help with electric lighter please

[scroskey]

I want to build a device that has a 1.5v watch battery a SPST normally open push button switch and a nichrome wire loop. When the button is pressed i would like the nichrome wire to heat up and glow red but not break.

Looking to use on a lighter like a Zipo, but with an electronic lighter instead of the flint striker.

The problems I am having are as follows:

How to find out at what temperature a particular gauge wire will break. and how to know how hot a 1.5c battery will make a particular gauge wire.

Thank-you in advance for any help you can give me.

 

[Reloadron]

The biggest problem you will have with this project is the ability of a small button cell type battery to deliver the needed current to heat the wire. Years ago a 1.5 volt battery was used to heat the glow plug for small model airplane engines, however, those batteries were large to deliver the needed current.

How to find out at what temperature a particular gauge wire will break. and how to know how hot a 1.5c battery will make a particular gauge wire.

You could look up the melting points of various alloys to get an idea. How hot a 1.5 source will get a piece of wire will be a function of the resistivity of the wire and the current flowing through it.

If you have the tools then getting a few old style incandescent flashlight bulbs (3 volt two cell versions) and carefully breaking away and removing the glass envelope is a start. Next slowly apply voltage starting with 0 volts. Slowly increase the voltage and monitor the current. Obviously sans the glass envelope if 3 volts is applied the filament will just burn up.

Give this link a read. It provides some glow plug examples.

Ron