lowering temperature of a hot glue gun

Yep, a triac type dimmer for incandescent lamps should work fine to control a resistive load like a hot glue gun. Of course the power rating of the glue gun cannot exceed the power rating of the dimmer. Bob

Re: The glue gun is typically just a resistive heating element device; so yes, a light dimmer should work well as a power/temperature control.

Dan Akers

I took several apart - there is a bimetallic switch inside with an adjustment screw to set the temperature. Even the cheap tiny guns have them.

You could use a dimmer to do it, but that would negate the advantage provided by the thermostat - quick warm-up and fast recovery. The faster you use the adhesive the more current the gun uses to replenish the lost heat. Add a dimmer and you become the thermostat.

It is probably a matter of time before they start using PTC wire to make the elements to lower the cost - just in case you tear into one and don't find a thermostat. If they can do it to make heat tape to keep pipes from freezing a glue gun should be next.

I bought and disassembled several a few years ago with the idea of coating magnet wire with adhesive by feeding both wire and adhesive through the nozzle - all had a thermostat from the $29.95 gun to the $4.95 gun.

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----

----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----