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Avalon Tippi Foam Cutter - Wire?

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  • Member since
    February 2010
  • 37 posts
Avalon Tippi Foam Cutter - Wire?
Posted by TimTRH on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 2:49 PM

Does anyone know what the wire size is for this foam cutter or where to get it? Mine is all messed up. I'm assuming its that Nichrome Wire stuff, but the gauge is pretty large. Seems like no one carryies anything like this anymore(except for the ridiculous $150 and up versions and most of those wont scoop out a river bed)

  • Member since
    July 2007
  • From: Yorkton, Sk, Cnd
  • 441 posts
Posted by wvg_ca on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 3:12 PM

yes, it's nichrome wire ....

but the resistance, well, i don't know ...

there should be enough left of your old wire to get the outside diameter

  • Member since
    February 2010
  • 37 posts
Posted by TimTRH on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 4:49 PM

Its larger, and hard to bend, but i have no idea how to size it

 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Phoenix, AZ
  • 1,835 posts
Posted by bearman on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 5:12 PM

Try some calipers.

Bear "It's all about having fun."

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 5:51 PM

I tried looking around, Avalon Concepts must not be any more, the only thing you find is on Ebay or Amazon.

Nothing about wire replacement. ?

Mike.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 6:31 PM

TimTRH
Its larger, and hard to bend, but i have no idea how to size it

The biggest I see on Ebay is 12 ga 2mm wire for the price of a 6 pack of craft beer.

That ought to be stiff enough.  My Hot Wire Factory foam cutter has pretty thin wire that doesn't hold it's shape to care a river.  Without looking I'll guess mid to high 20 something gauge. 

If you have a friend that either has a lathe, milling machine or reloads for shooting, they will have calipers.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    February 2010
  • 37 posts
Posted by TimTRH on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 8:02 PM

The tool is till on Utube, but its an old video - this thing has been out of production for a while.
I had got a roll of 22 ga from amazon, but their picture was showing larger than what came - what came was wire that looks like what is on the woodland scenic unit(which is only good for cutting thru unmounted styrofoam, and not for scooping out.
Looking at the wire its more like 14 or 16. Thanks everyone.

 

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: US
  • 231 posts
Posted by EMDSD40 on Thursday, April 18, 2019 7:27 PM

I bought the Avalon system years ago. The wire is 12 inch long nichrome and measures out to .042 diameter. Still have the entire system in original box, although rarely used. Attempted to post a couple of pictures from Imgur, however that doesn't seem to be playing well. I used it to cut out a tunnel in a 1'x2'x4' solid foam block. It took three passes to cut a tunnel 4' long and 8" high to fit O-scale double stacks. Long story short...I decided to use the many buildings I had instead of piles of foam to scenic my O-scale layout. Did come in handy for making walls or concrete type details that can be used for my HO or O-scale layout.

 

 

 

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