Solder strippable wire is also called "Bicelflux wire" and it's a
polyurethane enamelled heat removeable insulation. Long ago, I bought
several small putups from a no longer remembered US supplier, however, among
others, it's available from:

http://www.greenweld.co.uk/acatalog/...melled_49.html

in a variety of wire sizes.

When the insulation is removed with a dollop of molten solder, a toxic gas
is released (in small quantities to be sure) and it ought to be done with
good ventilation in the workplace.

W4ZCB

Solder strippable wire is also called "Bicelflux wire" and it's a
polyurethane enamelled heat removeable insulation. Long ago, I bought
several small putups from a no longer remembered US supplier, however, among
others, it's available from:

http://www.greenweld.co.uk/acatalog/...melled_49.html

in a variety of wire sizes.

When the insulation is removed with a dollop of molten solder, a toxic gas
is released (in small quantities to be sure) and it ought to be done with
good ventilation in the workplace.

W4ZCB

Dan Andersson wrote:
wrote:

Roy Lewallen wrote:
For a long time, I've used heat-strippable wire which I got surplus. It
can be stripped just by heating at 750-800 degrees for a minute or so
with a soldering iron. The trade name, I believe, is "Solder-eze", but a
web search doesn't reveal a ready source. (I did find a number of people
asking where it could be found, but no responses.) Hopefully a reader
knows of a source and can tell us. A nice summary of various ways to
strip heat-strippable wire is at

http://www.ac6rm.net/mailarchive/htm.../msg00598.html.

While searching for information on heat-strippable wire, I came across
the suggestion for stripping conventional enameled wire with paint
stripper. Apparently it takes a few minutes, but does work. It's nasty
stuff to work with, though.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Jim Flanagan wrote:
Guys..
Does anyone have any better method for stripping small, enameled
wire, other than using sandpaper or an exacto knife (scrapping)?
There used to be a chemical stripper called 'Xvar', years ago.
This stuff worked great. Nasty stuff as you can imagine and has
been EPA'd years ago. Is there anything comparable, today?

Also, a retired technician that I once knew had a pair of ingenious
'stripper pliers' that he had acquired back in the '60s that did
a fabulous job. These pliers had special jaws that would scrape the
enamel off without nicking the wire. They worked GREAT. Supposedly,
this tool originated from a mfg in Germany. I have never seen this
tool
since. Anyone have a lead on something similar?

Thanks and take care.
-jim
WB5KYE

I mentioned a commercial paint-stripper in here, have tried another
brand. Wayyyy slow. Having used commercial paint strippers in
days before EPA had declared nearly everything "toxic, harmful to
health" those paint stripper compounds were a lot stronger. It
works, sort of, but one can use up a half roll of paper towels to
make a dozen-plus toroid inductors' end-stripping. [okay, some
exaggeration there] It is messy and usually takes a second
application of goo to clean it off good enough for soldering.

GONE is good old General Cement "Strip-X" (company says it
has no plans for anything similar in future) and the "Solder-Eze"
is relegated to "old stock." Since "magnet wire" is still used
in industry, hobbyists need a hint or three from those working
in that area now.




Years ago, working with "Litz wire", I used Red Spirit and a small burner or
a small blow torch. We dipped the wire in the spirit and then burned it.

I'm not entirely sure if the Litz wires we used had secondary lacquer
isolation but I think so and that was the major pain with that wire.

A quick heating up and a swipe with a cloth should do it. Red Spirit was
originally almost clean Ethanol ( While doing my military service in the
Signal Corps ages ago, we used to nick it and mix it with coke or tonic
water on Friday evenings... )

Cheers

Dan / M0DFI



Thank you Dan (you spell the surname correctly!). :-)

"Red Spirit?" Unfamiliar term to me on this side of the pond.

I've tried Toluene and MEK and found them lacking. Turns out
that (in varying percentages) are part of the paint stripper goop
sold in do-it-yourself stores over here. I can get Ethanol and
may try that.

