Hotwire cutter

[misi]

I've bought one on eBay for $10.
It's not faulty only doesn't work as expected...

Should heat up the wire with a C battery but it does not heat it up to be really hot, it's only warm...
Tried it with cheap Panasonic battery then with Energizer. Same result.

Is the wire's resistance too high so the power cannot travel through?
Where can I get the correct wire for 1.5 V?

It's needed to cut polyurethane foam in 45 degrees angle.
With knife, blade impossible to cut.
Hot knife is making a mess.

 

[foxidrive]

Should heat up the wire with a C battery but it does not heat it up to be really hot, it's only warm...
Tried it with cheap Panasonic battery then with Energizer. Same result.

Do you have a google link misi?

This shows some ingenious methods, which I would not have thought of trying.
http://www.wikihow.com/Cut-Styrofoam

 

[misi]

I would not have any problems with Styrofoam...
Hotwire is not recommended for polyurethane because of poisonous gases.
I would cut it in the open air so no gases to my throat.

With a hot knife I could cut it but the knife's surface is too large, melts the foam deeply.
A thin wire would be perfect.

 

[foxidrive]

Sorry misi, I read the word wrong and didn't check.

Hotwire is not recommended for polyurethane because of poisonous gases.
I would cut it in the open air so no gases to my throat.

I see.

The nichrome? wire resistance is probably high as you suggest, if the hotwire material is reasonable - so a larger voltage will heat it up further. You can buy 4.5 volt batteries but it may need 6 volts (talking in battery availability).

I'm not experienced in hotwire - but too much voltage could damage it.
If it's plain wire then chopping some off will reduce the resistance also - if you haven't already considered that and the wire is long.
Then again, applying the voltage of one end further along the wire should also work.

Do you have a link to the ebay page?

Is a variable speed jigsaw an option, as suggested here?
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100327080223AALX0Mu

What you need is one of these!

 

[misi]

Do you have a link to the ebay page?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Styrofoa...308?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4194f79734

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Daiso-Ja...539?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa9052f9b

2 dollars devices, but they should fit...

Is a variable speed jigsaw an option, as suggested here?
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100327080223AALX0Mu

For hard foam it could work. Mine is soft...

What you need is one of these!

Good one! Going to sell the house to pay for it!...

The nichrome? wire resistance is probably high as you suggest, if the hotwire material is reasonable - so a larger voltage will heat it up further. You can buy 4.5 volt batteries but it may need 6 volts (talking in battery availability).

The problem is the battery size. they do not fit.

I'm not experienced in hotwire - but too much voltage could damage it.

It's a very simple device, very hard to damage. Only the wire could melt with higher voltage.

Hot knife:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Hobbico-...006?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56736e781e

Does not work for my purpose.

Should cut the edges in 45 degrees to be able to glue it together.

 

[aye-aye-Chris]

Ask in Clark Rubber how they do it. ;-)

 

[foxidrive]

The problem is the battery size. they do not fit.

I see now. You could jury rig a battery that hangs outside the device, onto the terminals - like a battery holder with wires clipped or soldered onto the points inside the handle.

Only the wire could melt with higher voltage.

 

[misi]

Ask in Clark Rubber how they do it. ;-)

I certainly will!

I bought some foams from them they simply cut them with the guillotine.
Well, not exactly in 45 degrees...

 

[foxidrive]

Should cut the edges in 45 degrees to be able to glue it together.

I'm curious what this is for misi - I'm certain it's a clever use of something for a different purpose.

 

[misi]

I'm curious what this is for misi - I'm certain it's a clever use of something for a different purpose.

It's to protect my toes, to be able to walk.
Arthritis, corns-calluses, ingrown toenails can make a lot of troubles.
Simply cannot walk on my feet...
Arthritis: the only hope is medicine with (side effects).
Sometimes I take them, sometimes I don't.

Corns and calluses: trying to stop them growing fast with the above.
So far the result is promising.

I'm using scissors ATM to make them, it's a hard job to cut the edges...and far from perfect.
I could simply cut them straight and glue them: the glued line becomes hard, irritating the toes.
Cut them 45 degrees and glue them: they are fine

 

[misi]

I've spent already hundreds of dollars for it, (including that $10 device from eBay )
and intend to spend more to improve it.
Glues cost money as well.
Good names such as Tarzan, Selleys: Some of them is too hard, some of them coming off...6-10 dollars each.
$2 glue from a Chinese shop: EXCELLENT!

 

[foxidrive]

It's to protect my toes, to be able to walk.
Arthritis, corns-calluses, ingrown toenails can make a lot of troubles.

