bowed bobbins after winding

[cakewalker]

Hello there

I have just discovered this forum and its awesome.

I am a newbee in pickup making.

My question is about the bowed bobbins which you can see in the pics.

Yesterday i also winded a tele set and the bobbins were bowed again.I thought the highe and low E rods were loose. So today I dropped a little bit glue to the rods to make tit more stiff and flat but it happened again. Both upper and lower flatworks are bowed

Last week i winded a jazzmaster set but there was not a problem like that.

Any suggestions?

[Magnut]

Two things to watch.
1. When winding, as you put more winds on do not wind against the bobbin. Stop just shy of the bobbin each time to go across the coil. Putting wraps up against the bobbin creates pressure and flares the bobbin. The wire will naturally settle in after winding.
2. After assembling the bobbin,(before winding) you can put a small drop of super glue on the outer poles, top and bottom, from the inside of the bobbin. Not the outside as you will see it when dried. This can help keep the outer flanges of the bobbin secure and help keep it from coming apart.

[big_teee]

Lots of techniques, and methods of making single coils.
Your tension may be to high.
Narrow the winding gap of your guides.
If your flatwork is loose on the magnets, that can cause flaring on the ends.
Gluing or lacquer dipping will lock the fiber to the magnets.
Lots of trial and error in custom winding.
GL,
T
Others please jump in.

[kayakerca]

Yesterday i also winded a tele set and the bobbins were bowed again.I thought the highe and low E rods were loose. So today I dropped a little bit glue to the rods to make tit more stiff and flat but it happened again. Both upper and lower flatworks are bowed

Try using less tension on the wire during the wind. I had similar issues when I first started winding, I reduced the tension and the flared bobbins disappeared. It can be especially noticeable on Tele neck pickups where the top flatwork is thinner. Unable to tell about your winder or winding process, but it is important to measure and control the tension during a wind.

[Mick Bailey]

The windings adjacent to the flatwork create an overall wedging action, so tension has a bearing on how much outward pressure is applied. It may not seem much per-turn, but there's enough to push out the flatwork. I've had the same experience and it takes a while to get used to how much tension is needed. Also, some flatwork can be quite flexible - not only will it bend easily but it won't grip the magnets.

[cakewalker]

Really helpful comments. Thank you guys.