is a 1 amp battery charger enough power for a hotwire to cut a blank ?
no.
what wire size? .030"? what span?
Best to use a variable DC voltage source,
but certain transformers will work.
For blank cuting with nichrome or guitar strings, I found a 24v truck battery charger works great unless you can get your hands on a variac
Nichrome wire is key. I had snapped strings, etc. Once I started using the Nichrome---->butter. Save yourself headaches and get some. That with my battery charger I cut great.
Where do we get the nichrome wire?? Thanks
Quote:
Where do we get the nichrome wire?? Thanks CNC Hot Wire Macines use Inconel wire o.27 guage. I have wands that are 25" long and some 10’ long. You use a variac 24 volts for 25" and 40 - 60 volts for longer one. I use an extention cord and cut of the female end and attach aligator clips and plug the male end to the variac and the clips attach both ends of the wire. The shorter wand is to cut the profile and the longer one is to cut the blank in half so you can install a stringer. I have made close to a 1000 blanks EPS and XPS. Take some good advice. There is no money what so ever in the blank business. Make one because of the love of building a board. If your doing it to save money just buy a blank. By the time you buy the correct stuff you will have at least $150.00 invested plus your time. If it’s for kicks go for it. I have a spool of Inconel. I can sell you some for $1.50 a foot and mail it to you from Costa Mesa. You can use any kind of power source. I bought two variac at a $150.00 each (One for cuting profiles, one for cutting stringer line). However I bougth a battery charger at Harbour Freight for $25.00 that worked (a bit slow but it worked). Using a Variac is quicker for cutting if your making alot of them. I have about 500 EPS blanks 2.0 (63H; 62C) = $25.00 with 1/8" basswood stringer - cut outlines 68 Machine Friendly = $35.00 with epoxy glue up 81 Mini Mal = $35.00 6’4" XPS Blue 1/8" Stringers for hand shaping = $75.00 It cost more to make them. After the Clark shut down I went wild and over produced. Their sold for a loss so I can make room in my factory for paddle board blanks.
“If your doing it to save money just buy a blank.”
I agree if you are only going to build one board, but I paid $200 for my foam block (2’x4’x10’), and I have gotten 7 longboards and 3 paipos out of it so far, and I still have more than a third of the block left. Most EPS longboard blanks go for at least over $75, and I should be able to beat that with my block, although making templates and stringers costs me around $10 or so per blank, plus the time… The clamps and stuff I already had, so no expenditure there, except for buying a cheap variac. I got my nichrome wire from mcmaster-carr.
The main reason I decided to go home grown was that I live in the middle of nowhere, and shipping for the block of foam costs me less than shipping 3 ready made blanks to me from the cloasest blank maker. I have an insulfoam distributor nearby, so it was a no-brainer…
JSS
I understand. In your case it works for your situation. I thought you were from San Diego. Sorry!