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The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
Not too long ago, I inquired about a substitute for General Cement
"Strip-X", an old stand-by on quick removal of the enamel of "coil wire." It was a smelly, blackish gel, came in a small bottle, and wonderful for stripping off coil wire enamel in a minute or two. It isn't made for the electronics hobby trade anymore, but there IS a reasonable substitute: Jasco 0201 Premium Paint Stripper, available at most Lowe's, Home Depot, OSH, True Value chain stores, about $4.75 for a pint. I have some toroid coils under construction, all using #32 and #34 AWG enameled coil wire. A #$%^!!! to strip those with either single-edge razor blades or fine-grit finishing paper. With the Jasco stripper gel, two dips and a WAIT of about 15 minutes will allow a wiping cloth to remove the enamel without damaging the wire. A lot longer wait than with Strip-X, but it is better than nothing. The same Jasco paint stripper will also loosen the lithographic designs/labels on small tin cans. [see other post] The newer can paints are tougher than those of 30+ years ago so it might be necessary to use some steel wool to help remove the paint (with the gel still on it). Doesn't appear to affect the steel wool. The product contains methylene chloride (said to be a toxic substance, especially to Californians and their overly-strict hazardous materials rules). Another brand and product at Do-It Centers had that plus formic acid; didn't get that, a bigger can and it cost about $18. Whatever was in old Strip-X must have been stronger and nastier. [my last bottle dissolved the bristles of the bottle cap brush after sitting for a few years] So far, the hobby room's production line has been humming along without breaking any fine coil wire in order to solder to the toroid winding's ends. |
The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Scott wrote: Why bother with the stinky stuff at all? And, who wants to wait for 15 minutes before you can make the solder connection? I just tin my soldering iron and leave the little solder blob on the iron and apply it to the end of the wire. In a few seconds, the enamel coating melts off and the solder blob tins the end of the wire at the same time. Scott N0EDV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That procedure works only with certain types of coating. With the good kind, you can let the soldering iron cook it till the cows come home and the enamel is still there. 73, Bill W6WRT |
The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
Bill Turner wrote:
ORIGINAL MESSAGE: Scott wrote: Why bother with the stinky stuff at all? And, who wants to wait for 15 minutes before you can make the solder connection? I just tin my soldering iron and leave the little solder blob on the iron and apply it to the end of the wire. In a few seconds, the enamel coating melts off and the solder blob tins the end of the wire at the same time. Scott N0EDV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That procedure works only with certain types of coating. With the good kind, you can let the soldering iron cook it till the cows come home and the enamel is still there. 73, Bill W6WRT You can buy your wire specifically to be solder-stripable. I often strip the temperature resistant stuff by scraping carefully with an Exacto knife, then peeling the residue off with a soldering iron -- it may not melt with the iron, but it'll come unstuck once it's thoroughly scarified. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com Posting from Google? See http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/ |
The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
Bill Turner wrote:
Scott wrote: (snip) I just tin my soldering iron and leave the little solder blob on the iron and apply it to the end of the wire. In a few seconds, the enamel coating melts off and the solder blob tins the end of the wire at the same time. Yeah. I am winding coils with some of the good stuff made for continuous use at 200C. I heat the ends of the wire to a rosy glow with a propane torch, and the enamel just turns dark and a little bumpy. But at least this makes the coating brittle enough to sand off. It just laughs at solder. |
The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
Bill Turner wrote:
That procedure works only with certain types of coating. With the good kind, you can let the soldering iron cook it till the cows come home and the enamel is still there. Any idea who sells the easily solder-stripped stuff in 30 guage or smaller (would really like some 34 guage) ? |
The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
wrote:
From: Tim Wescott on Wed, Feb 22 2006 7:58 am -snip- When winding toroids by hand without a toroid-winder or its fancy winding bobbin, there's lots of flexure on the ends of the fine copper wire from all the threading-through the hole. Copper is maleable, but there are metal-fatigue limits even with copper. Using something that scars the surface, plus the metal-fatigue phenomenon from dozens of threading movements, makes it easy to damage the ends. Yes, I've tried fine steel wool in removing enamel from #32 and it is as inferior as perpendicular knife-edge scraping. Such works okay on #26 or larger where one can afford to lose some copper in the process. You can predict wire length well enough to strip it before you wind the coil? Wow. I always have to wind the coil, cut off the 0 to 4 inch miscalculation (I always shade it high), then strip. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com Posting from Google? See http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/ |
The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
You can predict wire length well enough to strip it before you wind the
coil? Wow. I always have to wind the coil, cut off the 0 to 4 inch miscalculation (I always shade it high), then strip. If the toroid calculator calls out about 30 turns or less (on a half-inch OD core), yes, then I use the program's wire length call-out. More turns and the manual winding isn't ideal and the stripping has to be done after the winding is complete. I was thinking of a 100+ turns on a toroidal core where the coil (I should say magnet wire to be modern) lay can't be as perfect as a toroid winder. Then there's no good, practical accounting of the wire length ahead of time. When faced with lots of turns like the above, and using very small wire, there's a bit more anxiety and care needed when trying to take off the enamel for close-to-the-core stripping. |
The Great Strip-X Substitute Hunt, Part 2
Just look for "heat-strippable" wire, or wire with solderable
polyurethane insulation. I've seen "polythermaleze" as one brand name. And as for the "better" insulations that are not heat strippable with a low-temperature/controlled-temperature iron, simply use more heat. I suppose Teflon or polyimide coated wire would be a problem, but I'm sure there aren't many amateurs winding with those, and in any event, both would be a problem for paint strippers. I doubt very many ham applications require better wire than you can get in solderable polyurethanes. http://www.bulkwire.com/ is one source of magnet wire. I'm not sure if they have a minimum order. I've also gotten odd-number sizes from Amidon Associates. Also, if you have a local motor rewind shop, they may just give you a small amount--though they may not have #34AWG. http://www.essexgroup.com/News_Media...ermalclass.pdf may be of interest to the curious. Or see http://eraser.com/catpdf.cgi/magnet....d&catpdf_id=11 for a supplier of strippers and stripping equipment (no, no--just for stripping WIRES!). Cheers, Tom |
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