P90 in oil

[Rosewood]

I knew that would get some attention. I just stripped a p90 with the clear plastic bobbin and the whole pickup is saturated with some kind of a light oil. The oil or what ever it is goes all the way through the winding. I can't imagine a reason for this, can you? The coil was open BTW. The pickup was from the seventies but it's in a old 57 Les Paul jr.

[cwood3]

Well, first of all, to be environmentally responsible, you should wrap the LP Jr. in a UPS box and send it to me for proper disposition. Next, take the pickup and , well, do something with it. Just make sure you check the Staurday Delivery OK box on the shipping label!!!!!

[David Schwab]

Maybe somebody oiled the screws?

Weird.

[Dr. Guitar]

You think someone may have tried to epoxy pot the coil, but mixed it wrong, and it never set up?

[John_H]

maybe it's a WD-90

[David Schwab]

maybe it's a WD-90

[Rosewood]

maybe it's a WD-90

Now that's entertainment.
I don't know what that crap was but it's not wd40. I actually ruined a shirt while I was stripping the wire. There's no way that stuff got in there without dipping or spraying the pickup without the cover. Wax gone bad....nah... I don't know.

[madialex]

Maybe someone potted it in oil thinking it would make them play faster like Michael Angelo Batio IE: Possum in disguise

[GlennW]

It's might be the remnants of Sam Lee Guy's secret potting formula. Did it have the genuine Chinese sound?

[David Schwab]

I bet someone oiled the adjustable screw poles. maybe they had gotten stiff?

I've seen this with guitars. People think they are doing something good.

[Rosewood]

I bet someone oiled the adjustable screw poles. maybe they had gotten stiff?

I've seen this with guitars. People think they are doing something good.

I don't know David, the bobbin is all one piece so the oil would have to run over the top plate and into the wire. The baseplate and magnets were covered too.
One other thing I thought was a little strange was the start wire didn't go through the hole in the bottom plate, it was sorta wrapped strat style. Anybody know the history on these clear plastic p90's?

[Possum]

.....

Are you sure it was oil? I fixed a pickup once that was wrapped in some kind of kraft paper tape, under that the coil was soaked in some kind of gooey gunk. I keep remembering something about magnet wire thats oil lubed or something weird like that, maybe whoever had it heard about that and soaked it in oil. I wonder what kind of dielectric effect that would have on a coil? I have one of those pickups but it sure isn't oil potted.....

[Rosewood]

Are you sure it was oil? I fixed a pickup once that was wrapped in some kind of kraft paper tape, under that the coil was soaked in some kind of gooey gunk. I keep remembering something about magnet wire thats oil lubed or something weird like that, maybe whoever had it heard about that and soaked it in oil. I wonder what kind of dielectric effect that would have on a coil? I have one of those pickups but it sure isn't oil potted.....

It was definitely some kind of oil, smell and all. I know the owner and remember him putting the pickup in, some time in the 70's, but he swears he didn't oil it. It doesn't smell like 3 in 1 oil but feels about the same.

[Joe Gwinn]

It was definitely some kind of oil, smell and all. I know the owner and remember him putting the pickup in, some time in the 70's, but he swears he didn't oil it. It doesn't smell like 3 in 1 oil but feels about the same.

Heavy mineral oil or baby oil? I can see someone doing this to quiet a squeal.

[madialex]

I had an oilder roll of wire once, dont remember if it was PE or formvar or Poly or what but it too has some sort of oil coating on the wire.

I remember when I wound with it I had to stop every few minutes to wire my fingers off, had a basic oil smell, not like WD40, like if you remember your grandfathers old oil cans that had the clear oil in it with the bendy long spout. Thats what it smelled like, not much smell but definitely an oil smell.

Hey maybe it's the one I wound!! Just kidding, I never sent any out with that stuff, I actually think I threw it out.