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Some time ago, there was a thread on how best to get the insulation off of #42 or finer magnet wire. My approach was to use solderable polyurethane-nylon insulation, a 800 F iron, and great speed.
The objection was that using such a hot iron would lead to premature failure of the fine wire, and sanding the insulation off was more reliable. Now, I never had such experience but also never used such fine wire before either, and theorized that the problem was the copper wire dissolving in the hot solder. I recalled that there had been a copper-loaded solder called SAV-A-BIT that ought to be able to solve the problem, but then could not find it.
Well, I tripped over it today. The original company "Multicore" had been bought, then the acquiring company was itself bought, twice or thrice, and somewhere in the process the brand name of the solder type was shortened, thwarting google
It is now called "Multicore SAVBIT" solder from Henkel Technologies, and is available from UK electronics distributors. In the US, Newark carries it (via Farnell).
MULTICORE (SOLDER)|DS18 500G REEL|SOLDER WIRE, SAVBIT, 1.22MM, 500G | Newark.com
Attached is the datasheet. Notice the test of how long it takes to dissolve a fine copper wire enough that it breaks. 800 F is 427 C, and 0.067 mm is almost exactly AWG #42.
The silver-bearing "HMP" solder may in fact be slightly better for 800 F soldering, needed to smoke the solderable insulation quickly enough.
So, we may now have a production solution: Use a 800 F tip and SAVBIT solder. And do it quickly, as always. Should be a puff of smoke and done - one, maybe two seconds.
The objection was that using such a hot iron would lead to premature failure of the fine wire, and sanding the insulation off was more reliable. Now, I never had such experience but also never used such fine wire before either, and theorized that the problem was the copper wire dissolving in the hot solder. I recalled that there had been a copper-loaded solder called SAV-A-BIT that ought to be able to solve the problem, but then could not find it.
Well, I tripped over it today. The original company "Multicore" had been bought, then the acquiring company was itself bought, twice or thrice, and somewhere in the process the brand name of the solder type was shortened, thwarting google
It is now called "Multicore SAVBIT" solder from Henkel Technologies, and is available from UK electronics distributors. In the US, Newark carries it (via Farnell).
MULTICORE (SOLDER)|DS18 500G REEL|SOLDER WIRE, SAVBIT, 1.22MM, 500G | Newark.com
Attached is the datasheet. Notice the test of how long it takes to dissolve a fine copper wire enough that it breaks. 800 F is 427 C, and 0.067 mm is almost exactly AWG #42.
The silver-bearing "HMP" solder may in fact be slightly better for 800 F soldering, needed to smoke the solderable insulation quickly enough.
So, we may now have a production solution: Use a 800 F tip and SAVBIT solder. And do it quickly, as always. Should be a puff of smoke and done - one, maybe two seconds.
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