How much energy is needed to heat a galvanized steel nail to the point where it will melt a plastic bottle?

I need to attach a copper wire to a battery and then to an galvanized steel nail so the nail heats up. I need to use a battery so:





a)What type of battery do I need


b)How long will it take for it to go from room temperature, 70 degrees (f) to the point where it will melt plastic?





Also, the plastic I am talking about is just a water bottle, not industrial strength plastic or anything.How much energy is needed to heat a galvanized steel nail to the point where it will melt a plastic bottle?
A) I would try a 9 volt battery because it has something that you can attach the wire to.


B) Time will very depending how large the nail is and how long the wire is that you attach it to.. Best guess on an average nail. 2 MIN....note.. be very careful! use gloves and safety glasses. Also when you hot wire a battery like this the potential exist for it to explode, so again be careful.How much energy is needed to heat a galvanized steel nail to the point where it will melt a plastic bottle?
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WHAT!
hmmm...





A soda bottle so common today is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a strong yet lightweight plastic.


The melting point of PET is 210 Deg. C. or greater depending on the molar percentage of Napthelate.





I've also seen common plastic bottles/buckets made from HDPE. It will have a similar melting point.





So... In order to solve your problem.. we need to know the mass of your nail, and it's composition -%Iron %zinc... etc...





Also we would have to pick a battery current and stick with it so our math would be valid...





Let me just do it like this...





To build this plastic hole poking device, use thick copper or Aluminum wire so that the nail heats up more than the wire or else chances are you will just burn out your wire. I also suggest adding either a resistor or a potentiometers in series so that you don't blow up your battery with this dead short you're creating.





Finally.. Connect one wire to the head of the nail (solder or clip) and the other wire about halfway down the body of the nail. The area between the two wires will heat up first, but then the tip will slowly heat as well.





Start with a six volt lantern battery and then work your way up to a 12 volt motorcycle battery and finally a car battery if you find you need more heat, more quickly. Use thicker wires as you increase the current.





OR... Save yourself a lot of hassle and buy a cheap electrical soldering iron and clam a point or nail to it.





Just a thought...have fun...