ADJUSTABLE hot wire Foam Cutter - by VOGMAN

[@stuartosborne6263]

I’ve seen some lovely looking foam cutters built on KZbin but your video is the first one that has told me exactly how to build one. Thankyou for sharing.

[@vogman]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jessecaingles4184]

I've watched almost every video on Hot Wire Foam Cutter and I find your video to be the most industrious. The issue that I observed other people having was that of the power supply "mainly on the hand held USB builds". Looking at your design right off the bat I can see you've been doing this for years. I like the neat function of that spring with added washers to increase tension look also Thanks for shedding light on the transformers.

[@vogman]

Thanks Jesse. Much appreciated : )

[@wigg1yscott554]

I made it!!! I can't believe it!! I know nothing about electrics and didn't have a plug that was powerful enough. I used one slightly lower powered than you recommended and it works a treat. Awesome!!💪💪💪Edit: oh and I used an E string for a guitar!!

[@mattmyatt9078]

I have found .023 stainless welding wire is resistant enough to make good cutting wire. Cheap and durable. It doesn't break as often as nichrome. Thanks for the video!

[@doraexplora9046]

I bought a commercial kit and modified it according to your great ideas. Thanks for posting.

[@vogman]

Nice work!

[@silverman1438]

Thank you for clear and step by step guide with all the diagrams, this the best video i have seen regarding hotwire 👍👍

[@vogman]

That's very kind. Thanks : )

[@Rich_ard]

thanks for this video, I was having difficulty devising a system to provide a straight wire that is easily adjustable and this is exactly what I needed.

[@vogman]

+Richard Wheatley Pleased to help : )

[@idrisdixon6998]

This was a great video, still is. Some months ago I bought a foam pen cutter, but found that the tip tends to get red hot and melt the foam 1cm wide, however, I found a lower amp transformer plug and it works fine, so I thought could I make a horizontal cutter and an up-right together, that would be fantastic...then I saw your video, now I know I can combine the two in one by watching your video thank VOG

[@vogman]

Glad it was helpful!

[@chrisgriffith1573]

By cutting a long notch in a bolt aligned with the washers hole, you can easily tension the spring into another bolt below or above the wire hole. Simply feed the bolt into the middle of the spring and use it the same, but now all you need do is give the nut a few turns to lower or raise the spring tension.

[@travishanson166]

Excellent and simple. Someday I will build one of these. Simple solution to the tension, is to drill a hole either perpendicular to the end of a bolt or thru the length of the bolt, thread a nut on all the way to the head, drop bolt thru spring, secure wire to bolt thru the drilled hole, turn the nut to tension. I have a huge pile of extruded foam to recycle, and I haven't decided yet how to use it up. Airplane parts, lost foam cores, fiberglass work, etc. It also drives me crazy to throw foam packaging in the trash. So to be able to recycle it instead of sending it to the landfill would be nice.

[@vogman]

Thanks Travis : )

[@MikeSmith-fk1fl]

This is great after looking around in my shop already have everything needed to build this,off to the shop and get started.

[@vogman]

You'll love it Mike. There's so much you can do : )

[@Alcopop100]

Thanks that was the best explanation of the prosses of making the cutter, also what can be used as a power source, with that in mind I will be in my shed tomorrow and hopefully cutting some foam.

[@vogman]

That's very kind. There's no way I was the first foam cutter on KZbin, but I firmly believe I was the first to demonstrate the importance of an adjustable cutter. Since then they've become quite popular (though no credit given - which is a shame). They're very easy to do and with just a few minutes practice it's amazing the things you can make from scrap packaging. Happy shed time : )

[@edgeeffect]

I LOVE the style of your cutter.... reminds me of home! I got my nichrome wire from taking an old toaster to bits... and I've got some more somewhere or other in the guts of a long dead hairdryer. I would like to find somewhere a nice DIY temperature controller.

[@PhotoDudeMS]

Wire a guitar pot into the circuit.

[@CandSMINING]

Very good video on the hot wire cutter. sub you. Thanks for sharing with us.😎😎⛏⛏🔥🔥

[@poptartmcjelly7054]

One thing i noticed that the thinner the wire the better, but if your wire is too thin it becomes too easy to break. Thick wire has too much thermal mass to make small cuts or small parts because when you plunge into the cut it dumps all the heat and melts too much foam. When i used some very fragile and thin nichrome wire i could see in the cuts each of the rectified AC cycles in my cut styrofoam and it made perfect cuts, the trade off being that it was very easy to break and being just some wire i got from an old burned out soldering iron i didn't expect much in the first place.

[@ogdens123]

Thanks very much for this video, a lot of great ideas and made building my own cutter much easier

[@vogman]

It's great to hear comments like yours. Many thanks.

[@MikeSmith-fk1fl]

Wow that was Awesome,so simple I was making this entirely to difficult Thank You!!!!!!

[@vogman]

No worries Mike : )

[@bikashsharma07]

Thank you for the awesome explanation. I have arranged all the material except nichrome wire. I have a broken guitar. I am just trying to find out which wire to use, the thinnest one or the 2nd one. Pls guide if you have details on this.

