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| General RC Aircraft Discussion Discuss anything RC related |
Topic Review (Newest First)
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| 12-07-2012 09:33 PM | ||
| Mooney_Driver |
Re: foam cutter Quote:
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| 02-19-2011 12:51 PM | ||
| philipa_240sx |
Re: foam cutter I've had a few PM's about the transformer I used and the size. Here are the specs: Primary Input: 120VAC Secondary Output: 24VAC Rating: 96VA (4 amps) This is sufficient to power a 48" long bow. I strongly recommend the installation of a ceiling fan dimmer on the primary side to control the power. This will allow you to use bows of different lengths and wire thickness and adjust the power to suit. Sourcing transformers of sufficient capacity are not the easiest. The ones I have used are typically found in commercial heating and A/C control applications. You can try places that specialize in furnace repair & parts, and electrical supply houses: http://www.torbramelectric.com/ http://www.nedco.ca/ For those who are fortunate to live in Toronto or Mississauga, try places like Sayal Components: http://www.sayal.com/ Or Active Surplus (one of my stomping grounds in my college days): http://www.activesurplus.com/ Example of one type I have used: Lectro Components LE12000: 
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| 02-18-2011 07:08 PM | ||
| philipa_240sx |
Re: foam cutter russ, Once you build your power supply (with the light dimmer), you can pretty much use any type of wire you want at any length. Having an adjustable power supply is a must for foam cutting. |
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| 02-18-2011 04:52 PM | ||
| Flypaper |
Re: foam cutter I just measured it with a pair of calipers. A few tenths of thou. is not going to make any difference. I use a Variac and ramp the temp up till it starts to cut scrap foam for a place to start. Anything from .015 to .030 will put you in the ballpark. Precision mikes are it the garage somewhere. My migwelder is also out in the garage.  Gord. |
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| 02-18-2011 02:13 PM | ||
| russ |
Re: foam cutter Quote:
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| 02-18-2011 01:15 PM | ||
| Flypaper |
Re: foam cutter Yep, works great. I use it on my bigger cutters. Ideal size is .020 which is what I have. |
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| 02-18-2011 01:07 PM | ||
| DaveJohansen |
Re: foam cutter About to build my foam cutter. Has anyone ever tried using mig welding wire. Someone told me that works great too. Dave |
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| 02-17-2011 09:25 AM | ||
| philipa_240sx |
Re: foam cutter For those looking for cutting wire: I have successfully used stainless steel fishing leaders as cutting wire. They are sold under the 'Danielson' brand at Canadian Tire. The longest ones are 36". To use them: 1) Cut off the swivels and eyelets at each end. 2) String the bow. 3) Connect the foam cutter power supply using alligator clips attached to the metal crimps. This is important for the next step. 4) The leader is coated with plastic. I found out the hard way that I could not connect the leads to the wire directly... the plastic covering insulates of course. To burn off the covering, power up using the lowest setting and increase until the plastic starts to melt. Clean off any bits with a a rag. |
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| 01-16-2011 04:45 PM | ||
| Tex Gehman |
Re: foam cutter I'm doing a lot of cutting with a vertical wire, much like Philipa's picture. I use a 6v wall- wart as the power supply and it works great. Tex. |
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| 01-15-2011 07:12 PM | ||
| Mooney_Driver |
Re: foam cutter This thread on RCGroups is one of the most informative pieces I have run into on Faom cutters: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=628704 It is very long and started almost 7 years ago but seems to have grown as it is now at 33 pages with almost 500 posts. I think that you will find it quite informative. |
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