dollar store wire

Jun 16, 2023 Last reply: 3 years ago 4 Replies
L

The local dollar store is offering various materials aimed at decorative or other consumer grade applications - wood, adhesive, paper, plastic film, wire etc.



Some of the wire coatings might be suited to short-term use, in a pinch, if the wire material itself is usable.



Saw 2mm dia AL the other day ( in six colors . . . .), for which twisted pairs could be hipotted to >2500V. Allowing for low temperature index, mechanical fragility and unknown chemical resistance, they have a limited immediate functionality, in a pinch.



RL


Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
J

The solid copper wire sold for jewelry makers, tin or gold plated, is super hard and is a bad electrical conductor, not annealed and probably not all copper. Electrical grade bus wire is much more expensive.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
W

And, the 'bronze' wire for sale is sometimes bronze-colored aluminum, which might be fine for jewelry, but terrible for winding springs. Bronze wool, sold as a nonrusting wood-finishing item, is real springy bronze, though. I'm currently making my springy battery connects with a shrinking length of bronze music wire...

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
J

Yes, but it usually doesn't solder well either.

Good annealed copper has conductivity almost 6e7 S/m.

Brass is about 28% as conductive as copper. Some bronzes are as low as

7% as conductive as copper.

Any additive to copper wrecks the conductivity.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required