Questions about vintage 50's cloth wire

[Stratz]

Hi all. I recently bought some vintage 1950's cloth insulated copper wire simply because of the price but after receiving it I have a few questions that I hope some of you builders/techs can answer from your experience with old amplifiers/ cloth wire.

First off, the wire I bought was listed as 22 ga 7 strand NOS 50's pre tinned, waxed cloth wire.

The seller claims it's waxed but I can find no trace of any wax. With thye modern waxed cloth wire I use I can always see a bit of loose wax residue after I pull the wires through the tight hole in the pickup flat work as some wax always gets scraped off of the cloth on it's way through the hole.

Seller claims it's "pre tinned". While all 7 strands are silver in color the strands are loose. When I buy new pre tinned wire from suppliers such as MojoTone and others all 7 strands are tinned together.
Is it still considered pre tinned if all strands aren't tinned together?

The OD of the insulation measures ~ .035" heavier than the modern 22 ga cloth wire available. Approximately .095" OD total which is too large for my needs.

And lastly the insulation will not "push back" to expose the copper. It must be stripped with a very sharp stripper or a razor. Is all cloth wire supposed to be push back or are there exceptions?

The wire definitely looks to be 50's era as it seems to be oxidizing which is turning the inner insulation green,
It also has a very, very strong odor of benzine. It's so strong that I had to take it out of the shop and put it in my old barn.

Any answers from those with experience working with vintage cloth wire would be very helpful as I would like to return it but I'm not sure if what I received fits the sellers description or not.

Thanks.
Rob.

[Chuck H]

Seller claims it's "pre tinned". While all 7 strands are silver in color the strands are loose. When I buy new pre tinned wire from suppliers such as MojoTone and others all 7 strands are tinned together.
Is it still considered pre tinned if all strands aren't tinned together?

Yep.

The seller claims it's waxed but I can find no trace of any wax. With thye modern waxed cloth wire I use I can always see a bit of loose wax residue after I pull the wires through the tight hole in the pickup flat work as some wax always gets scraped off of the cloth on it's way through the hole... The OD of the insulation measures ~ .035" heavier than the modern 22 ga cloth wire available. Approximately .095" OD total which is too large for my needs... And lastly the insulation will not "push back" to expose the copper. It must be stripped with a very sharp stripper or a razor. Is all cloth wire supposed to be push back or are there exceptions?

It sounds like the old glass cloth stuff typically used on heat producing appliances.

The wire definitely looks to be 50's era as it seems to be oxidizing which is turning the inner insulation green,..

That's from the copper oxidizing. The tin has surely developed an oxide layer as well though it's less obvious. You may have trouble wetting it with solder and cold joints become a concern as well.

[Tom Phillips]

...the insulation will not "push back" to expose the copper. It must be stripped with a very sharp stripper or a razor. Is all cloth wire supposed to be push back or are there exceptions?...

Yes there are exceptions. There are types of old cloth covered wire that cannot be pushed back. Some is coated with a lacquer or varnish type of coating that makes the insulation stiff. It can get so brittle with age that it cracks when bent.

...It also has a very, very strong odor of benzine. It's so strong that I had to take it out of the shop and put it in my old barn...

That doesn't make any sense to me. After a half century I'd expect all the vapors to be long gone.

[Stratz]

Thanks guys. Thats a lot of good information on old cloth wire.

I doubt it's got/had any lacquer or varnish on it since it's very flexible, no cracking at all.
Stinks to high hell though, there's no way I can use it for anything.

Guess it's time to contact the seller.
Much appreciated guys.
Rob.