I was looking to make a foam cutter
is the wire in this broken toaster nichrome wire
can I use this wire with some old train transformer
I like the foam over plaster its lighter
K-
hmm
The basic idea behind any toaster is simple. A toaster uses infrared radiation to heat a piece of bread (see How a Thermos Works for information on infrared radiation). When you put your bread in and see the coils glow red, the coils are producing infrared radiation. The radiation gently dries and chars the surface of the bread. The most common way for a toaster to create the infrared radiation is to use nichrome wire wrapped back and forth across a mica sheet,
:O)
Actually, just about any type of solid strand wire can be used to make a hot foam cutter. The principal of these devices is simply that a wire will get hot when an electrical current is passed through it that is stronger than what that wire was meant to carry. The main thing that has to be considered is that you don’t overheat the wire. You could experiment with a piece of that nichrome wire about 10 inches long connected to a model train power pack. Just turn the power up slowly until the wire gets hot enough to cut the foam. The wire doesn’t even need to get as hot as it did in the toaster.
I just bought some nichrome wire on Ebay (25 feet for $6- should last a while!)
Then I connected it to an old Lionel transformer. I made a handle out of plywood with some 16 gauge lamp cord to go from the transformer to the nichrome. The only tricky part is getting the wire secured, I used those small ceramic wire nuts to connect the two types of wire, and a couple nuts and bolts to make a “stand off”, so it’s a bit more manuverable.
I made one using the toaster wire and it worked very well but tended to eat the wire as it would cool off too quick when making long cuts.
I finally tried music wire (available at hobby shops in 3 ft pieces). It was the .025 dia wire and it would hold its shape even when hot. I had to get a more powerfull (amps)transformer to run it. The music wire would last for days instead of hours with the ni-chrome wire.
I still have the unit around somewhere!
BOB H Clarion, PA
Here’s my little rig: http://community.webshots.com/photo/109373438/215256431oPcMtj The description says it all.
Reed
I like the part in your description that says its not the safest thing in the world, LOL! Nothing like using a metal handle on an electical device. For a minute there I thought about making one of these. I think I’ll plunk down the $30 or dollars for the ready made variety. No offense bnnnboy, but I’m scared to death of electricity, even if it is DC!
Funny, I have gotten my warning many of times (being shocked twice by 110VAC) yet I still test fate.
Reed