Hot-wire foam cutter

Q: What about fumes from the hot wire cutters?

A: The small cutters we have should be relatively low fume. Typically they don't off-gas terribly much as they're melting rather than burning. Many foams are highly toxic when combusted (and have visible marks of the combustion process such as black smoke) - and if you ever see black smoke coming off foam you're cutting, you should STOP. Generally, the gasses being released by melting are water vapor, CO2, as well as extremely low levels of chlorine, carbon monoxide and a few others. We always require you to check the MSDS for your material before cutting it.

That said, if anyone is doing something that is releasing noxious fumes in the space, and not taking steps to mitigate the impact on others, then please tell them to stop and let us know. Fans, fume collectors, etc. are all viable methods to reduce the impacts on others. It's a shared space, and you should be comfortable that it is safe for you.