Please explain to me the difference...

[rhgwynn]

Between 42, 42 Heavy, and 42 Plain Enamel.

It is just the insulation? Thank you.

-Rob

[copperheadroads]

Just dig in & start reading through the pages, there are a ton of them ,
If you googled what you posted you'd probably be on your way

[rhgwynn]

Well, you could have probably given a concise answer in the same number of words; but that's neither here nor there because I figured it out. But it brings up another question in my mind - do the different coatings lend themselves to the strength of the wire to different degrees? Or would you say that it doesn't make a difference? Thank you.

-Rob

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[copperheadroads]

Id say yes .IMO poly coated wire is tougher than PE & heavy build wire like heavy formvar is even tougher ,having thicker insulation

[David Schwab]

Between 42, 42 Heavy, and 42 Plain Enamel.

It is just the insulation? Thank you.

-Rob

Most magnet wire uses poly nylon (SPN) insulation. Older pickups used plain enamel, because that's the type of insulation there was. Some people feel the plain enamel sounds different. It's also much more expensive. I use SPN for most of my pickups, and only use PE for some vintage rewinds. If you are just starting to wind, use poly. You will be throwing out a lot of wire in the beginning!

Heavy build refers to how thick the insulation is. Thicker insulation makes the coil fatter and places each turn slightly farther away from the others. It gives a rounder, looser kind of sound, especially for neck pickups.

You will also see the term "heavy formvar". Formvar, or formal varnish, is another type of insulation. Same rules apply. Doesn't sound any different in the same builds.

[David King]

"Heavy build" is 2 coats of varnish. You can also get triple dipped as well (if you look for it).
That's an interesting question about adding tensile strength to the wire with extra varnish. It could be easily checked using a digital fish scale to pull on wires until they snap. I kind of doubt it myself. You will get varying degrees of abrasion resistance which can be very handy.

You will need to do some reading because there are a lot of theories floating around here and some of them make good sense. I'd suggest you read up what's available on the wire manufacturer's websites as well, if just to familiarize yourself with their nomenclatures.

[rhgwynn]

If you are just starting to wind, use poly. You will be throwing out a lot of wire in the beginning!

SO true. My biggest problem isnt breakage - I'm already getting winds down with no breakage but did already use the breaks I got to learn how to solder it back together; I'm just starting to get over the battle against FLARING. Hence - my other thread about the wire guide spacing; though, no one seems to want to save a poor guy a bit of wire but giving a spacing measurement.

Would you say that flaring could possible be a tension issue? Or is it solely a traverse limiter spacing issue?

-Rob

[big_teee]

SO true. My biggest problem isnt breakage - I'm already getting winds down with no breakage but did already use the breaks I got to learn how to solder it back together; I'm just starting to get over the battle against FLARING. Hence - my other thread about the wire guide spacing; though, no one seems to want to save a poor guy a bit of wire but giving a spacing measurement.

Would you say that flaring could possible be a tension issue? Or is it solely a traverse limiter spacing issue?

-Rob

Can you be more specific, I read the other post, not sure what your asking?
Make sure you specify what particular pickup type you are working on.
Spacing measurement?
a Normal Inside strat spacing is around .435 inch or 11mm.
TPL(Turns Per Layer) can be obtained from Mr Salvarsans Coil Estimator.
Coil Estimator
42SPN would be in the 95-155 TPL range.
Flaring can be a result of too much tension and too close to the edges.
It just takes time and wire, to get all that worked out.
The more you wind the easier, and more consistent it gets.
T

[rhgwynn]

Can you be more specific, I read the other post, not sure what your asking?
Make sure you specify what particular pickup type you are working on.
Spacing measurement?
a Normal Inside strat spacing is around .435 inch or 11mm.
TPL(Turns Per Layer) can be obtained from Mr Salvarsans Coil Estimator.
Coil Estimator
42SPN would be in the 95-155 TPL range.
Flaring can be a result of too much tension and too close to the edges.
It just takes time and wire, to get all that worked out.
The more you wind the easier, and more consistent it gets.
T

I'm making them for strats. It does get easier every time, though.

-Rob

[David Schwab]

SO true. My biggest problem isnt breakage - I'm already getting winds down with no breakage but did already use the breaks I got to learn how to solder it back together; I'm just starting to get over the battle against FLARING. Hence - my other thread about the wire guide spacing; though, no one seems to want to save a poor guy a bit of wire but giving a spacing measurement.

I used to break wire on every coil I started winding in the beginning. I had to get a feel for doing it. Now I never break wire unless it gets snagged coming off the spool.

Here's a trick I use for splicing. Some people just twist the wire together and solder it. My feeling is it never gets a good joint that way. But you always get a good connection to your lead wires. So I take a piece of 28 gauge insulated wire, and strip about 1/4" off the end, and tin it. I wrap both ends of the break around that wire about 10 times. Then I solder it, heating it up long enough to see the PVC insulation on the hookup wire start to soften. I set my iron at about 600°F. Then I test the connection with my meter from the splice to the start wire. This is for pickups where I started it with a lead wire. If I was doing a Fender type, I would solder the start eyelet to make the connection. If I get a reading that agrees with the number of turns I have so far, I then snip off the tinned section of the hookup wire I used as a carrier, and bend a piece of masking tape over it (I use the thin stuff from art supply stores) and tape it down to the coil, give it a few turns by hand, and then continue to wind my coil.

I will only do this once in a coil, and often times I just cut the wire off and start over unless I'm very close to the end. But I don't get many breaks these days.