if you were thinking of decorating with woodburning, or to use the fancy name "pyrography" and you haven't bought all the stuff yet, you may be interested in this thing, which is really a power supply for a microscope light - but what is inside is a 6V 5 amp variac
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it has more than enough current and adjustment to run any of the pyrography pens that use low voltage (most that I measured use 1.5 to 2 volts), and it is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than the brand new name brand stuff - and it's probably more reliable also. happy turning
If you find you need more/cheaper power, Graeme Priddle has a great idea that I have copied. Take an old car battery charger - preferalbly without any of the electronic circuitry in it. Use a piece of limp lamp cord to replace the cables - should only be about 3 - 4 feet long for max power. If youi want to use a store-bought burning handle/tip - then pick up a connector at radioshack -- but this might overpower some of those. I made a handle out of 1" pvc, screwed a terminal block (radioshck) to a piece of wood that fits snugly in the pipe. Run 2 - 3" of 6 gauge wire to a second terminal block(gets the heat away from your fingers and the PVC). Design your own tips and attach it to the other side of the second block. Add a light dimmer switch as the power source for the charger, and you are good to go! This is the only method I have found that can keep a hot tip when doing a lot of texturing - -
the battery charger is typically 12V - you'd be better off if you could find an old 6V charger. And, you want to use a newer lamp dimmer - many of the old ones cannot stand the inductive load of the charger's transformer - harbor freight sells a thing they call a "router speed control" for around $10 - that would work fine for this application. The thing I was pushing on e-bay is nicer because it's smaller and it's only one box rather than two, but if you already have a charger you aren't using, then by all means ..... pretty much anything that puts out low voltage high current will work, the key is you need 1 to 3 volts and you need it adjustable.
"William Noble" wrote: (clip) And, you want to use a newer lamp dimmer - many of the
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bill, I don't think a transformer, in itself, is an inductive load. It reflects into the circuit whatever is connected across the secondary. A battery charger hooked to a resistive load would look to the dimmer like a resistive load. An exception would be a welding transformer, which is usually deliberately wound to have a lot of leakage flux, to limit the current--this would act as an inductance.
I used a dimmer to control the speed of a vacuum cleaner motor acting as the blower on a forge. THAT was an inductive load, and even there, it lasted until I stopped using it.
That said, I think your microscope lamp controller is a neat way to control a pyrography pen, and you have my bid.
Or go Librarian! They have used for years (remember the white letters/numbers on books) a pencil point iron that is in series with a light bulb socket.
Plug in a lamp and get a temp. Change size and get another. Calibrate as needed.
Martin
Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
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William Noble wrote:
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Some details about Graeme Priddle's DIY Wood Vaporizor! from my notes after two evening sessions watching him work his magic.
Use "banana plugs" not RCA or phono plugs. the former can handle 10 amps, the latter two aren't intended to carry that much.
Nichrome wire for Auto Electrical or any outfit that makes ceramic electrical kilns (pronounced kill - the "n" is silent - like the "p" in swimming). - 18 gauge at least, NOT 20 gauge
Dimmer - Leviton 6681-IW - about $5 at Home Depot - goes on the 110VAC side of the battery charger. A variac will also work - but they're much larger than a lite dimmer - and heavier for higher amperages.
Battery charger - Napa Auto - 10 amp 6 & 12V
Sanding procedure 110, 150, 180, 320, 600 then steel wool (don't know why he skipped 240) Recomends what sounded like Astra brand sand paper - doesn't clog as fast when sanding green or soft woods. Also LOVES a special "etched" "sand paper" which is actually not paper but on a thin plastic substrate - I think he said it was SANDVIC - and that it's hard to come buy and expensive - but lasts a LONG TIME, doesn't load up easily and can be cleaned with a toothbrush.
DICK BLICK "Micro-Point black Archive Quality felt tip pen for touch up of branded/burned/scorched areas.
Also emphasized that if you plan on branding a piece with an oiled finish - make sure the finish is really, really, really, really dry. That's all the notes I took about the details.
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