Re: solderig enamelled wire, problems.

Chris Jones <lugnut808@spam.yahoo.com> wrote:

[...]

If the wire is getting too hot too fast and melting, or if the wire
cools down too much so that it is no longer red hot when it plunges into
the alcohol, then it can help to twist it with a bunch of short similar
diameter copper wires (which can be bare copper e.g. from a mains
cable), so that the wire being heated has more thermal mass. If I can
get the thermal time constant to be at least a second, I find that makes
the process easier to control.

That's an excellent idea and it makes subsequent soldering much easier
too. 

I have seen something like that where very fine windings were brought
out to terminals by thicker ones but had previously assumed it was just
to prevent damage to the fine wire by leading it out through the layers
of insulation.  A lot of older devices: transformers, headphones,
electromagnets etc. from the valve days, needed high-impedance windings
and this technique was often used.  I expect it made the assembly work a
lot faster and less tricky - and the product more reliable.


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~ Liz Tuddenham ~
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