Taping Bobbin before winding

[Bill M]

Fender used plain old masking tape in the late 60's and 70's to wrap the magnets. I just lacquer mine, but let them dry at least 3 days before winding and have had no problems. granted, If you try to wind too soon you will more than likely get shorts.

[David Schwab]

Plain ol' Scotch Magic Tape, the standard office supply stuff, is pretty good. I'm not sure what the plastic is, but it's thin and tough and has good adhesive. I don't do wax potting, so I don't know for sure, but my guess is that the tape's film would hold up fine under those temperatures. The film thickness is probably about the same as a coat of lacquer.

I also used to use the Scotch Magic Tape. It's nice and thin. It does hold up well with wax or lacquer.

[Bruce Johnson]

I do restorations on the old Ampeg Scroll Basses from the late '60's. On some models, Ampeg used pieces of plain tan masking tape to hold wires up to the pickguard during assembly. I've opened up quite a few for the first time since they were built, and 43 year old masking tape doesn't look good. The adhesive dries rock hard, and the tan paper disintegrates into particles like burned paper.

[Joe Gwinn]

Definitely operator error, that problem vanishes when you stretch the tape as you wrap it on (or before hand) as it was intended to be applied.

Teflon tape has considerable give, but yields to its maximum at a certain point, then you wrap it on the bobbin and the wire wont "swim" anywhere, it lays down right on top and goes no further. I've been using it that way for years and never had it cause any problem. Even un-wound old winds to check it, IMHO, it's the best/cheapest/most readily available choice.

I'd still worry, but I'm glad it has worked for you. Teflon is famous for creeping.

[Joe Gwinn]

Thanks, Joe. So, it's acetate. It really is pretty amazing tape. On one of my pickup models, I cast the bobbins in an upper and lower half and press them onto the magnets. Right where they come together, I had a problem with the wire wanting to catch and fall down into the gap. One wrap of the 1/2" wide Magic tape solved it.

That's clever. But one would have expected crazy glue to be involved. It's a tradition around these parts.

Another amazing tape is the (3M) Scotch Packaging Tape. It's really resistant to most kinds of glues and epoxies. I use it on surfaces of fixtures and tooling, any place likely to get glue drips. Even nasty epoxies just fall right off it.

This I will have to try.

[RedHouse]

I'd still worry, but I'm glad it has worked for you. Teflon is famous for creeping.

Yeah, it's one of those things that doesn't need the overthinking, just using it properly works wonders.

[David Schwab]

That's clever. But one would have expected crazy glue to be involved. It's a tradition around these parts.

I'd be lost without crazy glue!

This I will have to try.

I can attest to this! Nothing sticks to that tape. I've used it to stop from crazy gluing my bobbins to my work bench.

[Ward]

I use Teflon tape as well. Let's face it, anything will do really.

[Rick Turner]

Many of my pickup "bobbins" (though they are not exactly that) are 1/2" wide between flanges. I simply use 1/2" "phase marking tape" and have no problems at all. Cheap, very available, works, is kinda pretty, vacuum potted the coils with wax anyway...no problem... So OK, I could use Teflon. Big deal!