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Removing enamel from coated wire

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13hm13:
Certain earphones use enamel-coated STRANDED wire cables. (For Sennheiser and other high-end brands, these cables may also have very fine Kevlar fibers).
The loomed wire strands are VERY fine-pitched.
In repairing (splicing) these cables, it's necessary to remove the enamel insulation from the wire. Googling for ideas, the usual "solutions" pop up (lighter flame, sandpaper) and even some unconventional suggestions (heating powder aspirin, with wire dunked in -- haven't tried this yet!).

Because the wire strands are so fine-pitched, flame or sandpaper will often destroy the strand. So I'm looking for an alternative solution. Not sure how much heat is needed to melt enamel w/o harming the metal.
Or maybe some chemical . Tried Acetone -- it did nothing.

Below is sort of what I'm up against (not my image)...

iMo:
The aspirin (containing acetylsalicylic acid) works for finest enameled stranded wires (I used to use for high Q coils). Mind the fumes and odour are pretty unpleasant.
Another approach I did was I put the stranded wire into a flame and the copper wires melted into a small copper ball easy to solder.

Benta:
Flame is too harsh. Enamel coated strands normally have a solderable enamel. Use a soldering iron and eutectic solder.

Siwastaja:

--- Quote from: Benta on July 27, 2019, 05:44:58 pm ---Enamel coated strands normally have a solderable enamel. Use a soldering iron and eutectic solder.

--- End quote ---
(Emphasis added.)

I have heard this many times before, but it is quite a stretch, IMHO. In my experience, a solderable enamel is quite a special product. I have never seen it in wild in products, except when I have specifically bought it myself. Even then, it's much harder to source than normal, non-solderable enamel.

This being said, it doesn't hurt trying, possibly using higher-than-normal soldering temperature, and adding a lot of extra flux to compensate for burning flux at that high temperature. Just don't be surprised if it does not work.

Benta:

--- Quote from: Siwastaja on July 27, 2019, 07:20:44 pm ---n my experience, a solderable enamel is quite a special product. I have never seen it in wild in products, except when I have specifically bought it myself. Even then, it's much harder to source than normal, non-solderable enamel.

--- End quote ---

Interesting. I have the opposite experience with thin, stranded cables, they're mostly solderable.
On components like toroidal power transformers or inductors that have thick enamel wire I agree with you, they need to be scraped free.

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