Sorry to bring this up, but I looked in the archives and the one I found was missing pictures and sounded more complicated than needed. I’ve “googled,” but the ones I’ve seen are “standing” for running the foam through, or for small cuts.
Anyway, I’m sure there are plenty of guys out there who’ve made some sweet and simple ones.
Any help would be appreciated - as I’ve seen the ease cutting the rocker and foil into the foam straight away would provide. If I never have to pre-foil and rocker table again I’ll be stoked.
That’s a link to acp’s foam cutting equipment. You can jerry rig a nice bow, like most people on here have been super successful at. I’d suggest the easy way. The 28" bow is $45 and it’s perfect. Get you one.
Am I looking at that page correctly, when I think I need to buy the $150.00 power source too? If I could just “plug in” the $45.00 bow I’d be stoked… But, it’s the power part I’m not as sure about. The bow part seems to be the simplest part.
I"m gonna call there # to see. Any one else? Thanks, Taylor
Here’s a link for the one we have here. It’s sweet. Yeah, you gotta have a voltage regulator. Then go to the Depot and get an extension cord, cut it in half, strip it, put some alligator clips on it, plug it in, cut.
A spool is more than you will ever need, I still have the same piece I originally put on the bow last year, I can’t remember if I am using 22 guage (0.025 diameter) or 18 guage (0.04 diameter). If you want, when I get home today I can check… Either way, it’s about $8 for a 1/8 lb spool.
I made 2 hotwire bows, one 28" for rocker, and another 18" that I was going to use for templating and rail bands, but I prefer using a router for templating, much cleaner cut without crust, and I cannot do rail bands well, even with tape guides, I plane/sand them in. Both bows still have the same piece of original wire.
I also made a long hotwire for splitting blanks to glue in stringers, works great, but I need a partner and 2 straightedge guides to do it right, I have not built a ‘blank splitting’ hotwire table.
I may go to Radio Shack and see what the deal is… If I can save $20.00 or so… Plus the other I really want to do it myslefers out there may dig this. I’ll let ya all know which way I go.
I got a question someone may know the answer too: I have used a simple “dimmer switch” for my soldering iron for working on guitars… would that work? I’m under the impression 110 volts is just to much “juice” for the “hot wire.” But a guy once told me you need to build up resitance - he had a few light bulbs in a row to get his wire “hot” enough???
Trying to be the “cheap ass master” since the late 70’s - Taylor
Just noticed your question about the dimmer…not a good idea unless used in conjunction with a step-down transformer–that’s basically what that radio shack supply is…and your soldering iron. A wire that big by itself will carry far too much juice, frying your dimmer even on lower settings (guess how I know?) also keeping the voltage around/under 12 volts is good for safety…if your dimmer shorted closed or got knocked up to full power accidentally, big trouble…The lightbulbs served to limit the current in the circuit in your example…that would work, but you will still end up with some higher voltages…get it down to twelve as far away from yourself and the bow as possible…twelve volts is nearly undetectable, especially if there is little moisture involved, but get very far above that, and nasty things start to happen…
You can probably use a dimmer in line with a battery charger, but at lower settings, the dimmer circuit distorts the sine-wave of the voltage, playing a little havoc with the transformer. you’ll probably hear it start to buzz…you would just use the dimmer near full to “tweak” your setting…
I was going to use a variac in line with my battery charger, but found I didn’t need the adjustment…but whoops, bought a variac anyway, always wanted one, hee hee
a few ways to skin that cat…
Oh, and let me know if you need any tips on the electrical schematics, I’ve done a little of that in my "other " hobby life…
I have some stainless wire and nichrome that is thicker. PM your address and I’ll send you some of each. Both have worked for me but I have managed to break the stainless on a couple of occasions. I probably got impatient and over heated it.
Here’s a thread we started last year when Shipman and Stingray started messing around with EPS. There’s one photo in there of me cutting a blank in half with our hot wire tool. I got an old Variac for free and we tried different wires and guatiar string. With the variac you have total control of your electrical current. With mine we can do one volt all the way up to 140 volts. You only need about 12… One day I went up to Sufr4fins house and worked with his set up. Same home made wood bow but he has Nichrome wire. A simple battery charger from the auto parts store to control voltage. 12 volts or 6 volts. The Nichrome wire makes all the difference in the world…Just like Greg Loher said all along!!!
I have the same $44 one. Dan B pointed it out to me. Works like a champ.
13 volts iturns out to be just perfect to power up a 24" steel fishing leader, with alligator clips attached to each end. 11 won’t cut, 12 is slow, and 14 breaks them. Yes, its that delicate.
And that’s also why I bought it - I was cutting with a 12 volt charger before with some success, but incredible frustration at the slow cut. Like maybe a 10’ cut of only a 12" wide half-blank piece would take 20 minutes or more. 1:20 to cut out one board…$44 sounded like a heck of a deal
Hey All -Thanks tons… as in tons of info… But, I have some lingering question about the “power source:” I read strong endorsment (sp?) for the variac device, but from what I’ve read on “source” pages, i.e., where to buy one, it is still AC, yet some posts here read that I sould be better off to use a converter to DC… so, sorry to confess, I am a bit confused. There does seem to be strong evidence for the ability to get fine control over the voltage out put. But again, and I bother to write 'cuz I figure there may be others out there with similar questions and desire to spend as little money as possible, why wouldn’t the dimmer switch work? What is it about the variac that makes it so different… Is it the low amp fuse set up? I don’t know much about this, but I love to learn, so I ask…
Thanks all for your help, input, and patience - Taylor
a variac varies ac voltage while a typical dimmer varies amperage (current). The bottom line in regards to hotwire foam cutting is the wattage which is varied by using either of the two methods. Watts = amps x volts
12 volts ac or dc would be the safest route (imho). Try to find a 150W to 300W landscape lighting transformer (12VAC), put a dimmer in-line and GO TO IT! A 300W unit will give you 25 amps@12V when run wide open, which should be powerful enough to cut 4’ wide panels if neccesary.
If you happen to be passing through the Seattle area, I can hook you up… gratis
