Turning an E Core Power Transformer into a Tattoo Gun

The '20 watts' means the core can take roughly an amount of magnetic energy equal to

Estored = 20 W/(120 per second) = 0.16 W-second = 0.16 Joules

That is (again, roughly) the amount of force x distance (work) that is available to drive your point into the vinyl. This is slightly complicated by the spring (it has to compress the spring at the same time, and the spring has to be stiff enough to pull the point out).

I'd think in terms of a hot knife to score the vinyl, if it was me. Noise is just as annoying as hot-plastic-odor.

I've been thinking about the hot knife technique for cutting 4mil vinyl. I could heat up a power resistor and use the hot lead. The lead is then dragged on the vinyl to cut it.

But...I think vinyl makes an acidic goo that'll eat through the wire..but not sure. Also...the heat emission I think makes a fat cut.

I've been looking at ultrasonic cutting methods too.. For example:

I can probably make an ugly but functioning generator in 1 day. I just don't know about getting the transducer. D from BC

Good grief, just stick the sheet in an old 24 pin dot matrix printer with no ribbon.

4mil thick vinyl is the same thickness as a sheet of paper. Worst case you'll have to disassemble the print head and sharpen the pins... But you like that kind of stuff right? :)

Yeah...I had a similar thought.. The problem is that the 4mil vinyl needs to be cut after it's mounted on a sheet of plastic.. That won't feed through a printer.

I'm trying to think of scrap equipment that has powerful solenoids with >4mil movement and capable of 10Hz.

I have a car scrap yard nearby...so maybe: fuel injector? door solenoid?

Also..I got adventurous enough to email a factory ...in China! I'm curious about a 60W solid state IR laser... Arrrfff! Arrrfff! :) All those people selling laser diodes on Ebay probably got all this stuff from china anyways... D from BC

Flatbed plotter.