Un-potting a late 60's Fender pickup

[Lyrebird Steve]

Hi all,

I have a dead mid/late 60's fender mustang pickup that I would like to rewind. I really would like to unwind the entire pickup and get a good look at the layers and structure of the winding and if possible "save" the original wire to rewind or re-use. I'm not sure if these were machine or hand wound but if I could re-use the wire (is this a bad idea???) and scatter wind the rewind I'd be happy to have kept as much of the original mojo intact as possible

The pickup is lacquer potted so I need a way to soften/remove the lacquer without damaging the wire's insulation if this is at all possible.

Has anyone got an idea on what type of lacquer Fender used for potting and any ideas or method of removing it or at least making it pliable enough to unwind (rather than cutting) the wire off the pickup ?

Thanks in advance

Cheers
Steve

[Stratz]

If it is lacquer potted and not bondable wire you can heat the pickup to about 150*f. This will help loosen it up a bit. Lacquer potting doesn't normally penetrate more than the outer 10% or so of the coil.
I've repaired mid/late 60's Fender singles that were both hand wound and machine wound.

As far as using the original wire again..... I've rewound Fender pickups with new PE and period correct PE of the same diameter and I wouldn't say there's any noticeable difference in the outcome.

[Jim Shine]

Dip it in denatured alcohol. It will soften the lacquer, but not liquify it and damage other things like acetone or thinner will.

If you are preserving value, use a dropper and drop the alcohol on the windings and let it set in. This way you don't mess with the lacquer on the bobbins. After you repair the coil, use the dropper to freshen up the potting. The problem with the lacquer potted ones is the coil has a skin of potting. Once the outer layer is gone, they are loose. You have to pot it again.