What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

[brianpowers27]

What is the easiest way to remove the coating from inudctors, when unwinding?

[critofur]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

What do you mean exactly? For what purpose?

Just the ends, for soldering?

[Operandi]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

I've always used sandpaper.

[Motorman]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

The easiest way is to use a solder pot. You just immerse the enameled wire into the molten solder and it not only removes the enamel, it tins the wire too.

[chrisn]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

Motorman's idea sounds like a good one. I don't have a solder pot, and melting off the enamel has not worked well for me. Was has worked well is scraping it off with a slotted screwdriver. It is blunt enough not to scrape away too much copper. A utility knife or box cutter works, but it takes some inductor with it. Cutting pliers suffice, but aren't as good. I'm sure there are other methods, these are just the ones I have used

[Max_Andrews]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

I've burnt it off using a lighter before, scraping sideways with a cheap razor blade works too.

[diru]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

^^^^^^^^^^ yes sandpaper

sctochbright

steelwool

[brianpowers27]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

Thanks for the tip. I tried scraping using the sharp edge of the cutter pliers. I found that the connection was barely adequate and intermittently failed.

[gowa]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

I like Motorman's idea.

[brianpowers27]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

I like Motorman's idea.

That sounds good to me too. I don't have a solder pot tough.

[gowa]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=solder+pot+&src=IE-SearchBox

[Wolf]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

That sounds good to me too. I don't have a solder pot tough.

Sandpaper is the easiest, don't bother with the solder-pot. Good 100-150g works great.
Later,
Wolf

[philiparcario]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

steel wool will do a good job. I like sand paper 150 or 180

[Pete Schumacher]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

I always used the X-acto blade for my enamel wire scraping. Only, do NOT whittle. You angle the blade against the enamel, and scrape away from the edge, dragging the blade with pressure against the enamel. That fractures the enamel without taking any copper with it. It then comes off with ease, leaving a shiny surface ready to take solder.

[jonpike]

Re: What is the easiest way to remove coating from inductors?

Ah, Pete... you beat me to it with the Xacto (or other) blade method!

Yep, works well, takes a bit of "feel", main thing is to keep blade at 90deg to wire, and don't scrape too hard. Easier on larger gauge wire than small, but luckily "we" (speakerbuilders) rarely see thinner than 20g or so. Its pretty challenging to scrape 30g magnet wire and not chop it in half...

On the heat method, YMMV on what kind of enamel coating it is. Some are designed to clear away as you solder, others will hold up pretty good and it won't work. Scraping or sanding is the sure thing. Get down to the copper, and you'll have a good joint.