had a glue failure yet. Been using this glue for approximately 4 years. These wings are also subjected to moisture because the wings are built for water-based RC airplanes, meaning they can only fly off and land on water. Here is one of my planes taxing back to shore, second pic coming in for landing.

Mikee L.

Great service, and cool products. I have been using their glue for several months now and it hold up very well and is easy to work with. The main drawback to it is it creates a lot of "glue wisps" but they are not nearly as annoying as ones created by a hot glue gun, and much easier to deal with so I am still giving it a full star review. Will definitely be buying again when my current bottle runs out.

Nick S. U.

Got the scroll tool, but there was a tiny mix up. So they let me keep the accidental items, no charge, and made everything right. Their items are high quality and I'm extremely pleased to have ordered from them. Buy from here!!! Way cheaper than amazon or anywhere else and better service.

Marc L.

I've put off getting a dedicated foam cutting tool for years, but as I was looking around online to see if anyone had any new advice to offer for using foam in set/prop building, a discussion on a forum led me to the Hot Wire Foam Factory, and I ended up convincing myself that I should really get one for the project on which I am currently working. Where has this thing been all my life? in addition to this thing working exactly as described, my interaction with Customer Service prior to choosing the right product to suit my needs was very pleasant and the communication was timely. I suspect I'll be buying more from Hot Wire Foam Factory and projects come up and budget allows.

Ky F.

I'm very new to cosplay. I'm still trying to find my footing with all the different products and methods there are out there to create things. I also live in a condo, and have neighbors on both sides of me. This kind of limits both space, and the ability to use certain types of products. Mainly things with fumes, or things that are very messy to spray or clean up.
I found out about Bounce Rubberizer from my cosplay hero Evil Ted Smith. I was looking for a way to seal my armor build without having to buy a bunch of plasti-dip. Not to sound cheap, but for what I was doing, that would definitely add up. Bounce seemed like a good fit.
All I can say is...I love this stuff! Seriously, for the stuff I like to try to build (mechs/armor) it's amazing. It has NO smell, I can brush it on, and the fact that it basically self levels after you brush it on....kind of blew my mind.
Unless you really gob it on and leave drips, it always seems to dry smooth and flexible. I went with the "several thin coats" method, and it worked out really well. It also dries fast (like 30 minutes for me) making multiple coats feasible. It also plays well with acrylic paints. I used several different brands, and it all went on buttery smooth. I also randomly discovered it makes seaming foam with Barge Rubber Cement way easier, at least for me, and really appreciate the fact that it cleans up with soap and water.
I absolutely recommend this product! It's now an official staple in my build arsenal. I do recommend wiping the threading around the opening of your bottle and the cap though. Otherwise, it may rubberize itself shut. I did this once.....after that I wiped it with a damp paper towel after every use.

Kelley Y.

I have a love of Halloween, but chronic pain and weakness in my hands. Building things like simple tombstones was impossible for me with knives and saws, even on lightweight EPS foam. And so messy.

I saw hot knives used in some videos this year, I'm decided to give it a try. I chose to go with the industrial version kit because of the quality.

I didn't practice and decided to just jump right in by projecting a dragon silhouette on a o 4' by 8' foot sheet of 2" eps. The work was fast, and fun. It was easy to get the hang of it. After that I decided to grab a second 4 by 8 sheet and project gravestones. If only I could paint as fast as I could carve. I have so many things to paint now!

I'm very happy to chosen this particular kit and look forward to using it many more times this season.

Katherine P.

I mistakenly thought there was a storefront here since Google lists hours and reviews. It's actually a warehouse for their website, but the kind folks who work there still canceled my shipping and put together my order for pick up, anyway. They were super nice and even helped me load my car.