Joining turret lugs

[Jarvini]

Can 18awg silver plated buss wire be used to join turret lugs on the + side of the board? I know it's ok on the ground side but after much searching I can't seem to find any kind of voltage/temperature rating for the stuff !!!
Probably a very dumb question
Thanks
Scott

[Leo_Gnardo]

I don't see why not. 18 gauge ought to handle 7 amps with no problems, plenty for just about any function in building guitar amps. And silver plated! Wow, that's special . . . should attract the attention of those seeking boo-teeki qualities. It's copper in the middle, right? So you have the same temp specs as any copper wire. Melts at 1950 degrees Fahrenheit. Again plenty of margin in any guitar amp. Voltage? As bus wire, has no insulation, right? So make sure there's enough space between your wire and any high voltage node so you don't tempt an arc to form. Overall, I don't see any problem.

[Jarvini]

Thanks leo thats kinda what i thought but just wanted to make sure !!!
It's made by weico (mil -w- 3891 type s) soft drawn copper with a silver plate I think it cost me £16 for 10ft including delivery from the states so not cheap

[Enzo]

Current is current, so ground side or positive side or negative side ought to make no difference.

[eschertron]

The silver plating is to make the solder stick better?

[Jarvini]

I think the silver plating is to help prevent the copper from oxidizing which would reduce its conductivity over time I think that's why they are also tin plated (being cheaper) as for making solder stick better I doubt it, it will probably make it harder to solder I would have thought??

[Leo_Gnardo]

I think the silver plating is to help prevent the copper from oxidizing which would reduce its conductivity over time I think that's why they are also tin plated (being cheaper) as for making solder stick better I doubt it, it will probably make it harder to solder I would have thought??

Silver plate would prevent the copper from oxidizing, but silver also oxidizes, also reacts easily with sulfur compounds, to create the typical black tarnish which must be cleaned off before you solder to it. Tin plate or solder covered wire is a more economical choice, and I'm sure you can find it in the UK instead of having to ship it over the pond & pay customs duty besides. Since you already have the silver wire, no problem using it, just clean immediately prior to soldering. In the future save yourself a packet & select tin/solder coat wire or plain copper.

[Enzo]

The copper wire only oxidizes on the outer surface. Note that 60-70 year old amps like Fenders don't have wires corroding in half, and conductivity is never an issue.

[Jarvini]

There are a few places in the UK that stock stuff for amp building but they usually have a pretty high delivery charge I think farnell were about £15 per delivery whatever you order !! Plus all the quality stuff that I've seen seems to be located in the US I usually just take the import charge on the chin and buy more than I need plus I usually use e bay as you can use PayPal I don't like using my credit card online for the obvious reasons maybe the US have a greater demand for tube gear than here in the UK some of the resistors I have bought from UK sources have been awful quality I'll probably never use them I admit the silver plate was a bit extravagant but 10ft will make quite a few buss bars so I won't need any more for a long while

[Jarvini]

Just to reply to enzo why would they bother to plate it if it makes no difference?

[Enzo]

There are various reasons to plate wire, I just don't feel like wire corrosion reducing conductivity is one of them.

Oxidized copper is hard to solder to, so tinning it makes for easier connections.

[Jarvini]

Ah ok that makes sense and with the knowledge that I see you have on every problem,query and technical question I don't think I'll debate it any further

[Jazz P Bass]

I have always considered 'silver plated wire' to be a jewelry thing.

[Mick Bailey]

It is usually for jewellery. In a tube amp it has no benefit - plain old tinned copper wire is perfectly good. I buy it on the reel from RS in the UK. BTW, Farnell only charges £15 for components that come from the US. UK/European stock does not carry this surcharge - just use the filters to exclude US stock.

[Jarvini]

I know its just that when I look for things I want like turret lugs they are us stock so I might as well use eBay