Aug 102004
Threw together a hot wire cutter last night with a bit of cut 5mm MDF a couple of nails, the ni-chrome wire and an old Sony 4.5V/500ma AC adaptor that I seem to own for some reason. I can’t find the device that relates to it so I sacrificed it to the cause.
The AC adaptor is powerful enough to warm up the wire enough to cut polystyrene with a bit of force applied. However I need to grab a 9-12V/1000ma AC adaptor from Dick Smith to really heat up the wire so I can just slide it through polysytrene easily.
What you need is a trip to Surplustronics at the top of Queen St (if they are still there). They have bins full of divers AC adaptors.
And what the heck are you doing with a hot wire cutter? Pretty soon you’ll be cutting wing cores for model gliders!!
Good suggestion Bennum. K’Rd Dick Smith is closer so I might be forced to pay their exhorbitant prices for an AC adaptor pack. I used to have a variable AC adaptor but seem to have lost the thing.
I’m building a hot wire cutter so I can slice up polystyrene to make interesting terrain. Hills and cliffs and the like. I could give you a couple of metres of ni-chrome wire if you want to build your own for wing forming ;). Or you could just spend the $2.95 and grab some from Mr Smith’s.