[@vogman]

Sorry Bikash I don't. Thin is best and I'd say give it a go and see what happens. But if all else fails the wire is cheap enough on eBay. Hope this helps.

[@russellpindar7717]

A good informative and well narrated video. On a technical note though, the sound level seems very low. Even turned up to full volume on my Pc, your voice is still fairly quiet.

[@vogman]

Thanks for the input Russell

[@JanetDiaz6152]

What software can i use for this ?

[@stanmarymee4230]

Would this adjustable power supply work?

[@danvandertorre9280]

heaters have the wire in them thanks for the info.

[@artisan2287]

Which adopter u have recommended? Please explain

[@TrasteIAm]

What note should the string be tuned to? :D

[@vogman]

As long as it's not a G String, Björn, it should be fine : D

[@shenawix]

Great 👍

[@hiranmoybera6691]

Can I use guiter string without nichrome wire ?

[@vogman]

I heard this can be done 😁

[@JokerOfTheDeck]

Although I like the video and have made a cutter after watching it, I find fault with the switch. Most AC switches don't have the rating or design for DC voltage. Dc can arc inside the switch and, over time, can lead to either the switch not working anymore or worse. I had a switch on another DC project melt to a pile of plastic on nothing more than an old laptop power supply. Love the videos you make.

[@velwheel3135]

Great information but I can hardly hear the sound.

[@Conifer_Gamer]

Do you find the 0.4mm wire to be a good size? Going to tackle the foam cutter build in a few weeks and was about to order some wire...can get 100 ft off amazon for about $6-8 depending on the size. Was just curious if you would go smaller than 0.4mm? Like maybe 0.2mm? If you have tried smaller sizes what has been your experience?

[@vogman]

Hi Conifer. Thanks for your question. I wish I could give a quality answer but as I said in the video, I've been messing with these things since I was a kid, so I haven't really got a clue what sizes I have and haven't tried... sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, depending on what wire I could get my hands on. In these days of internet shopping, Ni-Chrome wire takes the guesswork away (I'm showing my age there). I think thin is better, bit then .4mm is pretty thin. I see no reason why .2mm wouldn't work just as well, maybe even better, though obviously it's going to be more brittle and easier to burn out, so go careful with your power supply. If you can vary the input, start low and build up, otherwise you could burn through the 100ft in no time ; ) It would be interesting to know if a finer wire gave a finer cut. Let me you how you get on. Best of luck and happy building. Geoff

[@herbertplanter2108]

Hi, this prob a bit late, but I recommend .2mm, especially if your using for miniature applications or anything high detail, you'll get much finer and cleaner cuts. (it's usually the standard for most professional hot wire cutters)

[@superxgaming2295]

nice cutter

[@vogman]

Many thanks : )

[@maribelmedina874]

Hello, thank You for the video. But do you make and sell this hot wire cutter? If you do, how much do you sell them for and do you ship to Puerto Rico?

[@vogman]

Hi Maribel, Unfortunately no I don't sell them. To be honest I would imagine by the time I bought all the parts, built it and shipped it to you, you could probably find a much nicer and more affordable one locally. Try eBay. There's usually a few on there. Best wishes, Geoff

[@maribelmedina874]

OK Thank you

[@clara17uk]

nice video , shame i dont have the wiring skills to make it,red to red wire,black to black wire, and blue to bits

[@vogman]

It's not that tricky Clara, honestly. It can't be too difficult if I can do it ; ) You always need to be cautious with electrics, they are dangerous. But if you're sensible you should be fine. If you get stuck drop me line. I'll do my best to help. Take care, Geoff

[@clara17uk]

hi thanks geoff i didnt feel confident going down the electronics route,but thanks for the help,so i sanded my cousins wings into shape. thanks again

[@Johnny241948]

I really enjoy your videos but this one needs a little work on the sound.

[@vogman]

Thanks Johnny. And you're absolutely right. I hope my more recent videos sound a little better : )

[@grantham418]

Enjoying your videos and just subscribed. I use hot wire cutters for making packaging nests, letters and symbols for signage, decorative concrete forms, movie props and even lost foam casting. My projects page includes, www.granthams.com/Movie/index.html examples. A foot switch really helps and a push-pull clamp allows wire to be disengaged for internal cuts.

[@vogman]

Thank for the kind words and for subscribing. Just had a quick look at your website. Lover the paper jogger. Brilliantly simple solution. Excellent work!

[@arifsaeed1452]

Dear. V Good. V Nice

[@vogman]

Thanks Arif : )

[@tvideo1189]

Nichrome wire is a poor choice for hot wire cutters. it stretches considerably when heated. Use regular single strand stainless steel fishing leader. 0.016 or 0.010 diameters work fine and are worlds cheaper. You can pick it up at any sporting goods store like Academy Sports or even Wally World.

[@artisan2287]

Guitar chords are also good for this purpose.

[@dirkcarrebrouck3150]

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