Paraffin types...

[David Schwab]

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tm.../Paraffin.html

[big_teee]

This is just one of those Age Ole Topics you can discuss til your blue.
The main thing is just come up with what you like and use it.
IMO, a Potted pickup beats one that's not, that Squeals.
However you like to do it.
T

[David Schwab]

This is just one of those Age Ole Topics you can discuss til your blue.
The main thing is just come up with what you like and use it.
IMO, a Potted pickup beats one that's not, that Squeals.
However you like to do it.
T

Yep, if the pickup squeals, it should considered defective. So what's the advantage to not potting it? Some of the stuff people claim to hear in unspotted pickups is lost in a band or recording context. Bedroom players don't have to worry about squealing pickups, but most gigging musicians do.

If potting lowers the resonant frequency slightly I doubt it would drastically change the tone of the pickup. If it does, wind the pickup differently so the resonant frequency ends up where you want it. And the best way to do that is listen to the pickup. But that gets us back to whether you would even hear a difference in a blind test.

Also, you don't know what guitar it's going into, and what the rest of the wiring and signal path is like. So worrying about such minutiae might not matter in the long run.

[Joe Gwinn]

The difference in the two peaks is roughly 0.1KHz.

A hundred Hertz, out of maybe 10,000 Hertz, a 1% change. I wonder if it's audible. One could swamp this by winding more tightly.

I left the scale out purposely as we all know these graphs are somewhat arbitrary given everyone seems to have a slightly different approach to measuring the frequency (please not here).

Well, there is a correct answer (zero phase), but it does require equipment other than a digital voltmeter.

My main question I guess is what type of paraffin has the lowest dielectric constant. As you mentioned Joe, tension, winding pattern, and a whole lot of other things will affect the frequency more than the type of paraffin, but none the less, why not use the paraffin with the lowest constant?

Petrochemical waxes will be the lowest. Animal waxes are higher, and some vegetable waxes are even higher.

So I would choose a petrochemical wax that isn't too hard. Like paraffin with something to soften it, like mineral oil, that won't evaporate over time. Beeswax also works, and there isn't enough in the mix to make much difference. In other words, the traditional choices are perfectly good.

[Jim Darr]

I’ve always used Canning Paraffin mixed with about 20% Beeswax. I find that it flows out well without leaving a huge amount of residue. Also, the combination leaves the wax less brittle. I was lucky and bought a large amount of Beeswax at a local fall festival from a beekeeper at a reasonable price.

[Rick Turner]

If you really want some fun, try winding with Teflon insulated magnet wire. I've done it. Major pain in the ass when it comes to stripping off the Teflon so you can solder to it! But it does and will lower self-capacitance...if that's what you are after. I'll have to do some more and measure.

[big_teee]

If you really want some fun, try winding with Teflon insulated magnet wire. I've done it. Major pain in the ass when it comes to stripping off the Teflon so you can solder to it! But it does and will lower self-capacitance...if that's what you are after. I'll have to do some more and measure.

Interesting!
What Gauge, and where do you get the wire?

[Rick Turner]

I've got a couple of spools of 44 ga. that I got at a surplus store in the San Fernando Valley many years ago. You can get the stuff from the usual suspects...meaning wire manufacturers like WLS, not Mojo, StewMac, etc. Teflon insulated wire will give you the lowest possible self capacitance, all other factors being equal.

[David Schwab]

Major pain in the ass when it comes to stripping off the Teflon so you can solder to it!

I can only imagine! I used to use teflon coated hookup wire. PITA to strip!

[tedmich]

if you use thermally activated self potting wire insulation all you do is heat it up and its SET!