I’ve been getting alot of emails about my hotwire table. I’m pretty darn proud of her so I’ll show it off here to you guys. I’m selling them, this is the prototype (perfect) so if anybody is interested, we’ll set them up in-house and even provide some training and REAL technical assistance.
DRew
Here you can see the basics, everything fits nice, neat, and SAFELY underneath…
Here’s Stewart making a blank, nothing new…and some shots of tool and wire organization, we like a clean shop with dirty ass tools…
OK, this is the sweet part. To split 'em I’ve heard and read about so many people making these huge contraptions, and I almost bit the “guillotine” (sp?) thing, but this is sooo much easier…
Step 1: mark cross-lines just like Clark foam for gluing up…
Step 2: get your center, make a crow’s foot at the nose, tail, and center on the deck…
OK, the wire is attached to one end of the table via simple eye hook, pull blank under wire (COLD!!!) and gently pull through about 1/2" on your nose and tail crow’s foot…
Step 4: hook up the handle, pretty basic with another eye hook
Step 5: line that thing up just like your red rider bb gun…
Step 6: hook up power with alligator clips (roach clips) and DON’T TOUCH THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR YET!!!
ok, now “tug” just a little to make sure you’re on your crow’s feet, and down the center. The guides are coated in melamine that doesn’t burn, so pick a side on the handle-side guide and follow that side. Now:
Step 7: Hit the power and pull!! We’re using about 9’ of 25 ga. nichrome, takes 55 volts to go fast enough (and haven’t popped a wire yet) so DON’T TOUCH, 55 volts would def. light you up. The key is to follow the guide, and keep pretty good pressure. If you’ve attached it well enough on the handle and the other end, you can apply some pretty good pressure, now pull. Splitting generally takes us about a minute, slower or with a “loose” wire, it just drifts in the foam, no bueno…
I cut airfoil shapes into foam blocks to make wings exactly the same way!!
Cool, I’d like to talk to you about that. Do you use the blue foam? I know that alot of you guys do. I have a ton of questions for you, if you get a chance please email me. I know this table isn’t rocket science (ha) but it works unreal, I’m so stoked to be 100% IN HOUSE!!! It’s so rad. Plus, a hotwired blank comes out so much truer than any molded pos!!!
thanks for posting there drew…
but are you sure about 55 amps?
I’m a HACK electricion, I think I’m pretty good 'cuz I’ve set up some stuff, and know how not to get shocked, but amps, volts, whatever it says on the voltometer…yeah, 55, goes right through, never popped a wire 25 ga. nichrome (Ebay).
if it is 55 on your vari-ac (variable ac) then that is 55 volts.
nice rig
b.t.w for referance I rocker hotwired my 1# eps with a 26" wide bow with 32" of 22 guage NiChrome 80 wire with my variac set on 20 volts (cross referenced with my volt meter).
Thanks for clearing that up for me. I try to at least SOUND like I know what’s up.
Yeah, we use a 28" for cuttint blanks out and a 40" for doming them. I spent plenty of time and money busting wires trying out all kinds, but just like repeated over and over on Swaylocks, nichrome works best. My 28" goes at 14 and the 40" goes just at 25 the splitter is at 55.
Great set up… nice job!
FWIW, there’s a formula for determining current…
WAV (watts=ampsXvolts)
Some transformers are rated “va” (volts X amps) - another way of saying watts.
I’ve heard it said that “it’s the amps that’ll kill you” but it’s really a combination of variables.
So you are running directly from the variac to the hotwire? What is amp rating on variac?
I’m still playing with battery chargers and model train transformers but looking at variacs.
John,
Thanks for that equation. I’m pretty good at Business Math, (hey got an A in Stats!!!) but that’s the first time I’ve read that. I know there’s a million ways to make a wire “hot” but why not just do it the best way? The variac on wicks that Greg Loehr plugged is what I bought. It’s only like a hundred bucks, and it’s pretty simple. I’ve made 4 tools out of a 50’ outdoor extension cord and new plugs. It’s pretty easy, and this table is a pretty easy set up too. I like to keep it simple. I think the variac is a bargain compared to getting shocked!! But, anybody with more electrical experience than me (most people have more experience than me) could probbly come up with some ingenius way to do it for like 5 bucks and MacGyver’s bubble gum…
Good info.
I’m still sure it’s the way you hold your tongue!
I’m still sure it’s the way you hold your tongue!
My Dad told me that’s how you know if your kid’s going to turn out a little Jr. or a Princess, in how you hold your tongue…
wow, that’s quite a setup. much more sophisticated than what I’m doing. but the real question is, why blue foam? or is it just the lighting that makes it look blue?
why blue foam?
because they said not to, because everybody's doing eps, because we have experience with it, because it rides UNREAL, because Javier from XTR fixed it, because it's intended to be used underwater, because it's closed cell, because it's DOMESTIC because they're SO LIGHT, because they're SO STRONG, because it's blue. That foam is Dow Boyancy Billetts, you can Google that. I love it, the team loves it, it's TRICKY for experts only, we'll sell eps blanks to anybody, but our blue blanks have to be finished here. All I need is 3 degrees of separation.....
