Can you pot MIM plastic bobbins?

[Telemachos]

Hi everybody, I have this Made in Mexico Telecaster bridge PU on my bench which is a one piece plastic bobbin as you all know. When removing the winding I noticed that it had been thoroughly factory waxed. I always thought that this wasn't possible due to the plastic melting at high temperatures. Just wondering how they did it. So before potting and taking a risk I'd appreciate to hear from those who have been there.

[copperheadroads]

You can pot those plastic bobbin strat pickups ,just keep the temp of your wax around 150 degrees or lower

[Telemachos]

So that's Fahrenheit, right? Thanx, ..

[David Schwab]

Most of my bobbins are plastic and I pot them all. Like Copperhead said, just don't get the wax too hot.

[Telemachos]

Most of my bobbins are plastic and I pot them all. Like Copperhead said, just don't get the wax too hot.

That's interesting. Are you saying, that you're using mostly plastic to create your own line of pick ups? Or does it relate to customer's pick ups usually brought in for repair?

[David Schwab]

That's interesting. Are you saying, that you're using mostly plastic to create your own line of pick ups? Or does it relate to customer's pick ups usually brought in for repair?

I use mostly plastic bobbins in my own line of pickups. I also use some fiber bobbins.

For pickup repairs and rewinds it's what ever they are. The last few were Rick pickups (plastic and PC board), Jazz bass pickups (fiber), Gibson EB-0 mudbuckers (plastic), etc. I wax pot all of them.

[Telemachos]

Thanx

[jason lollar]

the only plastic I ever have problems with is if I use some types of pick guard material- you really have to be careful about the wax temp and how long you immerse it or it can get soft and the tension of the coil will warp it otherwise most moulded bobbins will take a pretty high heat. worse problem youll have with the mexi bobbins is trying to solder at the eyelet- watch out.

[Telemachos]

Thanx Jason

[Joe Gwinn]

the only plastic I ever have problems with is if I use some types of pick guard material- you really have to be careful about the wax temp and how long you immerse it or it can get soft and the tension of the coil will warp it otherwise most moulded bobbins will take a pretty high heat. worse problem youll have with the mexi bobbins is trying to solder at the eyelet- watch out.

That makes sense. All the plastic resin types commonly used for injection molding melt at about the same temperature. For instance nylon: "The 428 °F (220 °C) melting point of nylon 6 is lower than the 509 °F (265 °C) melting point of nylon 6,6." (From wikipedia.)

I used to solder the terminals on pot core inductors with nylon bobbins. The only way that worked was to use solderable magnet wire and a temperature-controlled soldering iron with a largish tip at 800 F. Soldering literally took one second, and a puff of smoke, and the bobbin didn't melt around the terminal. Probably, 750 F would have worked, but the iron I used (Weller TCP) only had 700 F (too cool) and 800 F (too hot) tips available.