i’m a dummy about electricity.
i have a little hotwire foam cutting tool from a craftstore (brand name wonder cutter).
used it heavily and finally the wire broke. it came with no directions and no replecement wire. what kind of wire do i need to get to re-string? FYI, it’s just a tube with D batteries, and a wire attached to the tube on one end and an arm that holds it taut about 5″ out on the other end.
coppe? other? original wire is silver color, but copper color where it burnt/broke through.
Replies
It is called Ni-chrome. Gut a toaster and salvage a new one!
http://www.minute-man.com/acatalog/NiChrome_Resistance_Wire.html#ggviewer-offsite-nav-8990792
or try here....
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
Edited 10/6/2007 4:37 pm ET by Sphere
thank you! i'd rathe buy locally than order over the 'net. is an ordinary hardware store likely to cary this? or a train & hobby shop? or radio shack??
- thanks again!
I don't know. Maybe a craft shop or floral shop ( they cut foam?).
I'd take apart another tool / appliance and steal it, but I'm funny that way (G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
i definitely agree about recycling, but i don't have anything i think would work and i don't really want to go buy an old toaster to take apart-- i do too many things the hard or long way now and am trying to simplify, so a reel of new wire sounds really nice. it will keep me in hot wire for a lifetime.
thanks again!
Blow dryer? Heat gun? That immersion coffee heater thingy that some fool gave ya for Xmas that year that crazy Aunt got drunk and dropped the turkey? ( oh wait, that was ME) ..LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
OP said the thing runs on a few batteries. Nichrome from an AC appliance will not likely be small enough guage for a battery operated foam cutter thingy. He might be able to get something like that at a real hobby shop, but. . . .
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Good catch. I dunno, I made a foam cutter from Phosphor Bronze Guitar string and a soldering iron and a coping saw frame..LOL
I didn't even suggest that cuz it was kinda crude.
OP needs the same ga. wire from the link I posted. Or more , bigger batteries? (G)
ZAP!Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"
not that it matters, but i'm a she :-)
might explain why the only toasters, blow dryers etc i have around the house actually work and there's no surplus ;-)
i'm not one to talk, as i am a bad packrat in other areas, like fabric (i don't subscribe to FH but i do have one for Threads).Thanks all for all the great information!
Google on "hot wire foam cutter" gets lots of hits.Here is one cheapy and they sell replacement wire.http://www.ehobbies.com/woost1435.htmlIt works off a transformer so I don't know the voltage.http://www.woodlandscenics.com/items.htm/ToolsAndAdhesives#ST1435Here is another one. Have not looked at the details.http://hotwirefoamfactory.com/home.phpAnd here are a couple of DIY articles. They ahve some info on the wire.http://www.hhhh.org/~joeboy/resources/hotwire_foam_cutter/hotwire_foam_cutter.htmlhttp://www.techlib.com/hobby/hotwire_foam_cutter.htm
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Yeah, probably nichrome, though plain old iron "piano wire" (available from a hardware store) might work sorta OK. You might be able to get nichrome from a hobby shop, or, as stated, you can tear apart an old heating appliance of some sort. The problem is that the wire in a toaster (and most other plug-in appliances) is probably much heavier than what you want.
Actually, if you Google for "nichrome wire" you'll get a number of likely-looking hits. The wire typically used in the sort of device you have is about #24, but it would be good to "measure" the existing (by comparing to bare wires of known gage) to be sure.
The reason the NiChrome wire is used, is corrosion resistance. NiChrome is a Nickel Chromium alloy. They are the two major elements added to iron to produce stainless steel, and don't corrode nearly as easily as steel.
The plain steel wire will corrode quite quickly when heated. IIRC, (chemistry was 20-years ago), oxidation reaction rates double for every ten degrees celsius you increase the temperature.
take an ohm meter and measure an intact length of the original wire. then make sure the new one has the same ohmic resistance..IE; if 6 inches of the original was10 ohms and was a total of 12 inches long, make sure your replacement has an ohmic resistance of 20 ohms per foot and is 12 inches long
Bud
I'd try stainless. If you know a pilot or aircraft mechanic, they have it in their toolbox. They use it for safety wire on bolts. Three sizes, if I recall.
Greg