enamelled wire

[arivel]

Hi everyone .
Besides fire and sandpaper, are there any other alternatives for removing enamel from copper wire?
Thank you.

 

[CatMan]

There actually is a trick: Aspirin!
Put the wire end on a pill of non-coated aspirin and heat it with the soldering iron as you would solder it.
USE A FUME EXTRACTOR/Filter as it smells horrible!
I don't know if the fume is actually bad for you (what/if Aspirin decomposes to with heat) but it makes you cough badly.
Use your own judgement/caution/responsibility, I've done this (rarely needed it) for a long time, but will not be responsible for your situation.

 

[Lightium]

I use the base of a flame, as it is the coldest. Then I use a cotton swab soaked with a little acetone to rub the wire clean.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

Here, do it like the pros...
Amazon link...Watch the video (last image in album)

https://a.co/d/dSXilf4

 

[Lightium]

Here, do it like the pros...
Amazon link...Watch the video (last image in album)

https://a.co/d/dSXilf4

"Applicable magnet wire diameter: 0.3-3.0mm/0.0118”-0.1181”, suitable for stripping 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, AWG magnet wire/enameled copper wire"

 

[ZipZapOuch]

"Applicable magnet wire diameter: 0.3-3.0mm/0.0118”-0.1181”, suitable for stripping 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, AWG magnet wire/enameled copper wire"

You need to buy the little one for smaller diameter and the big one for larger diameter.

 

[Lightium]

There's a little one!?

 

[Lightium]

Rubbing alcohol has the lowest flame temp, so it's easy to strip enamel that way too.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

No, the little wires can be stripped without the aid of electric power - it doesn't take much hand strength. For the tin wires, it's very easy to work like the pros.
Order one of each size 30 to 44 gauge. No runs, no nicks, no errors, none left - just $187.74 each.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

Rubbing alcohol has the lowest flame temp, so it's easy to strip enamel that way too.

Rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) burns pretty hot. Methanol burns so cool you don't see much of a flame in daylight. I can't promise that the poor little 42-gauge wire isn't partially oxidized and brittle after you burn them.

 

[Lightium]

Rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) burns pretty hot. Methanol burns so cool you don't see much of a flame in daylight. I can't promise that the poor little 42-gauge wire isn't partially oxidized and brittle after you burn them.

At those sizes a quick in-out of the wire to flame and I'd say it's stripped.

 

[Tony Stewart]

I believe melting plastic also requires a fume extractor if you are planning high volume usage.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

At those sizes a quick in-out of the wire to flame and I'd say it's stripped.

Stripped, maybe, maybe not. Some epoxy and urethane-based insulations can be as resistant to heat as polyimide (Kapton). Ultra thin copper, on the other hand can be oxidized in a fraction of a second (oxide embrittlement ). After flame heating high surface area-to-volume copper in air, it cracks easily and has low conductivity. Bad idea.

 

[Lightium]

I wonder what a hot air gun would do.

 

[Lightium]

Enamel Coating	Melting Temperature (Fahrenheit)
Acrylic	300 - 350
Polyvinyl acetal (PVA)	325 - 350
Polyurethane (PU)	350 - 400
Polyester	350 - 400
Polyimide	400 - 450
Polyamide	450 - 500
Polyamide-imide	500 - 550
Fluoropolymer	550 - 600

 

[ZipZapOuch]

Enamel Coating	Melting Temperature (Fahrenheit)
Acrylic	300 - 350
Polyvinyl acetal (PVA)	325 - 350
Polyurethane (PU)	350 - 400
Polyester	350 - 400
Polyimide	400 - 450
Polyamide	450 - 500
Polyamide-imide	500 - 550
Fluoropolymer	550 - 600

That's the melting point where the polymer softens/flows when heating (or hardens when cooling). It doesn't vaporize and disappear at those temps. Thin wires cool very quickly.

 

[Lightium]

I was wondering what a hot air gun would do as in melting it.

 

[MrAl]

Hi everyone .
Besides fire and sandpaper, are there any other alternatives for removing enamel from copper wire?
Thank you.

Hello there,

If you intend to solder the ends (as is done a lot) then you can just dip the end into a solder pot. The solder then burns off the enamel and at the same time tins the end. I did hundreds of wire ends like this long ago.

You can purchase a small solder pot and enough solder to get it going. You can also build your own solder pot using a blown out stud mount diode and a soldering gun. You rip the guts out of the diode and it leaves you with a small 'pot' with a stem. You stick the stem through the two prongs of a soldering gun tip right near the end, and tighten the nut. When you turn the soldering gun on, the pot gets hot, the solder melts, and you can do 100 ends in a few minutes. It also helps to use flux.

Note that a lot of soldering guns have those 'tips' that actually have two thick copper branches that come out of the gun and meet at the point, which has a thicker copper section that is used to solder with. Those two branches have a space between them and that's where you mount the blown out diode. The heat conducts nicely to the diode body and melts the solder quickly.
If you have to do this every day though I would buy a small solder pot.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

Hello there,

If you intend to solder the ends (as is done a lot) then you can just dip the end into a solder pot. The solder then burns off the enamel and at the same time tins the end. I did hundreds of wire ends like this long ago.

You can purchase a small solder pot and enough solder to get it going. You can also build your own solder pot using a blown out stud mount diode and a soldering gun. You rip the guts out of the diode and it leaves you with a small 'pot' with a stem. You stick the stem through the two prongs of a soldering gun tip right near the end, and tighten the nut. When you turn the soldering gun on, the pot gets hot, the solder melts, and you can do 100 ends in a few minutes. It also helps to use flux.

Note that a lot of soldering guns have those 'tips' that actually have two thick copper branches that come out of the gun and meet at the point, which has a thicker copper section that is used to solder with. Those two branches have a space between them and that's where you mount the blown out diode. The heat conducts nicely to the diode body and melts the solder quickly.
If you have to do this every day though I would buy a small solder pot.

Do you have a photo of the DIY pot?

 

[MrAl]

Do you have a photo of the DIY pot?

Hi,

I do not think i have a photo anymore but i can probably draw you a picture. It's just a metal case stud mount diode and you rip out the guts leaving just a little 'pot' and the threaded stem. You turn it upside down and mount it to the soldering gun, that's about it, except tighten the nut so it stays there.

I'll see if i can find a pic and modify it a little to show this.

Here is a pic showing the diodes before and after the guts are pulled out.
The gun is shown with the gutted diode bolted between those two prongs that stick out from the gun. Behind this you would see the nut for the stud of the diode.

Note I used smaller metal stud diodes though. That was so I did not need that much solder to fill the whole inside of the diode.

 

[MrAl]

Do you have a photo of the DIY pot?

Hi,

Not sure if you saw the drawings yet i put them in my previous post. They are hand drawn so they are not that great but they do show the basic idea.
If you already have a gun and some extra metal stud diodes this is a cheap home made solder pot for tinning the ends of enamel wire.
Note you also need enough solder to fill the pot. You don't end up using much though even for a lot of wire ends. I used thicker solder wire and did not really use that much even with all the ends I tinned.

When you are done using it just let it cool down and you have a solid lump of solder in there for next time.

I should mention that you lay the soldering gun on it's side for when it is in use.
You also have to spread the two thick leads of the soldering tip to be able to pass the diode bolt through near the end of the tip. You then tighten the nut securely.