In years past, the General Cement Company of Rockford, Illinois,
had a blackish goop they marketed for stripping magnet wire.
Worked extremely well, dip once, let it sit for a minute and the
enamel coating can be seen to actually lift off of the wire. One
wipe and the wire surface is free, ready to solder. Had a
definite acid content from the smell of it (sharp, acrid). The
tradename was either "Strip-X" or "Strip-Var," not sure which
now. :-( Mine was used up years ago, bottle tossed out.

In article . com,
wrote:

In years past, the General Cement Company of Rockford, Illinois,
had a blackish goop they marketed for stripping magnet wire.
Worked extremely well, dip once, let it sit for a minute and the
enamel coating can be seen to actually lift off of the wire. One
wipe and the wire surface is free, ready to solder. Had a
definite acid content from the smell of it (sharp, acrid). The
tradename was either "Strip-X" or "Strip-Var," not sure which
now. :-( Mine was used up years ago, bottle tossed out.

GC Electronics "Strip-X", I assume? I found a MSDS which states that
it's 70% methylene chloride, 25% cresol (isomers of cresylic acid),
around 5% ammonia, plus some wax and thickening agents.

One poster stated that it was designed to work with Formvar
insulation, and might not work as well on the newer Polythermaleze
insulation.

I don't see it in their current catalog... probably gone where the
goblins go, yo ho!

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

On Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:38:06 GMT, Jim Flanagan
wrote:

Guys..
Does anyone have any better method for stripping small, enameled
wire, other than using sandpaper or an exacto knife (scrapping)?
There used to be a chemical stripper called 'Xvar', years ago.
This stuff worked great. Nasty stuff as you can imagine and has
been EPA'd years ago. Is there anything comparable, today?

Also, a retired technician that I once knew had a pair of ingenious
'stripper pliers' that he had acquired back in the '60s that did
a fabulous job. These pliers had special jaws that would scrape the
enamel off without nicking the wire. They worked GREAT. Supposedly,
this tool originated from a mfg in Germany. I have never seen this tool
since. Anyone have a lead on something similar?

Thanks and take care.
-jim
WB5KYE

I had occasion recently to wind a couple coils. Checked my stash and
found two different kinds of 30 ga enameled wire. I thought I'd try
tinning the ends of the wires without stripping. One of the wires
soldered very easily in a few seconds so must have been
heat/self-stripping. The second sample didn't solder as easily, but I
kept the wire in ball of molten solder for 10's of seconds and
eventually the enamel melted off and formed sludge on the surface of the
solder ball. Cleaned the corrupted solder off the iron tip and the wire
tinned up ok.

Not sure if the second one was normal enamel or just a slower version of
self-strippable wire. Might be worth trying to just melt the enamel off
in a ball of solder like I did.

Harold E. Johnson wrote:
Solder strippable wire is also called "Bicelflux wire" and it's a
polyurethane enamelled heat removeable insulation. Long ago, I bought
several small putups from a no longer remembered US supplier, however, among
others, it's available from:

http://www.greenweld.co.uk/acatalog/...melled_49.html

in a variety of wire sizes.

When the insulation is removed with a dollop of molten solder, a toxic gas
is released (in small quantities to be sure) and it ought to be done with
good ventilation in the workplace.

There are two totally different families of enameled wire, and the
original question didn't say which one.

For the pretty-coloured polyurethane enamels, solder stripping is the
way to go. As Harold says, that is how they are designed to be stripped.
Professionals use a solder pot, while the rest of us make do with a big
bead of molten solder on the tip of the iron. Don't use a flame for
solder-strippable wire - it's too hot, and charred polyurethane enamel
sticks to the wire.

Heated for long enough at the right temperature, the enamel comes right
off with no scraping required. The decomposing enamel also acts as a
solder flux, so the stripped end is bright and ready-tinned.

The other type of enamel is usually brown - some of it is your
grandfather's brown lacquer, but the modern stuff is not.

The really old stuff can be charred in a spirit burner (chosen for its
cool flame which doesn't oxidize the copper) and the loose carbon
scrapes off easily. Note: this is the *only* kind of enamel that is
suitable for flame stripping.

