Hot Wire Cutters.

[Frankendoodle65]

O.K. i've started making stuff out of polystyrene and so i needed a hot wire cutter, but they were way too expensive, so i brought a soldering iron for £2.75 bacause the shopkeeper said i can use a bit of wire to turn it into a hot wire cutter, but we tried paper clips, but they don't conduct heat so it didn't work, so does anyone know what kind of wire to us? i'm thinking of copper wire, but i'm not sure... :wacko: ^_^ :huh:

[Hard A**]

Originally posted by Tomato-99@Sep 20 2004, 17:10
O.K. i've started making stuff out of polystyrene and so i needed a hot wire cutter, but they were way too expensive, so i brought a soldering iron for £2.75 bacause the shopkeeper said i can use a bit of wire to turn it into a hot wire cutter, but we tried paper clips, but they don't conduct heat so it didn't work, so does anyone know what kind of wire to us? i'm thinking of copper wire, but i'm not sure... :wacko: ^_^ :huh:

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I think the shopkeeper was being a litttle crafty. No wire, not even copper, will conduct plastic melting heat for more than an inch or two.

The point of a hot wire cutter is that heat is created along the entire length of the wire by electrical resistance. Its far and away the best way to go when cutting polystyrene, although sharp kitchen knives are also good...

[Frankendoodle65]

yeah, it won't be very good, i know, but i am not willing to pay £20 for a hot wire cutter i'll only use once, and kitchen knives aren't very good for cutting polystyrene and they make a horrible squeek!!! this soldering iron was only £2.75, and the wire won't be more than a quid so it's a price i am willing to pay!!!

[Lordofchange]

Hot wire cutters are only £12 from GW.
Soldering irons get pretty hot, although copper wire and paperclips probably aren't good enough to conduct the heat. You could try running an electric current through the wire and getting it hot, but be careful-this can be dangerous. If its one of those irons with a little hole at the end, you can stick a piece of metal down there and the heat should be slightly higher. Anything alloyed with Beryllium(if you can get your hands on it) is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, so try using that. You can usually buy copper-beryllium alloy rods from alot of small hardware stores, and yes i am talking in the UK, living there after all. Also, shops can order them in.

[Vindkall]

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/reference/makeahwc.html

http://www.vatsaas.org/rtv/construct...irecutter.aspx

http://club.cycom.co.uk/hotwire/Hot_wire_c...yrene_foam.html

Just some of the hits after a google search.

[Frankendoodle65]

thanks guys, this stuff should help a lot.