40 AWG magnet wire

"Jim Parson" wrote news:4074797c$1 snipped-for-privacy@news3.es.net...

What you can try is to head the end of the wire with a soldering iron and some tin. The insulation can be 'burned' off like that. Other way is to burn it off with some fire, and scrap/sand the remains of burned insulation away so only copper stays.

Al

Easier said than done. That wire is so fine that soldering it can dissolve the copper into the solder if you don't do it quick, and then you've got an end that's gone and an open.

"Scrap/sand" (sic) can result in the same thing: a broken wire. Stuff is too fine. Just wrap the wire around a heavier stud made of 24 gauge, and then solder both, usually the wires will solder okay if the flux is decent.

Try buring off the insulation with a match. The gently scrape it off what is left with some fine abrasive. Trim the exposed length you want, and now this sould work for you.

Jerry G.

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I vaguely remember a tip to heat it in a flame to burn the insulation and then quickly dowse it in alchohol to stop it oxidising.

Do a google on soldering Litz wire.

Brian

Try using paint thinner to dip the wire in and let it dissolve the enamel coating from the wire. Then clean it well with alcohol and use flux on it to solder.

Sorry for the late reply. Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried burning off the insulation but that left a residue that was equally hard to remove. After some practice I've found that scraping (gingerly) the end of the wire with a scalpel held orthogonal to the wire works well. I also got an e-mail from someone internal to my organization suggesting that melting a small piece of aspirin with a soldering iron and then dipping the wire into the molten goo works well for almost all types of insulation. Haven't tried that technique yet.

Regards, Jim

Ji Jim,

Depending on the type of insulation on the wire, We use to just touch the #40 wire to the tip of the iron and apply solder as if it were un-insulated wire. The insulation would then burn off and the wire would then tin nicely.

--jj

The active ingredient in aspirin is an organic acid (acetylsalicylic acid). Generally, acid fluxes are frowned on in electrical work because, if not properly cleaned/neutralized, they can corrode the wire. The smaller the wire, the greater the threat.

1. An especially hot soldering iron, such as a 40 watt one or one of those soldering guns.
2. Gently scrape off the varnish with a single edge razor blade, "exacto" blade or the like. I have gotten away with this with wire as thin as 42.

- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

The #40 wire is covered with Kapton insulation, that's why most of the suggestions for removing the insulation won't work. Scraping seems to work fine although it's tedious. Thanks for all the responses.

Jim