Vintage Wire Question

[giraffecaster]

Hello,

Picked up this wire a few years ago and was just wondering if anyone had any information about it? The date appears to be from Oct 20, 1958. Would this make good PAF wire?

[big_teee]

Hello,

Picked up this wire a few years ago and was just wondering if anyone had any information about it? The date appears to be from Oct 20, 1958. Would this make good PAF wire?

Very Hard to read the label.
Try taking another picture of just the label.with the camera set to Macro.
If I read it right, it says Size .00225.
If that is OD it would probably be 44 Gauge.
Then on the bottom I see a 46, so it may be 46 Gauge.
Please clarify.
Most PAF Replicas are wound with 42Ga. PE.
T

[giraffecaster]

Counter clockwise from top left:
- Ohm./Ft: 166.9
- Size: 00225
- (pencil) 5970 (stamp) Oct 20 58
- 304366
- +6
- 50
- Enameled (pen on top) HC or AC?
- Net: 778
- Tare: 192
- Gross: 970
- Insp: 30

looking up AWG conversions, I see it should fall between 42 and 43 (American Wire Gauge) assuming the .00225 isn't counting the coating. It feels thicker than the 43 gauge stuff I've unwound from broken coils and isn't as fragile.

[Magnut]

The ohm per foot is suspect. I believe this is wire used to create your own wire wound resistors. I have come across this myself thinking I made a score only to then realize that it wasn't what I thought.

[giraffecaster]

Ah that's disappointing. Thanks for letting me know!

[marku52]

Yes, look at the "Evanohm" logo in the first picture---it is a wirewound resistor. I think you've got resistor wire. Check the resistance of a foot, I'm afraid this is not pickup wire.

[giraffecaster]

any idea how it'll sound as a pickup?

[big_teee]

I would start by taking a measure 10 ft of wire and measure the DCR.
We can go from there.
If it is 166.9 Ohm per foot, Your Screwed.
Good Luck,
T

[marku52]

If it is 166 ohms per foot, Terrible. If you get 4 turns/foot, each turn is about 41 ohms. 8,000 turns might be reasonable for a humbucker, that will total out at about 328 k ohms. It should be less than 10 k ohms. I don't even know if you would hear anything come out, but if you did it would be total mud.

Take BigT's advice. Measure 10 feet of it, then you will know what you have.

[the great waldo]

I Have a feeling this is resistance wire used for making wirewound reistors. Just a thought.

Cheers

Andrew

[big_teee]

Looks like that is what you have.
Resistance Wire :: PyroUniverse.com
T

[giraffecaster]

10 feet reads 1.63 k....

At least the roll was only $5!

[big_teee]

10 feet reads 1.63 k....

At least the roll was only $5!

That could be pretty handy also if you need a wire wound resistor.
T

[giraffecaster]

what about to use as a dummy coil?

[copperheadroads]

The stuff mudbuckers are from
Play with it & have fun