Yo! Dy,
I have never used a Styro Hot Wire Cutter but I have seen them. They are a simple thing and I would suspect that they could be made in just about any size.
One could make a good wooden Bow that can hold a fine wire between its ends, tight wire but not tight enough to stretch and break under heat. I should imagine a few different 6 to 12volt transformers could be tested in a circut with the Bow in it or for that matter a 12volt fairly high amperage Trany with a variable voltage regulater to test the max' amps required to heat the wire to good cutting temerature. One could use a metal Bow Frame. Insulators should be used to isolate Heat and electricity from the frame. Using a low voltage source combined with a fairly low amperage would be the way to go. It ain't the voltage that KILLS it is the force behind it (Amps). 2 Volts can and has killed a man but it had a very high Apm pushing it. Electric Welder across wet steel = dead in your tracks! Where as and I have experianced it (Most probably have). Thousands of volts and low amps = "Oh! Shiiite! that wasn't nice" Push a metal wire into a Fly Zapper and you will definately know what it feels like

I have seen Styro Cutters, that in my oppinion were not at all good looking i.e. A loose piece if fencing wire strung between points and hooked directly to a 12 volt car battery. It did the job I suppose as it had Stryo remenents on it??
As in all things Electric a little Nouse/Comon Sence etc is required. I don't know what you YANKS are using in the way of domestic voltage, it used to be 110v and that was deffinately very dangerouse 240v is bad enough but there is some forgivness in it, again I have experianced it more than once but there again the foolish dare fate..

Gyro

wokelliott said...
Definitely need a good spring to tension the wire straight as it expands when hot. A variable low volt power supply (AC or DC) is ideal. If the wire is not dead tight it will give you a hollow section as you follow the profile curve. Good idea is to lift the waste Styrene material away as you go to make life easier for the wire - so another pair of hands needed. Why we were only given the original two hands is beyond me, very poor forward planning in my opinion, but then perhaps it is our fault for racing ahead of our intended function, whatever that is!!!

Ron..as an old electrician I've had my share of de-fib attempts, think I am lucky to have got this far. Nowadays they make us fit leakage breakers to our boards so you only get 20 Milliamps and they shut down...taken all the fun out of life!!

Vic..great job there, I'd love to come over and have a look some time.

..Wok

I think your supposed to set them to 10MA
Vic i have a foam cutter here tha vindisdad built when he was here It has a neat variable control which i think youll like.
ive some big foam blocks for you to practice on to ,its rather easy when you actually do it.
having played with it youll build one for $0 when you get home

Making a mast mold from a strip built wing for an ice yacht (same as class3)
groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/IceBoating/photos/albums/1192607200/lightbox/432398777?picmode=medium&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&dir=asc

Most of the successful wing masts have been in the 30 to 25 % thickness to chord length range. A thicker section will have more strength. A blunter leading edge will be easier to get and keep the flow attached. A trailing edge with a shallow angle will create an abrupt edge from the mast to sail transition. Some wing mast designers make that angle about 20 degrees to get a nice transition.

I was having trouble visualizing the difference in size between Class 3 and 5

Bottom of hull nearly ready for fiber glassing. Pick up glass mid next week.

Spell check did not help with that one

Lay up the bottom of the hull fiberglass and applied resin, Used epoxy resin as it bonds to wood better that polyester resin.
Wet out the glass with a brush
Used a scraper to remove the excess resin.
Used a foam brush to smooth out resin.
Final coat of resin will be applied when the two sides are together.

Joe

Covered the top half today, Had to get the fire going up the shed to get it warn enough for the epoxy to cure. Have to leave it a day or two now to make sure it has cured enough before sanding the inside.(and for it to stop raining)

Progress today, sanded inside of both sides of hull ready for fiber glassing and fitting internal parts. Set up form work for first mast(strip built)
Weather a bit cold for glassing at the moment.(picked up another sheet of blue foam for the next mast.)

Just to big A job, huge amount of glass and resin. that is why I decided to strip build, another method is to stitch and glue which is a lot quicker.(and easier)
www.clcboats.com/modules/framework/page.php?section=default&page_alias=stitch-and-glue-boat-building

Not sure what this part is and how does it work. (is it some type of winch.)

Thanks Wok.I like the idea.
Here is another pic, The other rope is just the end that goes around the ratchet, There is another rope up front that controls the wing.

A full shot of that sheeting set up will show a set of pulleys at the back of the boom ,then leading forward to that vang system , then to the winch.
. do you plan to put any taper in the top of the mast Vic , that was the part i wanted to describe to you when you came to Kal