The modern brown enamels are totally different. They are mainly intended
for motor and transformer windings, are often double-coated, and are
specifically designed to be heat-resistant and tough as old boots. They
are almost as tough as the copper underneath... and there's your problem
in stripping it.

This stuff laughs at molten solder and spirit burners. Heat stripping is
no good because flame temperatures high enough to decompose the enamel
will also oxidize the copper underneath. As far as I know, the only ways
to remove it are by scraping, sandpapering or filing... all of which are
difficult to do without nicking the copper wire.

So how do the professional winding shops do it?



--
73 from Ian GM3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

This stuff laughs at molten solder and spirit burners. Heat stripping is
no good because flame temperatures high enough to decompose the enamel
will also oxidize the copper underneath. As far as I know, the only ways
to remove it are by scraping, sandpapering or filing... all of which are
difficult to do without nicking the copper wire.

So how do the professional winding shops do it?

--
73 from Ian GM3SEK

GM Ian, guess you're getting used to the Highlands by now. Had a great trip
to Scotland for 3 weeks in June, Blair Athol to Glencoe. Not long enough
though. Yes, Polythermaleze and heavy polythermaleze and Formvar are the
chrome vanadium steel of insulations. If you want to wind wire tightly
around a faceted diamond without damaging the insulation, those are what you
use. Basically, One divided by Bicelflux.

Professional winding shops invest in a machine that looks and operates
somewhat like an electric pencil sharpener. It abrades the insulation and is
automatically set for each different wire size. Needless to say, they come a
bit dear. (Not as dear as diesel fuel in Pitlochry, but dear!)

Regards
W4ZCB

"Jim Flanagan" wrote in message
...
Guys..
Does anyone have any better method for stripping small, enameled
wire, other than using sandpaper or an exacto knife (scrapping)?
There used to be a chemical stripper called 'Xvar', years ago.
This stuff worked great. Nasty stuff as you can imagine and has
been EPA'd years ago. Is there anything comparable, today?

Also, a retired technician that I once knew had a pair of ingenious
'stripper pliers' that he had acquired back in the '60s that did
a fabulous job. These pliers had special jaws that would scrape the
enamel off without nicking the wire. They worked GREAT. Supposedly,
this tool originated from a mfg in Germany. I have never seen this tool
since. Anyone have a lead on something similar?

Thanks and take care.
-jim
WB5KYE

I posted a picture of a very useful hand stipper I have been using for
about 24 years, See it on alt.binaires.schematics.electronics under
"Wire stripper for RRAH".

Depends a lot on the type of "enamel" that you are dealing with. As noted
elsewhere, some is fairly simple to do with hot solder and some is resistant
to thermonuclear techniques.


I've been successful with one of two methods on most of the stuff.

As noted, a solder pot (fairly cheap, by electronics tool standards) will do
the job nicely on 90% of enamel wire.

Or, a professional paint store (NOT HandyAndy) has a parTICularly nasty
chemical paint stripper called "Aircraft Paint Stripper", mostly methylene
chloride which is highly toxic. About five minutes soak in that would strip
the chrome from a trailer hitch. Don't sit in a spill of the stuff or
you'll be talking in a high squeaky voice for the rest of your life.


Jim

Depends a lot on the type of "enamel" that you are dealing with. As noted
elsewhere, some is fairly simple to do with hot solder and some is resistant
to thermonuclear techniques.


I've been successful with one of two methods on most of the stuff.

As noted, a solder pot (fairly cheap, by electronics tool standards) will do
the job nicely on 90% of enamel wire.

Or, a professional paint store (NOT HandyAndy) has a parTICularly nasty
chemical paint stripper called "Aircraft Paint Stripper", mostly methylene
chloride which is highly toxic. About five minutes soak in that would strip
the chrome from a trailer hitch. Don't sit in a spill of the stuff or
you'll be talking in a high squeaky voice for the rest of your life.


Jim