First post..

[Stratz]

Rob the bobbins are plastic that I rewound so the wire doesn't contact the polls.
I'm very glad you brought the testing to my attention.
I am confused though. I'm assuming that one winds a layer then tests.?

..would spraying the bobbin with
polyurethane work rather than tapping the poles? Additional time but seems it could
be an alternative to taping.
Now asking this I'm displaying my ignorance of the wire too...if spraying is a good alternative would it also be a good idea to spray after winding-before potting- additional protection from the hot wax?
I do apologize if those are dumb questions...

Isaac has LA wet so I'm inside...probably have talked to much.

Thank you guys,
Michael

They're not dumb questions. It's very important stuff to know.
I didn't know you were winding plastic bobbins but no, I didn't mean a test wind. I was just recommending that you test for shorts after you have wound a few pickups. Some wire insulation's are more flexible than others and old wire insulation may get brittle over time. Some people wind very tight which may cause shorts early on in the wind. Basically it's just a good idea to check for shorts if you're using forbon bobbins rather than plastic where the wire touches the magnet rods.

I usually dip my bobbins in lacquer (I actually let them soak for a while) for a couple of reasons. To keep the Forbon from warping over time and to get the vintage Fender look. Some people dip them to protect the magnets from shorting out too but I've been using the Kaptan tape for many years now so I don't have to worry about shorts any more and warping is something that I mostly see on older Tele bridge pickups.

If I don't have any bobbins made up and I'm in a hurry I'll just spray them with lacquer for the look. I dont need to dip them because I use tape.
I have a thin rod on the wall in my garage that I can slide a bunch of bobbins on using the center hole and I just give them a good spin and spray them with fast drying lacquer while they're turning. I let them dry and repeat the step once or twice more depending on how shiny I want them to look. Then I magnetize them, set the Gauss level of each rod, file out the eyelet and sand it to remove any lacquer for easier soldering of the hook up wires.... and then I can wind them.

I wouldn't recommend spraying anything on the wire if you're going to wax pot the pickups. The wax fills the air space between the winds which stops any vibration that can cause the coil to become microphonic.

Rob.

[Justwannano]

Rob you've made my morning coffee most excellent.

Wonderful information and you explain/share it very well.

The only plastic bobbins I have are the two I used to start out on. They seemed perfect for taking abuse from me.
Now that I have a mounting method and a little winding experience/feel I'm a little
more comfortable with winding and not destroying stuff.

I'll be adding Kaptan tape and lacquer soaking/spraying to the mix.

While I'm waiting on getting the potting part of these rewinds done I'm gathering
materials and tools to assemble and prepping bobbins so this information is perfect.

You and the other contributors are making the start of this venture so much easier and a pleasure- I sure thank you for that.


Michael