Stat pickup potting question

[kayakerca]

If you are vacuum potting a Strat pickup, would you block the small hole in the centre of the top and bottom flatwork to avoid completely filling the air space in the core between the D and G Alnico magnets? Or, will that wax just drain out as soon as you remove the pickup from the wax pot?

Thanks in advance.

[big_teee]

I would just leave it open.
After the pickup is in the 150 degree wax for 10 to 15 minutes, it will remain hot for a while.
When you take it out of the pot just hold it over the pot till it quits dripping.
The hot wax will run out of the holes.
Unless you just want to do the vacuum potting, most of us just do regular potting.
With good results.
Good Luck,
Terry

[kayakerca]

I would just leave it open.
After the pickup is in the 150 degree wax for 10 to 15 minutes, it will remain hot for a while.
When you take it out of the pot just hold it over the pot till it quits dripping.
The hot wax will run out of the holes.
Unless you just want to do the vacuum potting, most of us just do regular potting.
With good results.

Good Luck,
Terry

Thanks for the input Terry. The holes will be left open. I am going to give the vacuum potting a go. Fortunately for new guys like myself there are a lot of people willing to share their experiences. And then you have guys like Jason Lollar, that if you read all the articles and interviews of his you can get your hands on, you get even more knowledge. Vacuum potting seems to be one topic he has commented on more than once, so I figure it must be worth giving a try.

[copperheadroads]

Before any one commented on this
I was going to post but deleted.-I thought Vacuming potting was to get wax in everywhere in the pickup ,every air pocket replaced with wax
Some think Vacuming potting is a tone killer ,Compared to using a pot ............I can understand why
I have cut the wire off a couple dozen single coils ,& i never see the space between the wire & the magnets filled with wax
So, No............... i would not try to plug that hole ,the wax will probably get in there no matter what you do

[kayakerca]

Thanks chr. I put a lot of stock in what I read in this forum because the volume of knowledge I have on winding could fit in a thimble with room left for my finger. I also put a lot of stock in the articles and interviews from the pros. Not wanting to pound on about stuff I've read from Jason Lollar articles, but he seems to send that message you are sending now, in that over potting kills tone and the dynamic nature of the pickup. If I remember correctly, I've read him say in articles that (for vacuum potting) 10 second to just hold the wire on the bobbin, typically 30 - 45 seconds and never over 2 minutes. I will definitely recheck the articles I have that discuss potting. People in the forum seem to talk in terms of 10 - 15 minutes and as long as 20 minutes for non vacuum potting.

[big_teee]

On Single Coils, I like them well potted.
On Humbuckers, If everything is well taped You can get away with less, or no potting.
If you sell Pickups, You want to make sure the custormer is protected from Microphonics regardless of where he Plays.
So Anything I sell gets the 10-15 Minutes at 150F.
10 Seconds won't warm or heat the Pickup enough to make the Wax flow.
So if I am working on a pickup and making changes, I don't pot them until I get everything worked out.
I think you will find on this Forum lots of good ideas, and lots of things to try, but IMO Nothing is Chiseled in Stone.
You will have to try all different things, until You get what works for you, and what fits your style.
Good Luck,
Terry

[copperheadroads]

Doing a quick 30 secound to 1 min potting is a art in itself ........

[big_teee]

Doing a quick 30 secound to 1 min potting is a art in itself ........

I agree, you would need to do some warming and preheating of the Pickup, with such short Potting.
With regular Potting, I pot while multi-tasking.
I drop one in the pot, while I'm doing other things.
Then I shake the pickup occasionally. Until the bubbles are gone.
Works really well, So far I don't see anything that needs Improved.
To Keep an Eye on the Temperature, and I recommend a good Cooking Thermometer.
T

[Jim Shine]

I have encountered a couple single coils over the years that were filled with wax inside. Rewinds or repotted pickups.

[kayakerca]

I have encountered a couple single coils over the years that were filled with wax inside. Rewinds or repotted pickups.

Filled as in filled between each set of alnico magnets or filled between the D & G string magnets. Either way, this puts me back to square one on the question of covering the holes. I guess it would be fair to say that when potting a humbucker or P90 bobbin, the bobbin is formed and there is no open air between where the wire lays down on the inner area of the bobbin and the airspace around the slug sleeves. Therefore it would be fair to say that, in the case of a humbucker or P90, you could not get any wax to penetrate the coil from the inside of the bobbin as it does not have a path to the air space on the inside. To get that same potting penetration effect on a Strat or Tele pickup (where the wax only penetrates from the outside of the bobbin, you would need to cover the mounting holes in the flatware used to mount the pickup to the faceplate on the winder?

[Jim Shine]

When I got the windings off, there were 5 little wax blocks that were formed between the magnets.

[jason lollar]

vacuum potting is definately not a tone killer- you only need to pot between 10 seconds and 60 seconds depending on what you are after, it will not fill every space. even if you leave it under 25 inches of vacuum for 6 or 7 minutes air will still come out!!!
My experience with vacuum potting is you get a more consistant result if you pre- heat and accurately time immersion and pot to a certain level of mercury.
seriously if you wanted to kill tone you could do it vacuum potting but if you know what you are doing potting is benificial in many ways I didnt understand for a long time. For instance I have had many phone calls about gibson humbuckers "my pickup became excessively microphonic all of a sudden" enough bumps to the guitar and the coil can shift. Potting just enough to get the outer layer of the coil waxed helps keep the coil from shifting so it preserves whatever level of microphonics you intended on having in the first place and there are other reasons to pot which 15 years ago I thought there was no reason to pot at all bla bla bla

[big_teee]

vacuum potting is definately not a tone killer- you only need to pot between 10 seconds and 60 seconds depending on what you are after, it will not fill every space. even if you leave it under 25 inches of vacuum for 6 or 7 minutes air will still come out!!!
My experience with vacuum potting is you get a more consistant result if you pre- heat and accurately time immersion and pot to a certain level of mercury.
seriously if you wanted to kill tone you could do it vacuum potting but if you know what you are doing potting is benificial in many ways I didnt understand for a long time. For instance I have had many phone calls about gibson humbuckers "my pickup became excessively microphonic all of a sudden" enough bumps to the guitar and the coil can shift. Potting just enough to get the outer layer of the coil waxed helps keep the coil from shifting so it preserves whatever level of microphonics you intended on having in the first place and there are other reasons to pot which 15 years ago I thought there was no reason to pot at all bla bla bla

So in a larger shop environment like Yours?
It's faster taking less time and you do pull out more bubbles, In a short time I'm sure.
However I'm sure you have done some regular potting in your long Tenure?
I've never had any adverse effects with regular potting, have you?
Like I said I'm sure the Short Time element is a real plus.
Also on the Buckers going microphonic.
I've had more trouble with them being microphonic with covers than without.
I just did a rewind Potted it and tested it in the guitar.
It sounded great.
I paper taped the slugs, I put the cover on, I had a little hot wax in the bottom of the cover.
For grins I retested it and it was microphonic.
I Repotted it with the cover on, all microphonics were gone.
Thoughts?
B_T