Oldschool transformer needed!

[wonderpunk24]

Hey guys and gals... I'm not a model railroad guy, but I am a fellow hobbiest, and I'm in the process of making a foam-cutting bow to shape wings for a project I'm working on. I need an old transformer to run the electricity to the bow. It needs to be old because it can't have a circuit-breaker or it won't work. I like the old Louis Marx 50 watts. If you guys are like other hobbiests, I'm sure you have an old box(or a bunch of old boxes!) full of spare parts and stuff. I would love to buy an old transformer if anyone has one. I would, of course, pay for shipping. Let me know, and thanks for your time!

 

[jbaakko]

Thought of checking Radio Shack?

 

[sushob]

An inverter from Radio Shack should work fine. I have a friend that used one to make a hot-wire foam cutter when he built his hovercraft, and I recently used mine to power an electronic firing system for fireworks (uses the same concept of high-resistance wire that a foam cutter does). Unless you use a humongous piece of high-resistance wire, I don't think it will draw enough to trip the circuitry.

Something like this: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103959&cp=2032056.2032145&parentPage=family

Of course an old transformer would be cheaper, and you could adjust the power output. You can usually find train-set type transformers on eBay, especially in lots with some Tyco cars and track that people pick up at a yard sale and hope to make a buck on

 

[wonderpunk24]

Radio Shack

First off, thanks for the quick responses. Yeah... I checked Radio Shack, and two of my concerns about the inverter were not being able to adjust the power output and the price. My total budget for the foam-cutter is between $20 and $30, so I'll keep looking. I found out that one of my neighbors is a model railroad enthusiast, so maybe I'm in luck... I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks again.