Snapping wires

[Peteus]

So during winding I keep snapping wire I'm using 43 gauge. I feel like the wire is not under much tension but, it keep breaking any tips.
I also have issues at the end keeping the wire secure around the bobbin at the end winding, I initially used paper tape for pickups but, then I wax potted the pickups the tape floated off.
Any suggestions?

[David King]

Peteus, how are you unspooling the wire? It sounds to me like the wire might be getting jerked suddenly as it comes off the spool. The spool must be horizontal and stationary while the wire is pulled off the end. Make sure there are no cracks, chips or gouges in the edge of the spool that the wire could get caught on. If the wire has been re spooled from a big 5-10 lb spool onto a smaller, 1/2 lb one you may have a lot of trouble if they didn't do a good job controlling the tension.

[Peteus]

Peteus, how are you unspooling the wire? It sounds to me like the wire might be getting jerked suddenly as it comes off the spool. The spool must be horizontal and stationary while the wire is pulled off the end. Make sure there are no cracks, chips or gouges in the edge of the spool that the wire could get caught on. If the wire has been re spooled from a big 5-10 lb spool onto a smaller, 1/2 lb one you may have a lot of trouble if they didn't do a good job controlling the tension.

I have the spool on it's side it snaps in my hands. I'll check the bobbin but, I normally file the edges. I'm using a large 500g spool so I presume it's fine. I guess i'll just have to be careful. What does everyone else wrap their pickups in?

[Jason Rodgers]

My question would be, where is the wire breaking? At the spool, in your hand, or on the bobbin?

If you have a re-wound spool, with layers crossed up, you'd run into the problem David describes. Also, I've heard that a spool can get jarred, like dropped on an end, which can cause layers to pack tightly, so they don't unspool evenly.

How far is the spool from your hand? I suppose loops could kink if it's too close to your hand.

Are you guiding the wire straight from your fingers onto the bobbin, or through guides? Either way, check to make sure you're traverse isn't too wide and you're not putting the wire in the path of the bobbin flats as they come around.

I found 43 challenging to work with, particularly when setting things up - soldering on leads, taping leads down, etc. - for the simple fact that the stuff is so damn thin you can barely see it, much less feel it!

As for tape, David suggested to me Kapton, which I know others use around here, too. I tape the start lead down, the finish lead, then wrap the whole coil. It pots just fine.

[the great waldo]

So during winding I keep snapping wire I'm using 43 gauge. I feel like the wire is not under much tension but, it keep breaking any tips.
I also have issues at the end keeping the wire secure around the bobbin at the end winding, I initially used paper tape for pickups but, then I wax potted the pickups the tape floated off.
Any suggestions?

Hi Peteus
Just put a rubber band (the normal old fashioned light brown bands and not the coloured ones which snap in the wax) around the bobbin. That should keep your paper tape on.

Cheers

Andrew

[DialtonePickups]

When is it snapping, exactly? Are you sure it's not getting caught on something along the way? Are your hands ultra-rough?? I'm always surprised at how easily that wire snaps, but once you get the right system going, it should rarely happen. Regarding filing the bobbins - it seems like that'd possibly be too rough, but maybe you are better at filing than I am.

I use paper tape prior to waxing. I just wrap it tightly a couple of times and while the end might peel up a little while potting, it's not a problem and I'm able to lay it back down after pulling it out of the wax. I'm gentle with the coils, though. I lay them down gently, try not to move them much, etc. If they were really getting banged around I could see the tape peeling being an issue.

[Peteus]

Hi Peteus
Just put a rubber band (the normal old fashioned light brown bands and not the coloured ones which snap in the wax) around the bobbin. That should keep your paper tape on.

Cheers

Andrew

Definitely trying that next time!

[Mark Hammer]

This is why I use am old-fashioned hand-drill as my "winder", and my thumb and index finger as my wire-guide. A lot slower, yes, but:

1) I make a handful of pickups for myself in any given year. I'm not in business, so spending an extra 20 minutes on a coil isn't killing me.

2) I get my wire from surplus sources, so the form and weight of the various spools differs widely; enough that making a standardized unspooler/holder that could manage all possible wire tensions is either next to impossible, or simply not worth doing for the number of coils involved.

3) A non-motorized hand drill will still yield a remarkable number of turns in a short period (I can do around 250 a minute when I'm rolling), but it allows you to stop on a dime if your feel any risky tension at all in your guide hand.

FWIW, I'm winding a ridiculously thin PU with #43 these days.