I see misi. My mate from as long ago as school days had ingrown toenails.
I know the difficulty.
He came to school bare foot - even in winter - but eventually he had them cut away and he's been pain free since then. He walks so bloody much in fact - bush walker, bike rider, scuba diver. He was lucky to escape the problem.

Corns - when I was young I often saw a lady and a fellow use a razor to slice the top of the skin off.

What are corns and calluses?
Corns and calluses are annoying and potentially painful thickenings that form in the skin in areas of excessive pressure. The medical term for the thickened skin that forms corns and calluses is hyperkeratosis (plural=hyperkeratoses). A callus refers to a more diffuse, flattened area of thick skin, while a corn is a thick, localized area that usually has a popular, conical or circular shape. Corns, also known as helomas or clavi, sometimes have a dry, waxy, or translucent appearance. A callus is also known as a tyloma.

Corns and calluses occur on parts of the feet and sometimes the fingers. Corns are often painful, even when they are small. Common locations for corns are

• on the bottom of the foot (sole), over the metatarsal arch (the "ball" of the foot);
• on the outside of the fifth (small or "pinky") toe, where it rubs against the shoe;
• between the fourth and fifth toes. Unlike other corns that are firm and flesh-colored, corns between the toes are often whitish and messy; they are sometimes called "soft corns" (heloma molles), in contrast to the more common "hard corns" (heloma durums) found in other locations.

Simply cannot walk on my feet...
Arthritis: the only hope is medicine with (side effects).
Sometimes I take them, sometimes I don't.

I understand more and more that medicine side effects are a problem - and are often undiagosed.

Proof is that last night I had 10 hours sleep. Hoo-bloody-ray!
The stomach-acid reducing medications have been causing my insomnia - I stopped taking it two nights ago.

I already mentioned my brother's fecal incontinence for 6 years didn't I?
Eventually I found that people had the issue on his heart medication and asked the doc to change it. The problem went away. My mother had the same problem, with the same medicine. Asked her doc to change it. The problem went away.

The docs often don't look for medicine side effects.

So yeah - NSAID pain killers that you have can cause a problem with urine flow pressure dropping called "acute interstitial nephritis". I have experience with that too.

Oops, sorry to rant here.

misi, do you slide your toes into the part that you cut out? I'm interested to understand how you use the glue, with the foam and a 45 degree cut. Is there a picture of it being used somewhere?

 

[okeedokee]

Just saw this thread, but getting confused here. I used to sell and cut foam to size.
I'm talking about the foam such as in mattresses, not styrofoam.
The way we used to cut that was with an electric knife. You can shape it any form or angle you like and it won't hurt the knife. The foam tends to blunt ordinary knives/blades.

 

[misi]

The way we used to cut that was with an electric knife. You can shape it any form or angle you like and it won't hurt the knife.

Could you do that to a 5mm thick polyurethane sheet with that electric knife?

 

[misi]

misi, do you slide your toes into the part that you cut out? I'm interested to understand how you use the glue, with the foam and a 45 degree cut. Is there a picture of it being used somewhere

 

[foxidrive]

Ahh, so the aim is to have it thin and wrap around one or more toes, yeah?
The 45 degree angle makes it more comfortable.

Thanks for the pic.

 

[foxidrive]

It occurs to me to ask - would neoprene be comfortable? Bunnings sell it in various sizes in the plumbing section which is already round and used to insulate pipes.

I don't know if the size you need would be there - or how it would feel when warm around a toe.

Actually it might be too thick - see if this pic works.

K-Flex 9 x 13mm 1m Fire Rated Elastomeric Pipe Insulation and there are different versions of it.

I don't know if this link works

 

[misi]

Ahh, so the aim is to have it thin and wrap around one or more toes, yeah?
The 45 degree angle makes it more comfortable.

Yes.
Some of the sheets needs the 45 degrees only on two sides.
Make a tube from it then cut it in the middle.
Some of them needs it on four sides so I can sink in a little round piece to cover the top:
the toe can't touch the shoe. Sinking isn't a necessity, I want to do it to become nicer.
You can see that how bad glue can become.

 

[misi]

It occurs to me to ask - would neoprene be comfortable? Bunnings sell it in various sizes in the plumbing section which is already round and used to insulate pipes.

Thank you, I did try several of them from Bunnings and Clark.

or how it would feel when warm around a toe.

Not comfortable. It would not absorb water. Only tinea would love it.

 

[foxidrive]

Not comfortable. It would not absorb water. Only tinea would love it.

Onward to the 45 degree polyurethane!