Expanded polystyrene blocks are easy to carve but it takes real skill to turn them into a rock grotto like the one shown here. Our customer in New Iberia, LA travels around the country teaching classes on turning EPS into rocks. After the blocks are carved and glued together, the coating and coloring process begins. The finished product is a stone structure that looks as real as mother nature could make it.
Most people that work with EPS use two main tools for cutting and carving. The first is a hot knife which has a blade that heats up and melts the EPS instead of cutting it. Battery operated models are available with blades up to 10” long. The second tool is a bow cutter which has a bow shape with a wire that runs from tip to tip. There is a controller to adjust the temperature of the wire. The bow cutter also cuts the EPS very cleanly and can cut up to 48” at a time. Other tools used are serrated knives, reciprocating saws and even chain saws.
