# Homemade foam cutter problems



## dionicia (Aug 4, 2007)

Ok, I'm just going to say it...HELP!

I decided for a big piece of foam a friend gave me, I would make a foam cutter big enough to get through it.

I used information from the following website: http://www.vatsaas.org/rtv/construction/hotwirecutter.aspx

I bought a 45 watt 0-15 volt power transformer, PVC, 22 gauge steel
wire, lamp power cord, and eyelets.

I put it all together and....NOTHING! At first I put each wire of the
power cord on each side of the transformer and it just ticked. Then I
put both on the side that did not say control and then the side that
said control and still nothing. I put both of the end wires on the
eyelets and then on the wire itself and still nothing.

I know the transformer is working, I can hear the hum.

Any help would be really great.


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## Severin (Aug 5, 2007)

I'm no electrical expert, but the first thing I would do is check to see if the transformer is actually putting out volts. If you have a multimeter I would check that first.


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## Brad Green (Jul 29, 2004)

OK, first, take Severin's advice and check the transformer's output. You can get a cheap (about $10) digital multi-meter at your local Walmart in the electrical/hardware section. Set it in the correct dc current range (probably 20 vdc, there's a little book that comes with them to explain the settings) and see if there is any output. Your model transformer may have a circuit disconnect to protect it from shorts, if so, it won't work for what you want to do because, basically, your'e shorting it's circuit to make it heat the wire. If all is well with the voltage output, try changing the wire. It's ALOT easier to get a thin copper wire to heat up than a steel guitar wire. Just strip an electrical cord and seperate out one of the copper strands, stretch it tight in your bow, and all other things being good, it should heat up almost instantly when current is applied.


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## dionicia (Aug 4, 2007)

I will pick up some copper wire tomorrow on the way home from work. The wire in the power cord is a little thin for my needs.

Thank you for the help.

I appreciate it.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

don't have it as thin as speaker wire strand ir it will snap when electricity is applied.


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## dionicia (Aug 4, 2007)

22 gauge ok?


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## Spanky (Oct 8, 2007)

I've had great sucess with nichrome wire. It is designed to be resistive and you can get it in flat ribbons that can be shaped. But It sounds like what Brad mentionedisthe culprit- that tick is probably the transformer circut protector kicking in and stopping the power.


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## zeenon (Oct 27, 2006)

Spend the $12 and build this:

Hot Wire Cutter

I've used this on everything from model airplanes to tombstones and it's never failed.

Z


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## dionicia (Aug 4, 2007)

How about a 2 foot wide by 6 foot tall piece of foam???


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## zeenon (Oct 27, 2006)

Look at the bow under the Rigs and Bow section. That bow is 3' long and has a spring for the tension on the wire.

Z


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