How to Build a Hot Wire Tool

Obtain a wood dowel and trim with a hacksaw down to the length you can manipulate the wood easily as a hand tool -- usually about 12 inches. Cut notches in the end of the dowel that will have the hot wire attached to it.

Insert the wood dowel into a scrap piece of brass tubing with a large enough diameter to fit the dowel. Glue this into place. Drill the open end of the brass tube with a hole about 1/8 inch thick. Use a power drill and drill bit to make the hole.

Insert a screw into the tubing hole on both sides. Tighten the screws into place with a Phillips screwdriver. Loop a thick piece of bare metal wire around one screw, extend it out from the tube about 4 or 5 inches, bend it backward again, and loop the remaining end around the other screw on the opposite tubing side. Bend the finished wire so it looks like a blade sticking out of the end of the tubing.

Attach a white insulated electrical wire of 18-gauge size to one screw. Attach another black insulated wire of the same gauge to the other screw. Wrap these together and down the side of the wood dowel. Wrap the dowel and electrical wiring with electrical tape to keep the wiring assembly in place. Run the ends of the black and white wiring out of the dowel end by at least 4 or 5 feet; this gives you room to maneuver the tool.

Take the ends of the black and white wiring and crimp connectors to both ends with a crimping tool. Attach the connectors to a 15-volt transformer such as a basic battery charger. Put on thick rubber gloves to protect your hands and goggles for your eyes.

Hold the dowel in the air. Flip the switch on the battery charger to turn it on. Apply the hot wire tool to a block of test foam to confirm the tool works as desired. Turn the battery charger off and disconnect the tool wiring when finished. Place the tool in a location where it won't burn anything the dowel hot wire blade comes in contact with as it cools down.